Man investigated for leaving 17-year-old on Germany's highest mountain
Zugspitze is Germany’s highest mountain with an altitude of 2,962m (9,718 ft)
Austrian police are investigating a German man aged 21 on suspicion of endangering public safety, after his 17-year-old female friend was left stranded on Germany’s highest mountain Zugspitze in sub-zero temperatures.
The teenager called emergency services and was eventually rescued on the mountain at an altitude of about 2,500m (8,200ft).
She was suffering from hypothermia and taken to hospital in nearby Garmisch-Partenkirchen, over the border in Germany, before being discharged.
In Austria, anyone who endangers another person’s physical safety can be punished with up to three months in prison.
The pair set off in the early hours of Sunday from the resort of Ehrwald in the Austrian Tyrol with the aim of seeing the sunrise on Zugspitze.
Temperatures that morning had fallen to -12C, a mountain rescuer told German Press Agency DPA.
Zugspitze, near the southern Bavarian resort of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is a site often visited by sports enthusiasts, explorers and families
The weather was so poor that the two climbers were soon knee-deep in snow, according to Austrian reports, and their plans to reach the 2,962m summit soon changed.
At one point they separated and the 21-year-old descended alone. The reason they split is unclear, and a police spokesperson declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Seven mountain rescuers responded to the call, and a helicopter eventually airlifted the teenager off the mountain. She was then taken to hospital by ambulance.
Although the teenager survived, what happened on Zugspitze on Sunday is reminiscent of a fatal incident on Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner, in January 2025.
A 33-year-old woman froze to death on the Grossglockner after her boyfriend left her on the mountain, and he was later found guilty of grossly negligent manslaughter.
The boyfriend had insisted he had left her there while trying to get help, telling the court he had loved his girlfriend and that he was deeply sorry.
The case reverberated throughout the mountaineering community at the time, with prosecutors arguing that as the more experienced climber, he was the responsible guide on the trip and had failed to turn back or call for help in time.
In the latest case in Austria, police have said once they have completed their investigation, a report will be sent to Innsbruck public prosecutors, who will decide if a criminal offence has been committed.
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