Mountaineer posted harrowing message after allegedly leaving girlfriend to freeze to death

The experienced climber who allegedly left his girlfriend to freeze to death at the top of Austria’s highest peak made a devastating statement in the days after her death.

The experienced climber who allegedly left his girlfriend to freeze to death at the top of Austria’s highest peak posted a harrowing message on social media just days after her body was recovered.

Thomas Plamberger, 36, paid tribute to his late girlfriend, Kerstin Gurtner, 33, in the since-deleted Instagram post — claiming her January 19 death on the Grossglockner mountain “hurts so incredibly much,” Bild reported.

“I miss you so much. It hurts so incredibly much. Forever in my heart. Without you, time is meaningless,” he wrote.

Kerstin Gurtner, with boyfriend Thomas Plamberger, died near the summit of Grossglockner mountain. Picture: Kerstin Gurtner/ Facebook

He also reportedly co-signed the obituary penned by Gurtner’s parents in the wake of her death.

The revelations come after Plamberger was charged last week with grossly negligent manslaughter following a months-long investigation into the tragic ordeal.

Plamberger, an experienced mountaineer, is accused of abandoning his girlfriend near the summit when she started to struggle and could no longer continue on.

The couple effectively became stranded just before 9pm — but Plamberger did not make an emergency call or give off any distress signals when they spotted a police helicopter fly nearby two hours later, local outlet Heute reported.

Kerstin Gurtner died on Glossglockner mountain in Austria.

Plamberger called Alpine police officers at 1.35am and then set off about 30 minutes later in search of help.

At 2.30am, he was spotted by a mountain trail cam descending from the peak.

His girlfriend, meanwhile, was left alone to battle -20 degrees temperatures and high winds.

“The defendant left his girlfriend unprotected, exhausted, hypothermic, and disoriented about 50 metres below the summit cross of the Grossglockner,” prosecutors said.

When rescue crews eventually returned in the daylight, Gurtner had already frozen to death.

Plamberger’s lawyer has insisted Gurtner’s death was a “tragic, fateful accident.”

Prosecutors said Kerstin Gurtner was an inexperienced hiker. Picture: Kerstin Gurtner Memorial

Prosecutors, though, have blamed the boyfriend — arguing he should have been more prepared for the trek.

They allege the couple set off too late and didn’t have adequate equipment, given Gurtner was wearing snowboard boots and had no emergency bivouac gear.

“Since the defendant, unlike his girlfriend, was already very experienced with alpine high-altitude tours and had planned the tour, he was to be considered the responsible guide of the tour,” the prosecutors said.

“Despite the woman’s inexperience, as she had never undertaken an alpine high-altitude tour of this length, difficulty, and altitude, and despite the challenging winter conditions, the defendant undertook the alpine high-altitude tour to the Grossglockner via the Studlgrat with her in winter.”

Lawyer Kurt Jelinek, who represents Plamberger, maintained his client’s innocence and insisted Gurtner’s death was a “tragic, fateful accident,” according to The Daily Mail.

Tributes poured in for Gurtner, who described herself as a “winter child”, on a memorial page after her death.

“Rest in heavenly peace,” one commenter wrote.

“Behind the tears of grief lies the smile of remembrance,” another chimed.

Another said, “Deeply saddened to learn of this death, I wish to express my condolences. Impossible to find the right words.”

Plamberger was charged last week with his trial expected to kick off in February at the Innsbruck Regional Court.

If convicted, he could be sent to prison for up to only three years.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post

Originally published as Mountaineer posted harrowing message after allegedly leaving girlfriend to freeze to death