Tod am Großglockner: Der Prozess

In the trial concerning the death of a 33-year-old mountaineer, her partner has not yet been found guilty of negligent homicide. He was deemed responsible as the more experienced mountaineer. No court case in Austria has garnered as much international attention in a long time as the one held last Thursday at the Innsbruck Regional Court. At its heart was the death of a 33-year-old woman during a climb of the Großglockner with her boyfriend in January 2025 – and the question of whether her partner was criminally responsible. A 37-year-old man from Salzburg was accused of negligent homicide. The core of the case: Did he, as the significantly more experienced mountaineer, bear responsibility for the climb, and did his decisions ultimately lead to his girlfriend's death? The case moved people far beyond Austria's borders immediately after the tragedy. We reconstructed the fatal climb in the lead-up to the trial in Inside Austria – you can find the results here. The court proceedings once again focused on meticulously reconstructing how the young woman could have died of exposure. Presiding Judge Norbert Hofer, who has special jurisdiction over alpine trials and is himself a mountain and air rescuer, centered on a key question: Was the defendant so superior to his partner in experience and skill that he bore a responsibility for leading and protecting her on the tour? We discuss why the guilty verdict was ultimately reached, what new details emerged in court, and whether the verdict, which is not yet legally binding, could still be overturned with Maximilian Werner, who reported from the courtroom for the Standard. You can listen to our series on the case here (https://inside-austria.podigee.io/221.... Our listeners can use the discount code "Standard" to try SPIEGEL+ for four weeks for just €1 per week. You can find all the details at spiegel.de/derstandard (http://spiegel.de/derstandard). If you've always wanted to experience Inside Austria live, you'll have the chance on February 25, 2026. In Vienna, at the Missing Link Podcast Night. Tickets are available here (https://missing-link.media/podcastnac....