The woman who tragically died on Austria’s highest mountain after being left behind by her boyfriend has been named as 33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner.
Her boyfriend is now facing a manslaughter charge by gross negligence after allegedly abandoning her during their climb up the Grossglockner in January, per The Times.
Gurtner, from Salzburg, was scaling the 12,460-foot peak alongside her 39-year-old partner when things went terribly wrong near the summit.
According to reports, she became unable to continue due to exhaustion and the effects of the altitude, but instead of calling emergency services immediately, her boyfriend reportedly left her behind to seek help from lower ground.
Sadly, Gurtner never made it off the mountain alive.
Prosecutors say climber left his girlfriend ‘exhausted and hypothermic’
Authorities claim Gurtner was left “unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented” just 50 meters from the summit cross at around 2:00am on the freezing night.
“The woman froze to death,” prosecutors said, according to Heute.
“Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour.”
The court heard that Gurtner, who had no prior experience with high-altitude alpine expeditions of this level, was ill-equipped for the demanding conditions.
Kerstin Gurtner died on the mountain. Credit: Kerstin Gurtner Memorial
Despite knowing this, prosecutors say her boyfriend failed to prepare adequately and made a string of poor decisions that ultimately proved fatal.
Not only did he allegedly set off two hours later than planned, but he also failed to plan for any potential emergencies and didn’t carry appropriate safety equipment.
Delayed rescue efforts and fatal decisions
Authorities claim the man allowed Gurtner to wear “unsuitable equipment for a high-alpine tour in mixed terrain” and failed to turn back despite worsening weather.
He also didn’t alert emergency services until much later - after she had already collapsed from exhaustion at around 8:50pm, just 150 feet from the summit.
A police helicopter flew over the mountain at 10:50pm, but no distress signals were made.
Instead, he reportedly waited hours before finally going for help, diminishing Gurtner’s chances of survival.
By the time a rescue helicopter tried to locate her at 7:00am, conditions had worsened.
Gusting winds forced the crew to abandon the attempt. Webcam footage later showed her torch going out as she lost strength.
Rescuers eventually reached the site on foot three hours later, but by then it was too late.
Prosecutors reiterated that he didn’t move Gurtner to a more sheltered spot, nor did he use her bivouac sack or emergency blankets.
He also failed to remove her heavy gear or snowboard.
“The defendant failed to move his girlfriend to a sheltered spot to protect her from heat loss,” they said.
“Before leaving his girlfriend at around 2:00am, he neither used her bivouac sack nor the available emergency blankets to protect her from further cooling, nor did he remove her heavy backpack and splitboard.”
The Grossglockner is Austria's highest peak. Credit: coberschneider/Getty
Defense insists it was a ‘tragic, fateful accident’
The man’s trial is set to begin in February, with his attorney maintaining that the incident was an unfortunate accident rather than a criminal act.
“My client is very sorry about how things turned out,” the lawyer told KUIER.
A memorial page has since confirmed the identity of Kerstin Gurtner, who died alone near the Grossglockner’s summit in brutal conditions.