Austrian Mountaineer Charged in Girlfriend's Hypothermia Death

A 36-year-old experienced mountaineer from Salzburg, Austria, has been charged with manslaughter by gross negligence after his 33-year-old girlfriend froze to death on the country's highest peak, Grossglockner, in January. Prosecutors allege he abandoned her unprotected about 50 meters below the summit during a nighttime ascent, leaving her exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented in extreme winter conditions.

The couple, both from Salzburg, began their climb via the Studlgrat route on the evening of January 18. Webcam footage from the mountain captured their headlamps glowing as they ascended around 6 p.m., but the lights dimmed hours later as the woman's strength failed. By approximately 2 a.m. on January 19, she could no longer continue, roughly 160 feet from the 12,460-foot summit cross. The man, who had planned the tour and was far more familiar with high-altitude alpine routes, proceeded alone to seek help, prosecutors said. He did not shelter her from 45-mile-per-hour winds or provide protective gear such as aluminum rescue blankets or a bivouac sack.

Investigators determined the man overlooked several critical factors that contributed to the tragedy. The woman had no...