Frozen on Austria’s highest peak: Man charged after abandoning girlfriend near summit

The victim, a 33-year-old mountaineer from Salzburg, died on the 12,460-foot peak after struggling to continue the ascent when the couple were just around 50 metres (165 feet) from the summit, The Metro reported.

Investigators said the man left the woman behind in a hypothermic and exhausted condition to seek help. However, during his absence, extreme cold exposure led to her death.

Following the completion of the investigation, the man—described as an experienced climber who had organised the expedition—has been charged and now faces up to three years in prison.

In a statement quoted by The Metro, the prosecutor’s office said the woman was left “unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented” near the summit cross of the Großglockner.

Authorities said forensic analysis, mobile phone data, fitness tracking devices, photographs, videos, and an alpine technical expert’s assessment established that the accused committed multiple critical errors during the climb.

The man’s lawyer, Kurt Jelinek, told KURIER as quoted by The Metro that his client “deeply regrets how the events unfolded.”