The CRUX: True Survival Stories

In January 2025, Thomas Plamberger and his girlfriend Kerstin Gurtner set out to climb the Grossglockner — Austria's highest peak — on a technical winter route they had planned together. What happened over the next sixteen hours would result in Kerstin's death from hypothermia, a forensic investigation using GPS watch data and confiscated phones, a surprise courtroom witness with a story eerily similar to Kerstin's, and a verdict that sent shockwaves through the international climbing community. In this episode, Julie and Kaycee walk through the documented timeline minute by minute — the equipment choices, the missed helicopter, the calls that weren't made — and bring in the medical realities of what Kerstin's body was experiencing in those final hours on the mountain. The case raises a question that has no clean answer: when two adults choose to climb together, at what point does one of them become legally responsible for the other? The court gave its answer in February 2026. Whether it was the right one is still being debated.

00:00 Patreon Mention

00:34 Disaster Strikes Intro

01:38 Cold Open On The Ridge

03:05 Case And Legal Question

04:13 Meet Thomas And Kirsten

06:26 Ascent Plan And Early Delays

08:23 Missed Call And Warning Signs

10:02 Helicopter Flyover No Signal

11:18 Gear Illness And Deterioration

12:58 Leaving Her And Rescue Timeline

19:36 Investigation And Trial Twist

23:11 Verdict And Family Response

28:30 Why This Case Changes Climbing

30:28 Final Reflections And Goodbye

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KEY REFERENCES: 

Climbing Magazine — "Climber Faces Homicide Charges After His Partner Dies. When Does a Bad Decision Become a Crime?" (December 8, 2025)

Climbing Magazine — "Austrian Climber Found Guilty After Girlfriend Dies of Hypothermia on Grossglockner Mountain" (February 20, 2026)

CNN — "Climber Accused of Leaving Girlfriend to Die on Austria's Tallest Mountain Goes on Trial" (February 19, 2026)

Irish Times — "Alpine Climber Guilty of Manslaughter Over Girlfriend's Death on Austrian Mountain" (February 19, 2026)

Irish Times — "Climber Found Guilty of Manslaughter After Leaving Girlfriend on Austrian Mountain" (February 20, 2026)

Global News — "Climber Convicted of Manslaughter After Leaving Girlfriend to Die on Mountain" (February 20, 2026)

Global News — "Man Charged with Manslaughter After Girlfriend Freezes to Death on Austrian Mountain" (December 13, 2025)

The Daily Beast — "Climber Whose Girlfriend Froze on Mountain Convicted in Shocking Verdict" (February 2026)

LBC News — "Climber Who Left Girlfriend to Die on Austria's Biggest Mountain Spared Jail After Being Found Guilty of Manslaughter" (February 2026)

LADbible — "Man Goes on Trial for 'Leaving Girlfriend to Freeze to Death' on Top of Mountain" (February 19, 2026)

LADbible — "Man Accused of 'Leaving Girlfriend to Freeze to Death' on Mountain Allegedly Abandoned Ex in Same Place" (February 19, 2026)

NewsNation — "Climber Guilty of Manslaughter After Leaving Girlfriend on Austrian Mountain" (February 2026)

KCRG / AP — "Court Convicts Climber Whose Girlfriend Froze to Death After He Left Her Behind on Mountain" (February 21, 2026)

Die Zeit (Germany) — Interview with Gertraud Gurtner (Kerstin's mother) (February 2026)

Innsbruck Public Prosecutor's Office — Formal charging documents and prosecutorial statements (December 2025)

Innsbruck Regional Court — Verdict and judicial statements, Judge Norbert Hofer (February 20, 2026)

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Hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen recount Finnish corporal Aimo Koivunen’s March 18, 1944 ordeal during the Continuation War: leading a seven-man long-range ski reconnaissance patrol in Soviet-controlled Lapland at −20°C, he collapses under exhaustion during a Soviet encirclement and, unable to dose properly with mittens on, swallows the patrol’s full bottle of Pervitin—30 tablets (90 mg) of methamphetamine. After a brief surge, he develops psychosis, is disarmed by teammates, and skis on “autopilot,” later waking alone after covering about 100 km. He mistakenly skis through a Soviet camp, burns down a cabin by lighting a fire on the floor, survives on pine buds, steps on a landmine, and spends a week in a ditch before rescue in early April—two and a half weeks later—with a 200 bpm resting heart rate, 43 kg body weight, and frostbite requiring toe amputations. The episode adds WWII stimulant history and argues war repeatedly pushes armies toward chemical solutions.

