Hello and welcome to Till Death Do Us Part, Just Melissa.

And today I'm going to be telling you about the case of Kirsten Gertner.

Now there are places in the world so beautiful they almost seem unreal. Towering over the Austrian Alps, Grosklauchner is one of them.

At nearly 12,500 feet, Grosklochner is Austria's highest mountain, a jagged crown of rock, ice,

and snow rising above postcard villages and green valleys. In summer, climbers come from around

the world to stand on its summit and take in sweeping views that stretch for miles. But in winter,

Grosglockner becomes something else entirely. The mountain transforms into a frozen fortress.

Winds can howl without warning, temperatures plunge well below freezing, snow hides routes, ice turns

every step into a gamble, and on Grosglochner, beauty and danger exist side by side. And in January

of 2025, it would become the setting for a tragedy that would shock Europe because two people went up that mountain and only one came down.

Thomas Plamberger and Kirsten Gertner were a couple who shared a love of the outdoors.

By all accounts, they were not strangers passing through

each other's lives. They were partners. They hiked together, explored together, and appeared to

enjoy the challenge and freedom that mountain life can offer. But in their relationship,

there was one important difference. Thomas was considered the

more experienced climber. He reportedly had more alpine knowledge, more technical skill, and more

experience navigating dangerous terrain. Kirsten was said to be less seasoned, especially when it came to harsh winter mountaineering.

To many people, that distinction might not seem important, but later in court, it would become

everything, because experience creates trust and trust can become responsibility.

In January, the couple set out to climb Grosklachner during winter conditions.

Now, even for the experienced climbers, winter ascent's are serious undertakings.

Weather can shift quickly, darkness falls early,

...