An experienced outdoorsman who allegedly left his girlfriend to 'freeze to death' on the side of a mountain penned a disturbing tribute to his abandoned partner, it has emerged.
33-year-old Kerstin Gurtner was led by her mountaineering boyfriend in an evening ascent of Austria's 12,460ft Grossglockner mountain amid freezing winter conditions, with temperatures plunging past -4 degrees Fahrenheit as they trudged their way to the summit.
But when they were just 150ft from the peak, at 8.50pm on January 18, ill-equipped and inexperienced Gurtner collapsed as she became confused and hypothermic in the arctic weather, as winds whipped the mountainside with gusts up to 46 mph.
Hours later, her boyfriend reportedly left her at the top of the mountain and began his descent, a tragic moment caught on webcams as one light made its way down the mountain, after two had gone up.
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In a chilling tribute written after the incident, her partner said it 'hurts so incredibly much' to be without Gurtner.
According to Bild, the full tribute left on social media reads: "I miss you so much. It hurts so incredibly much. Forever in my heart. Without you, time is meaningless." He also co-signed her parents' obituary.
However, he has now been charged in relation to her death at the start of the year, facing charges of manslaughter by gross negligence after leaving Gurtner on the mountainside.
Prosecutors say that the experienced mountaineer had failed in a myriad of ways to protect Gurtner's life, from embarking on the hike without the proper equipment to not flagging down a rescue helicopter a couple of hours after they got into trouble.
This chopper flew over the couple at one point, as rescue teams became aware that someone was trapped on the mountain. Attempts to contact the man failed as his phone was switched off.
About 90 minutes later, at 00.30, Gurtner's boyfriend contacted Alpine Police, though it is unclear what was said. Then, just after 2am, he makes the descent down the mountain alone.
European prosecutors have said in a statement: "At approximately 2:00 a.m., the defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 meters below the summit cross of the Grossglockner.
"The woman froze to death. Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour."
The partner is also accused of leaving Gurtner without the proper protective equipment when he made his descent, failing to find a more sheltered position, use a bivouac bag, or even wrapping her in aluminum rescue blankets to keep her warm.
At 3.30am, after descending Austria's tallest mountain with his phone turned off and failing to respond to calls from emergency services, her partner notified Alpine Police.
However, the arctic conditions and high winds prevented any rescue taking place, with a helicopter rescue being called off at 7am due to the strong gusts.
Eventually, a team of rescuers were able to ascend the mountain, where Gurtner was sadly found dead. Her boyfriend will stand trial February 19, 2026, and faces up to three years in prison.
Topics: True crime, Crime, Sex and Relationships, Europe
William Morgan