Austrian court convicts man whose girlfriend died as they climbed the country’s highest mountain

An alpinist is seen on his way to the cross on the summit of the 'Gross Glockner' mountain, right, on Austrian province of Easttyrol, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

VIENNA — An Austrian court has convicted a man of manslaughter caused by gross negligence after his girlfriend froze to death as the couple attempted to climb the country’s highest peak last year.

The 37-year-old defendant was given a five-month suspended sentence and a 9,600-euro ($11,300) fine in a verdict handed down by the Innsbruck state court Thursday night after a one-day trial, the Austria Press Agency reported. The court did not identify him, in keeping with local privacy rules.

The man and his 33-year-old girlfriend set out to climb the Grossglockner in western Austria in January 2025. Prosecutors said that she died about 50 meters (164 feet) below the 3,798-meter (12,460-foot) peak after he left her behind. The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Judge Norbert Hofer said that the defendant had misjudged the situation on the mountain but had not wilfully left behind his girlfriend — whose knowledge of mountaineering, he said, was “galaxies” short of the man’s own. The sentence was well short of the maximum three years in prison.

“I don’t see you as a murderer, I don’t see you as a cold-hearted man,” he said, alluding to social media posts about the case. “I see you as the one who ultimately tried to call help and stand by his girlfriend.”

However, the judge said that the defendant had failed to take his “leadership responsibility.” He said the woman would almost certainly have survived “if the appropriate measures had been taken,” for example making an emergency call earlier or turning back.

The defendant told the court he was “endlessly sorry,” APA reported. He said that the couple had made all their decisions together and planned their climbs together, including the Grossglockner climb.

He argued that he himself had no formal Alpine training and that his girlfriend’s knowledge wasn’t far short of his own. He said she had been in good condition when a police helicopter flew over the couple earlier in the climb and he couldn’t explain her rapid deterioration. He said he had descended to seek help after consulting with her.

The verdict can be appealed.

The Associated Press