A 20-year-old Texas man died last week after a rockfall sent him plunging hundreds of feet down the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
Kieran Liner, an Austin resident who documented his mountain-climbing adventures on social media, was climbing the mountain’s Hörnli Ridge route with his roommate and close friend, Eli Hawkins, when the accident occurred.
The pair was approximately 11,500 feet up the mountain early Tuesday morning when rocks began falling nearby, his sister Precenia Newman told Reporting Texas. Hawkins lost sight of Liner and alerted emergency responders shortly after 6 a.m., according to Swiss authorities.
A rescue helicopter subsequently located Liner, who had fallen about 660 feet and was pronounced dead at the scene. Liner’s family was informed of his death by Switzerland’s U.S. consulate, Newman said. As of Monday, authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Liner’s fall.
“Kieran was my best friend my climbing partner and my brother,” Hawkins wrote in an emotional Instagram tribute. “He loved Modest Mouse, IPAs, American Spirit Blues, brunettes and most importantly climbing in the mountains,” he added. “It makes me feel better he died doing what he loved and I’m glad that I was there with him so he wasn’t alone.”
Liner, originally from Pensacola, Florida, moved to Austin in 2020, where he developed a passion for climbing. His adventures eventually took him to Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Yosemite National Park and Mont Blanc, according to Reporting Texas.
“You don’t cage a beautiful bird,” his sister, Precenia Newman, told the outlet. “We weren’t going to stop him no matter what. If he had something in mind, he was going to do it.”
Newman also said Liner spoke to his mother, Justine Hamel, before climbing Matterhorn: “(He) told her, ‘Hey, Mom, nothing’s gonna happen. But if something were to happen, I want you to know that I died doing what I loved.’”
Now, his family is raising money to bring him home. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Newman will help cover transportation, funeral expenses and memorial services in Austin and Pensacola.