Tragedy on the Großglockner: Focus on the investigation!

Tragedy on the Großglockner: Focus on the investigation!

Großglockner, Österreich - The tragedy on the Großglockner made headlines at the weekend. On January 19, 2025, a 33-year-old Salzburg woman was found dead after she was frozen in the night from 18 to January 19th due to extremely bad weather conditions. Their 36-year-old accompanying person, the partner of the deceased, is now accused by the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office for grossly negligent killing. This raises questions about the behavior of the man who had to reverse in the critical situation to get help while the woman was left 50 meters below the summit.

as 5min, both had broken up at Kals on the Großglockner to climb the highest mountain Austria. Due to technical and physical difficulties, they did not reach the summit around midnight. In a moment of great exhaustion, the woman stated that she could no longer go on. The man then decided to get off to the eagle rest to get help.

the use and the circumstances

The alarmed rescue workers met with massive difficulties during the night. A helicopter insert was not possible due to the foehn storm and from 3:30 a.m. there was no more feasible due to the blizzard. The woman's partner had contacted an alpinist in the police helicopter at midnight, but did not come. The woman was only localized in the morning of January 19 - much too late for any help.

The investigation into the exact circumstances of the death of the climber is now coming to an end. The partner plans to comment on the incidents in writing in the coming days. His lawyer emphasized that the tour was "adequately planned" and that the bad weather conditions unexpectedly occurred. There were also reports according to which the deceased suffered from a viral infection in the lungs, which the man was not known, reports alpin.

criticism of the rescue and the planning

mountain guides and experts express considerable concerns about the behavior of the rope team and the tremendous risks of mountaineering under the given circumstances. So far, the considerations for a possible alpine -technical report have not yet been concluded, which should evaluate the act of the accused. The head of the Kals mountain rescue has emphasized that the mountaineers were in an extreme management coping and that no premature conclusions should be drawn in the investigation.

While the allegations against the partner throw a dark cloud about the tragic incident, it was reported that mobile phone reception was present on the Großglockner, but may have been impaired due to the extreme weather conditions. It also remains unclear why the rope team in this critical situation has not asked any offers of help what the investigators are still trying to clarify.

This incident once again illuminates the dangers of mountaineering and the decisive factors that must be taken into account in such challenging tours. Apart from tragic external, the case is also accompanied by the recent reports of serious accidents in the mountains, such as the deadly fall of a hiker in Thiersee or the fatal lightning strikes, which killed several climbers in June 2025, such as Alpin reports.