A Texas man died while climbing one of the most challenging and notorious peaks in the world this week. Kieran Liner, a 20-year-old from Austin, died after a rockfall on the famed Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps.
Liner’s sister Precenia Newman told Reporting Texas from the University of Texas at Austin that Liner fell off the mountain at about 11,500 feet in altitude. Valais Cantonal Police—which is based in Valais, a canton (like a state) in a southern Swiss area that includes the Matterhorn—wrote in a news release Liner fell sometime just after 6 a.m. Oct. 27.
“On Tuesday morning, shortly after 6 a.m., two climbers were ascending the Matterhorn via the Hörnli ridge. While at an altitude of approximately 3,500 meters, rockfall occurred nearby,” wrote Valais Cantonal Police, translated from Swiss. “One of the climbers lost sight of his companion and immediately raised the alarm.”…