Overview
- An Innsbruck court found Thomas Plamberger guilty of gross negligent manslaughter and imposed a five‑month suspended sentence plus roughly €9,400 in fines.
- Judge Norbert Hofer said Plamberger failed in his leadership responsibility and that the victim likely would have survived with earlier rescue calls or a decision to turn back, though he was not judged cold‑hearted.
- Prosecutors detailed a reconstructed timeline showing the pair stranded around 9 p.m., no signal to a police helicopter near 10:50 p.m., a call to mountain police at 12:35 a.m., and Plamberger leaving to seek help around 2 a.m.
- Evidence highlighted planning and equipment failures, including a late start, unsuitable soft snowboard boots, unused emergency blanket and bivouac bag, and exposure to winds near 45 mph with windchill well below freezing.
- The verdict remains open to appeal under Austrian procedure, and testimony from a former girlfriend who said Plamberger left her on the mountain in 2023 featured in the trial as the case fuels a wider debate on liability in high‑risk recreation.