"Almost a year ago now, the couple began the ascent of Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner (3,798 m or 12,461 ft), via its southwest ridge a long, complex route with sections that are especially treacherous in winter. They began their ascent at 6:45 a.m., and shortly after 1:00 p.m. they were less than 250 meters from the summit. At that point, coinciding with the most difficult section of the route, their progress stalled, and nightfall soon overtook them."
"Their headlamps, clearly visible from the valley below, alerted the rescue services, and a helicopter was dispatched to extract them after 10:00 p.m., amidst increasingly strong gusts of wind. To their great surprise, Thomas Plamberger refused the rescue, and both continued climbing. But Kerstin Gurtner never reached the summit, which would have allowed them to descend through easier terrain to a sheltered hut."
Innsbruck prosecutors are seeking a three-year prison term for 36-year-old Thomas Plamberger for negligent decisions during a winter ascent of the Grossglockner with his 33-year-old partner, Kerstin Gurtner. The couple climbed the southwest ridge, a long complex route with winter-treacherous sections, and stalled less than 250 meters from the summit as night fell. Headlamps alerted rescue services and a helicopter was dispatched, but Plamberger refused extraction and both continued climbing. Gurtner became exhausted, endured a blizzard with winds up to 70 km/h and temperatures around −20°C, and died of hypothermia a few meters below the summit.
Read at english.elpais.com
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