A mountain climber has been charged with manslaughter after he left his girlfriend stranded on the side of Grossglockner mountain, the tallest mountain in Austria, to get help. A webcam pointed at the peak captured the lights of the two climbers as the tragedy unfolded.
The 36-year-old mountaineer has been described as an “experienced” climber as per the Daily Mail, however, his partner, a 33-year-old woman, was considerably less experienced. The couple had ascended to the peak but experienced trouble on the way down. Ultimately, the boyfriend decided to descend alone and try to find help.
Webcam footage shows the lights of the couple on the mountain. The boyfriend left his partner around 2am roughly 50 meters from the summit. One of the lights can be seen descending while the other stays put. As the hours pass by the light begins to dim as the woman’s strength gives out.
She was left to freeze
Prosecutors have charged the 36-year-old man with manslaughter by gross negligence after the trek ended in tragedy, he could be facing up to three years in prison for his alleged failure to protect the less experienced climber.
The defendant allegedly left his partner “unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented,” near the top of the mountain. Before rescuers could reach her she sadly froze to death alone. As her partner was the more experienced climber he was “considered to be the responsible guide of the tour.”
A great deal of evidence was evaluated and the mountaineer was found to have made several errors that likely resulted in the death of his girlfriend. He hadn’t taken into account his partner’s inexperience, having never been on a tour of this length before. He was also accused of starting the trek two hours later than planned, failing to turn back earlier when the weather conditions worsened, and not bringing adequate emergency equipment. The equipment he allowed her to climb the mountain with was also deemed inadequate.
When opting to leave his partner and get help the man allegedly did not bring her to a place protected from the wind and he didn’t use a bivouac sack or aluminum rescue blankets. He was also accused of failing to make an emergency call until it was already too late, despite becoming stranded around 8:50pm he did not speak to rescuers until around 00:35am after they had made numerous attempts to contact him.
The man’s defense attorney maintains that it was “a tragic, fateful accident.” The trial is set to take place on February 19, 2026.
Published: Dec 5, 2025 10:33 am