A climber who was convicted of gross negligent manslaughter after leaving his girlfriend to die on a mountain in freezing conditions has revealed the last words she ever said to him.
The story of Thomas Plamberger and his partner, Kerstin Gurtner, gained international attention after they made a fatal attempt to scale Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, in January 2025.
The peak, which rises to 12,460 feet, is known to be dangerous and is reported to claim the lives of one to two people each year.
Experienced mountaineer Plamberger, 39, climbed Grossglockner with Gurtner, 33, on January 19, 2025. The couple were just 150 feet from the summit when Gurtner collapsed from exhaustion at around 9:50 p.m.
By that point, the temperature had dropped to -20C (-4°F), and it soon became clear that Gurtner could go no further.
Gurtner, a native of Salzburg, Austria, described herself as a “winter child” and a “mountain person” on social media, though a statement from the public prosecutor’s office, per the NY Post, claimed she had little experience with alpine high-altitude tours. According to local news outlet Heute, Plamberger and Gurtner were stranded from 8 p.m. onward. Plamberger did not make an emergency call, nor did he send any distress signals when police helicopters flew nearby at 10:50 p.m.
At 1:35 a.m., Plamberger called Alpine police but then put his phone on silent mode, according to prosecutors. Thirty minutes later, he made his way down the mountain to get help, leaving Gurtner where she was. It is alleged that he failed to move her to a more sheltered location and even neglected to cover her with an emergency blanket. Rescue teams were unable to reach Kerstin until the following morning due to extreme winds. She was later found dead just beneath the summit cross.
Ultimately, Plamberger was convicted of gross negligent manslaughter in February 2026. He maintained that “she told me to go” as the reason for leaving her. Meanwhile, Gurtner’s mother has publicly supported Plamberger, arguing that it was her daughter’s choice to attempt the climb at night.
“Kerstin was also out in the mountains at night because she had to work during the day,” she said. “She loved mountain hikes at sunrise and sunset. The two of them were equipped for the night.
“If Kerstin didn’t agree, they wouldn’t have gone on a mountain tour. Therefore, he doesn’t deserve to be held responsible as the guide.”
