Partner Charged With Manslaughter after Girlfriend Freezes to Death in Austrian Alps

Seems after all evidence is in, it was clear than my snap judgments to convict the guy based on superficial evidence, were not knee jerk reactions to social media, but rather well warranted, wise and well considered opinions.  Lol.  

Turns out he did same thing to another partner on same mountain before.  She got down.  F@ck this guy.  

5 month suspended sentence. 

Where everyone is an adult, by whatever measure a society continues to move that mark, making ones own decisions to join or not join a mentor or guide for that matter, hiking, mountaineering, climbing, skiing, horseback riding, paddling etc, criminally prosecuting stupidity/bad decisions to achieve a "perfect" world will result in continued anti social behavior by those who have knowledge, but prefer not to mentor with it. You cannot legislate or prosecute your way to a perfect world, no matter the excessive public resources you pile into such endeavor nor any perceived win in the social media realm.  Bubble wrap it all and live through AI.

phylp phylpwrote:

5 month suspended sentence. 

Seems the judge is lacking in judgement 

Dow Williamswrote:

Where everyone is an adult, by whatever measure a society continues to move that mark, making ones own decisions to join or not join a mentor or guide for that matter, hiking, mountaineering, climbing, skiing, horseback riding, paddling etc, criminally prosecuting stupidity/bad decisions to achieve a "perfect" world will result in continued anti social behavior by those who have knowledge, but prefer not to mentor with it. You cannot legislate or prosecute your way to a perfect world, no matter the excessive public resources you pile into such endeavor nor any perceived win in the social media realm.  Bubble wrap it all and live through AI.

Dow, you totally misunderstand.  In no way is law enforcement ever considered “a way to legislate a perfect world”.    It is holding people accountable for their actions and decisions.  

Nobody gets a free pass to blithely go through life doing whatever they want at whatever cost to others, and have others just clean up their mess.

It always cracks me up on what subjects some people are soft on stupidity and responsibility while taking a hard line in other areas. 

Gymnogenewrote:

Austrian climber found guilty after girlfriend froze to death on mountain

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0k1xkllknmo 

The man, named only as Thomas P in line with Austrian privacy laws, has been given a five-month suspended sentence and fined €9,600 (£8,400).

An additional discussion:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/20/austria-conviction-affect-climbing-europe

https://www.climbing.com/news/austria-climber-guilty-grossglockner/

“On average, we have about 285 fatalities per year in the mountains,” Waller explained. “Nevertheless, charges of negligent homicide in connection with accidents in alpine terrain are very rare, and convictions even rarer. You can count the charges on one hand each year. It’s more common in skiing, but in alpine mountaineering, it’s the exception.

Waller explained that when negligent homicide convictions do occur, they almost always involve guided trips, not informal climbing partnerships, like Plamberger and Gurtner. He added that even if Plamberger and Gurtner acted as “equal partners,” they would each harbor a legal obligation to support and help each other.

According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, in an interview televised by the German Press Agency, Waller said that the verdict could have a chilling effect on how climbers approach trips into the mountains in Austria.

“Many are now uncertain, and believe that they are always responsible for the entire group and may even be liable simply because they are more qualified,” Waller said.

Severin Glaser, a professor of criminal law at the University of Innsbruck, offered a similar analysis. “This could shift the responsibility for yourself if you’re doing something dangerous,” he told The New York Times. “The costs of mountaineering … might rise, and maybe some people are not willing anymore to pay this higher price.”

It’s too soon to say what the long-term impact of the Grossglockner verdict will be, and as noted above, Plamberger can still appeal."