Kerstin Gurtner's social media was full of mountain photos. The 33-year-old from Salzburg loved describing herself as a 'winter child' and a 'mountain person', posting pictures of herself hiking and climbing with her boyfriend Thomas Plamberger. That love for the outdoors turned tragic on 19 January when she froze to death just 150 feet shy of Austria's highest summit after Plamberger allegedly walked away and left her there.
Gurtner was born on 6 March 1991 in Salzburg. Friends and family remember her deep passion for nature and spending time outdoors. Her online profiles showed someone who couldn't get enough of winter sports and mountain adventures, usually alongside Plamberger, who'd been climbing for years. But prosecutors reckon Gurtner had barely any experience with proper high-altitude climbs. That gap in experience would cost her everything during what became a nightmare ascent of the 12,460-foot Grossglockner.