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:28 Lapland Night Chase

02:28 Pervitin Decision

03:21 Finland Versus USSR

07:07 Aimo Early Life

11:43 Elite Ski Scouts

15:43 Ambush And Escape

21:00 What Is Pervitin

26:14 Pervitin Kicks In

27:24 Psychosis Takes Hold

30:17 Disarmed and Blackout Skiing

31:43 Autopilot Navigation West

34:48 Soviet Camp Close Call

36:16 Cabin Fire Hallucinations

37:10 Crash Hunger and Landmine

38:51 Week in the Ditch

40:31 Rescue and Aftermath

43:02 Life After the War

44:02 Story Published and Legacy

45:26 War and Drugs Through History

48:40 Limits of Human Will

50:29 Closing and Listener Support

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Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

REFERENCES

Koivunen, Aimo — Personal memoir account published in Kansa Taisteli (1978).

Wikipedia — "Aimo Koivunen."

Grokipedia — "Aimo Koivunen."

Commonplace Fun Facts — English translation of Koivunen's memoir excerpts.

Ohler, Norman — Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich (2016).

Wikipedia — "Otto Friedrich Ranke."

Wikipedia — "Pervitin" and "Drug Policy of Nazi Germany."

Yle (Finnish Broadcasting Company).

MyHeritage / Geni — Genealogical records.

Wikipedia — "Long-range reconnaissance patrol" and "Detached Battalion 4."

Finnish Army Jaeger Brigade / Bushcraft USA — rakovalkea and kaukopartio equipment.

PMC / Brieflands — stimulant psychosis research.

PNAS / Nature Neuroscience — spatial navigation neuroscience.

History.com / VA History — Vietnam and Civil War drug history.

Wikipedia — "Winter War."

WFYI / HyperWar — Finnish mobilization 1939.

History of Finland — Wikipedia.

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When three-year-old Brittany Eichelberger slipped out of her family's trailer in Elkins, West Virginia on Christmas Eve 1990, no one knew she was gone. She was found hours later, clinically dead in the snow — frozen stiff, her heart stopped, her body nearly 25 degrees below normal temperature. A neighbor, a determined paramedic, and a rural hospital team that refused to quit launched one of the most extraordinary resuscitation efforts ever documented in emergency medicine. The cold that stopped her heart may also be the reason her brain survived. This is a story about what happens when everyone around you decides it isn't over yet.

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

Email us! [email protected]

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:29 Door Left Open

01:44 Meet Brittany

03:15 How She Wandered

04:34 Found In Snow

05:34 CPR In The Yard

08:32 Hospital Fight

10:16 Three Hour CPR

15:08 Flight To Pittsburgh

17:23 Waking Up Again

18:59 Why Cold Saved Her

20:00 Recovery After Discharge

22:03 Living With The Story

23:36 Honoring Rescuers

26:08 Lessons And Wrap Up

27:08 Outro And Reviews

REFERENCES
Associated Press. "Girl, 3, Found Clinically Dead in Snow, Is Revived." Los Angeles Times, December 28, 1990.

Associated Press. "Clinically Dead Tot Who Was Found Frozen Is Revived." Deseret News, December 27, 1990.

Gordon, Haley. "Woman Looks Back on 'Christmas Eve Miracle.'" The Intermountain, December 24, 2019.

"Longtime Randolph County Coroner Dailey Passes at 68." The Intermountain, February 13, 2026.

"Brenda Kay 'Bren' Dailey." Obituary. The Intermountain, February 14, 2026.

"Snowgirl Save." Rescue 911, Season 3, 1991. Rescue 911 Wiki, Fandom.

Dr. John Veach, Davis Memorial Hospital — quoted in AP wire reports, December 1990, and Rescue 911, 1991.

Dr. Shekhar Venkataraman, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh — quoted in AP wire reports, December 1990.

National Weather Service historical records for Elkins, WV, December 24, 1990 — referenced in The Intermountain, 2019.

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In this Disaster Strikes segment of the Crux podcast, host Kaycee McIntosh recounts the November 17, 2025 tragedy on Torres del Paine’s O Circuit at John Garner Pass, where a forecasted cyclone hit hurricane-force gusts up to 193 km/h and whiteout conditions. A group of nine independent hikers—many experienced and including multiple physicians—attempted the crossing after being told by Los Perros refugio staff conditions were “normal for Patagonia,” while no CONAF rangers staffed the mandatory checkpoint due to election-day staffing shortages. Survivors improvised rescue with satellite devices, makeshift stretchers, and CPR in the hut, but five people died of hypothermia: Victoria Bond, Christina Calvillo Tovar, Julian Garcia Pimentel, Nadine Lache, and Andreas Vine. The episode details delayed official response, survivor-led self-evacuation, an ongoing negligence investigation, and calls for ranger staffing, emergency planning, better communications, and hiker tracking.

