A disturbing photograph shows the light from Thomas P’s torch shining from the top of Grossglockner after he was accused of abandoning his girlfriend on the 12,460ft peak and leaving her to die
A climber is on trial for leaving his girlfriend to die on Austria’s highest mountain – as a shocking photograph showed his torch shining from the peak in the middle of the night.
Kerstin G, 33, died of hypothermia close to the summit of Grossglockner on January 19, 2025, after being abandoned by her boyfriend at around 2am following a disastrous climb. Conditions on top of the mountain were about -8C overnight, though will have felt about -20C due to the strong winds.
Her boyfriend, Thomas P, is currently on trial for gross negligent manslaughter. Prosecutors say that, as an experienced climber who planned the route and organised the excursion, he was “the responsible guide for the tour” and did not call for support in time for his girlfriend. He denies the charges claims Kerstin’s death as “a tragic accident.”
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An indictment by the Innsbruck public prosecutor’s office accuses Thomas of leaving his girlfriend “defenceless, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented” approximately 50 metres (164ft) below the summit. According to authorities, despite his partner’s exhaustion, he did not make an emergency call before nightfall when she began to struggle – and didn’t send any distress signals to a passing helicopter.
Thomas P is accused of beginning the hike two hours late – meaning challenging evening conditions would come sooner than planned – and going ahead with the climb even though his girlfriend had “never undertaken an Alpine tour of this length, difficulty, and altitude, and despite the challenging winter conditions”.
Prosecutors also allege that they allowed his girlfriend to use equipment that was insufficient for the 12,460ft mountain, including “snowboard soft boots”, and failed to bring “enough emergency bivouac equipment”, which provides emergency shelter in adverse conditions.
Thomas P is also accused of showing negligence by not turning back while on the mountain when it became clear that strong winds would pose a serious hazard. The defendant disputes this. In a statement, his lawyer Karl Jelinek, said the couple had planned the tour together.
“Both considered themselves… to be sufficiently experienced, adequately prepared, and well equipped,” he said. Both had “relevant Alpine experience” and were “in very good physical condition”.
In a statement, Thomas P’s lawyer Karl Jelinek, claimed the couple had planned the tour together – and rejected the suggestion that he was a more experienced climber than his girlfriend.
He said the couple “considered themselves” to be “sufficiently experienced, adequately prepared, and well equipped”, adding that they both had “relevant Alpine experience” and were “in very good physical condition”. If found guilty, Thomas P faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison. The trial continues.
