Posted on 12/20/2025 4:04:20 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
A man in Austria was charged in the death of his girlfriend after leaving her behind, in a case testing ideas of freedom and responsibility in the mountains.
The Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain, seen from the nearby Sonnblick Observatory.Credit...Kerstin Joensson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
A distant webcam captured the moments the couple’s hiking trip started to unravel.
The pair, a boyfriend and girlfriend, were nearing the summit of Grossglockner, the tallest mountain in the Austrian Alps, when their lights appeared on its dark peak.
Around midnight, the man said, his girlfriend was struck by sudden exhaustion and could not continue. He said the two made a contentious, if not uncommon, decision: He would leave her behind and continue alone to find help.
Hours later, he was out of harm’s way, and the woman was dead. Rescuers found her frozen body later that morning not far from the summit, officials say.
Now, nearly a year later, the authorities have accused the man of making a series of mistakes that led to his girlfriend’s death, charging him this month with gross negligent manslaughter.
The unusual case has roiled the mountaineering community and could have ramifications for Austria’s large alpine tourism industry. Mountaineering in Austria has surged in popularity in recent years, and experts say underprepared visitors are taking more risks and accidents are reaching record highs.
The case has also provoked a broader debate in Austria, as questions of personal responsibility collide with a long-established legal tradition that requires people to protect others and avert danger.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Maybe it’s just me, but when it’s -4 degrees F outside I usually opt to NOT climb a 12,000 foot mountain.
My wife and I took a train ride in late September (a few years back) on the Durango and Silverton. I packed a tote bag filled with winter gear. She asked why, and I said, “just in case.” I knew that Silverton was at 10,000 feet, so I knew it wouldn’t be as balmy as it was in Durango that morning (at 4500 feet).
Sure enough, we got off the train and were greeted by wind, snow, and 30 degree temps. We suited up and were fine.
Others on the train weren’t so well prepared. Some of them rode up to the top wearing shorts, tank tops and flip flops.
“when it’s -4 degrees F outside I usually opt to NOT climb a 12,000 foot mountain.”
Sheesh, what sort of pussy are you?? ;>)
Not his fault. He went off to get help, not to abandon her.
Imagine the reverse, he was notmcapable of going on, she leaves to go get help. Would they even think to charge the woman with his death? Of course not.
The double standards are appalling.
I don’t think either one of them understood how cold it gets on mountains at night.
“I’ve seen people start hikes woefully unprepared.”
Summer in the mountains of Colorado can be very dangerous for hypothermia. Take off on a hike, it’s sunny and warm, then thunderstorm hits and I’ve seen people staggering around like drunk trying to find the trail. Others will grab them and walk them down. But if you are alone...
The two of them had a chance to make it through the night with the dual body heat. No way to know how good the chance was. I’d have drug the person down as far as I could on a sheet or something and stayed with them. She may have needed oxygen as much as warmth.
I wondered about that.
So are you an expert on this or are you armchair quarterbacking this? Do you know how much time and energy it would take to get the right material to build an effective sled, put it together, and the enrgy needed to pull dead weight down without losing it, he’s also suffering from being tired and the weather and then doing all of that?!? Are you for real?
So. Did. Eve. She blamed the snake.
And its funny now how you want to use the bible for defense when modern women are no comparison to biblically moral women.
Probably. Its like people don’t get how cold deserts get at night.
Weird though because I’m no professional climber or desert dweller and I know both of these things...
I rode the Mt. Washington Hillclimb cycling race in the 80’s. It was 75 degrees, no wind, and clear at the start. At the top it was 40 degees, windy, and 10 foot visibility.
Most dangerous SMALL mountain in America. Hundreds of deaths. Their names are posted on a board in the observatory at the summit.
Then they would both be dead. Exhaustion & hypoxia.
If you want to do an Alpine ascent you start at daybreak. And you get back down by early afternoon.
Easier said than done….
I’ve had hypothermia in the smokies on a bright, blue sky summer day. And I’ve climbed Mt Washington on another summer day. Do not expect mountains to play. Come prepared and you’ll be ok. Do not neglect to eat or stay well hydrated.
Sounds like they were grossly underprepared. Probably not proper mountain wear. You sweat on the way up and get soaked, even in breathable Gortex. Then you stop moving and BAM hypothermia sets in with the wet clothes. It doesn’t matter if you have the jacket or not.
The only hope was getting to sheltered trees out of the wind, taking off clothes, hugging under the bivouac sack and space blanket, and covering yourself with tree boughs before crawling in the sack.
“She may have needed oxygen as much as warmth.” Very true at 12,000 feet.
They were both totally unprepared, started too late, and paid for their rashness. At least she did … tragic actions….
I see people go hiking in the Utah desert in summer with only a small bottle of water. And often no hat. Really really stupid.
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