An Innsbruck court on Thursday sentenced a 37-year-old Austrian man to a five-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of €9,600 for negligence resulting in the death of his 33-year-old girlfriend on the Großglockner mountain in January 2025, according to reports from the Tagesschau and Bild.
The woman died of hypothermia shortly below the 3,798-meter summit. The court found the man, identified as Thomas P. By Bild, acted recklessly by continuing the ascent despite deteriorating weather conditions and failing to adequately equip his less experienced companion. The prosecution argued he left her “helpless, exhausted, hypothermic and disoriented,” according to web.de.
During the trial, the man stated the woman had asked him to continue on and seek help, believing she would not survive if they remained together, as reported by web.de. He claimed she told him, “Move now, go!” and that her actions “saved his life.” He expressed deep remorse for the tragedy, stating, “I am infinitely sorry for what happened, and how it happened,” but did not admit guilt.
The judge acknowledged the tragic circumstances of the case, noting that no sentence could bring the woman back, according to the Tagesschau report. Even though, he emphasized the man’s responsibility as the more experienced climber, stating he failed to consider his girlfriend’s limited winter mountaineering experience and did not react appropriately as the weather worsened. The judge likewise noted she was crawling on all fours in her final moments.
The prosecution presented evidence that the man did not provide appropriate gear and failed to turn back at a reasonable point on the route, despite wind speeds reaching 74 km/h and creating a wind chill of minus 20 degrees Celsius, as detailed in Bild. The defense presented a letter from the woman’s parents, stating she was “self-responsible” and had completed challenging climbs previously, according to Bild.
The verdict, while delivering a sentence, has been described as lenient, with the court making “massive concessions” to the sentencing request, according to Bild. The case garnered significant international attention, and the ruling is being viewed as potentially setting a precedent for similar cases involving mountaineering accidents, according to Der Standard.
As of February 21, 2026, no appeal of the Innsbruck court’s decision has been publicly announced.
