Scandalous investigation in the Austrian mountains: They abandoned their friend in the blizzard for the sake of the summit!

In the incident, which took place on the Königsjodler trail in Austria's Hochkönig mountain range, a group of three climbers started climbing on Saturday afternoon, despite bad weather forecasts and warnings from those around them.

However, the climb did not go as planned, and when the group reached an altitude of approximately 2,590 meters, one of the climbers could not continue any further. It turned out that instead of calling for help or turning back, his friends continued climbing and reached the 3-meter-high summit.

While the rescue teams ascended the mountain upon the emergency notice initiated for the exhausted climber, Wolfgang Haggenmüller, chief of operations and station manager of the Mühlbach Mountain Rescue Service, stated that the climb was incredibly dangerous even for the rescue team. Emphasizing that approximately 20 cm of snow fell, Haggenmüller added that visibility on the path was not possible and the risk of falling was very high.

After a breathtaking operation that lasted 14 hours under heavy snowfall and near zero visibility, the climber was brought down safely. Regional manager Gerhard Kremser emphasized that, considering the adverse weather conditions, it was impossible for the man left alone to survive the night on the mountain alone. Following the incident, a police investigation was launched against the German climbers.

Rescue manager Kremser stated that what happened was the victim of amateur ambition and criticized: "This operation shows once again how overconfidence, ignoring warnings and poor route planning can quickly lead to life-threatening danger. Mountaineering also requires returning on time."

This scandalous incident brought to mind a similar court decision in Austria last year that caused great repercussions.

Thomas Plamberger (39), who left his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner (33) behind despite the risk of her freezing to death while trying to climb Grossglockner, the highest peak in the country, in January 2025, was tried for "manslaughter due to gross negligence". The Innsbruck state court sentenced the defendant to a five-month suspended prison sentence and a fine of 9,600 euros.

Judge Norbert Hofer of the period stated that the defendant misjudged the situation, but did not deliberately leave his girlfriend to die. However, the judge pointed out that the defendant did not fulfill his leadership responsibility and emphasized that the woman would definitely survive if an emergency call for help was made or returned earlier.

It is already a matter of curiosity whether the investigation launched after the scandalous behavior of German mountaineers will set a similar legal precedent.