Woman (33) freezes to death

What makes the surviving friend of the Glockner victim tick

The Kals mountain rescuers and East Tyrolean alpine police officers tried to save the 33-year-old's life in a delicate operation - unfortunately in vain.(Bild: Bergrettung Kals)

The tragic freezing death of a 33-year-old alpinist on Austria's highest mountain continues to shock. While the police and judiciary are investigating the boyfriend (36), the "Krone" went in search of clues. The man from Salzburg, who left his girlfriend alone below the summit, apparently knows almost every rock on the Grossglockner.

The 36-year-old, whose rope partner is known to have frozen to death just below the summit of the Großglockner on the Stüdlgrat ridge on Sunday night, has still not been questioned. As reported, the police are investigating the man on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.

According to the police, the results of the toxicological and histological report as part of the autopsy of the deceased are still pending.

Around 40 four-thousand-metre peaks in tour book
The Salzburg native (name known to the editors) reveals a lot about himself as an extreme mountaineer in various social networks. If you follow the numerous posts, his (alpinist) life is mainly made up of ice and steep faces and gullies, which he also likes to ski. Around 40 four-thousand-meter peaks are in his tour book.

The mountain rescuers from Kals and the East Tyrolean alpine police tried to save the 33-year-old's life in a delicate operation - unfortunately in vain.(Bild: Bergrettung Kals)

The Großglockner seems to be a particular passion for the 36-year-old. He must know the mountain inside out. According to his own statements, he has climbed the Pallavicini gully, the Aschenbrennerführe and the Mayerlrampe on the north face. The outstanding alpinist has also completed the solo traverse of the Grossglockner.

On the Glockner with a partner without 3000m experience
The terrible drama happened on the Stüdlgrat. According to his postings, the 36-year-old knows this climbing route (lower fourth degree of difficulty in winter) well. And he has taken rope partners on this route who were climbing here for the first time.

According to his own statements, the Salzburg native also took a female touring partner, for whom three-thousand-metre peaks were previously uncharted territory, to Austria's highest summit (3798 m) in 2022. It is not known whether the 33-year-old woman from Salzburg, who died tragically just below the summit at the weekend, had any Glockner or high-altitude touring experience in such terrain. Her death still raises many questions.

Glockner was a "training mountain" for alpinist
The 36-year-old probably regarded Austria's highest peak as a kind of "training mountain". This can be inferred from a post from summer 2024. "Tomorrow I'm visiting it again, Austria's highest," he writes. And talks about "leadership" and "training for Switzerland".

His girlfriend, who died at the weekend, commented: "Someday" ...