00:00 Disaster Strikes Intro
00:47 Ominous Hut Warning

01:33 What Went Wrong Tease

02:28 O Circuit Overview

05:09 Patagonia Weather Reality

06:16 Safety Systems Gaps

07:57 John Garner Pass Danger

09:21 Nine Hikers Meet

11:51 Los Perros Forecast Failure

14:17 Dawn Departure Decision

15:01 Point of No Return

16:49 Whiteout Chaos Above Treeline

18:08 Warnings Turn Some Back

19:00 Hurricane Force Trap

20:01 Whiteout Hypothermia Spiral

21:16 Falls And Descent Decisions

22:23 Hut Turns Triage Center

23:18 Stretcher Rescue And CPR

26:12 Missing Hikers Go Public

28:54 Bodies Found And Airlifts

30:13 How Did This Happen

32:49 Ranger Checkpoint Failure

34:50 Survivors Demand Reforms

37:50 Human Spirit And Aftermath

39:14 Closing Reflections

REFERENCES

PRIMARY SOURCES

Dapcevich, Madison & Zonshayn, David. "I Triaged Patients During the Deadly Patagonia Storm." Outside Magazine, Dec 24, 2025. (Dr. Zonshayn firsthand account)

Gillette, Sam. "Survivor of Deadly Blizzard Lost Sight of Friend." People Magazine, Nov 23, 2025. (Christian Aldridge testimony)

Thorpe, George. "Chile snowstorm deaths were 'avoidable tragedy.'" BBC News, Nov 24, 2025. (Survivor recommendations)

Annapurna, Kris. "The Torres del Paine Tragedy: What Really Happened." ExplorersWeb, Nov 23, 2025. (Timeline, Dr. Wingfield quotes)

Jackson, Katie. "Sudden Blizzard on Patagonia's 'O' Circuit Leaves Five Hikers Dead." The Trek, Nov 20, 2025.

Knight, Marlee. "Extreme Snowstorm Claims Five Lives on Torres del Paine's 'O' Circuit." Teton Gravity Research, Nov 21, 2025.

Johanson, Mark. "Deadly Storm Strikes Popular Trek in Patagonia's Torres del Paine." Outside Magazine, Nov 18, 2025.

VERIFIED FACTS

Date: November 17, 2025

Location: John Garner Pass, Torres del Paine, Chile

Deaths: 5 (Victoria Bond-UK, Cristina Calvillo Tovar-MX, Julian Garcia Pimentel-MX, Nadine Lichey-DE, Andreas von Pein-DE)

Wind: 193 kph (120 mph)

Forecast: Issued Nov 13, updated Nov 15

Rangers: Zero on duty at John Garner Pass sector (CONAF confirmed)

Medical response: 27 hikers required treatment

All quotes and details verified from published sources.
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Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen recount the June 2008 Regatta de Amigos disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, when the 38-foot racing sailboat Cynthia Woods lost its keel, punched a hole in the hull, and capsized in 30–60 seconds about 11 miles south of Matagorda. Safety officer Roger Stone woke to rising water, warned the crew, and pushed two sleeping sailors up through the flooding companionway, but never surfaced; five others survived by lashing together, keeping a positive mindset, and signaling with a single flashlight until the Coast Guard rescued them 26 hours later, while their EPIRB and life raft were trapped below deck. The episode highlights wearing life jackets early, carrying a waterproof light, having a float plan, and mounting EPIRBs for automatic access, then covers conflicting investigations, a settlement supporting Stone’s children, and his posthumous Coast Guard Gold Lifesaving Medal.

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:29 Nightmare Below Deck

02:49 Meet the Crew

07:23 Rough Night Conditions

10:42 Keel Failure Chaos

15:23 Escape Into Darkness

17:17 Staying Alive Together

19:46 No Beacon No Raft

21:46 Needle in Haystack Rescue

25:05 Recovery and Loss

25:31 Safety Lessons Offshore

29:24 Investigations and Lawsuit

33:44 Honoring Roger Stone

36:07 Final Takeaways and Outro

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

Email us! [email protected]

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

KEY REFERENCES:

"Roger Stone: The TAMUG Hero You've Never Heard Of." The Nautilus, Texas A&M University at Galveston. https://www.tamug.edu/nautilus/articles/2025-Roger-Stone.html

Sail-World Cruising. "Cynthia Woods Capsize — 'It Wasn't Us,' Says University." Sail-World Australia, July 18, 2009. https://www.sail-world.com/59170

Associated Press. "Texas A&M Report Blames Boat Design for Fatal Capsize." ESPN, July 18, 2009. https://www.espn.com.au/college-sports/news/story?id=4338686

Southeast Texas Record. "Mitchell Company Settles Wrongful Death Suit from Capsizal of 'Cynthia Woods.'" March 2, 2010. https://setexasrecord.com/stories/510612701-mitchell-company-settles-wrongful-death-suit-from-capsizal-of-cynthia-woods

Soundings Magazine. "New Report, New Theory for Keel Failure." https://www.soundingsonline.com/news/new-report-new-theory-for-keel-failure

Ocean Navigator. "Lawsuit Filed in Cynthia Woods Sinking." https://oceannavigator.com/lawsuit-filed-in-cynthia-woods-sinking/

Wikipedia. "SV Cynthia Woods." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.V._Cynthia_Woods

U.S. Coast Guard. Gold Lifesaving Medal. https://www.dcms.uscg.mil/

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