Climber abandoned girlfriend to die in the cold on austria’s highest peak, Grossglockne
Chilling webcam images have shown an experienced climber allegedly abandoning his girlfriend, leaving her to die on Austria’s biggest mountain.
The 33-year-old novice climber died after being left "unprotected, exhausted, and hypothermic" atop the 12,460ft Grossglockner on a brisk January night.
Now, webcam images shared in local media have revealed the emergency lights of the two mountaineers during their ascent at around 6pm on January 18.
Six hours later, as light began to fade, the woman would die from the extreme cold.
The 36-year-old is now facing up to three years in prison if charges of manslaughter by gross negligence are proven.
Investigators said the pair were battered with winds up to 46mph, with the conditions feeling like -20C.
Despite the extreme cold, the woman was allowed to attempt the final stretch up the peak with a splitboard and soft snow boots
Experts have called the kit, "totally unsuitable" for the high-alpine hike.
The man’s lawyer, Kurt Jelinek, said: “My client is very sorry about how things turned out.”
He added that the defense “still assumes it was a tragic, fateful accident.”
The boyfriend has also been accused of failing to make an emergency call in time.
The pair were stranded from around 9pm, but no call went in until 12:35am, prosecutors claim.
He did not call rescuers again after the first phone call.
The case will go before the Innsbruck Regional Court on February 19, 2026, just over a year after the event.
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