Austin man dies climbing Matterhorn

By Bayliss Flynn

Photography By Precenia Newman

Reporting Texas

A 20-year-old Austin man known for his mountain climbing videos died this week after a rockfall on the Matterhorn, his family and authorities said Thursday.

Kieran Liner, who moved to Austin in 2020, was climbing Tuesday with his roommate Eli Hawkins at an altitude of about 11,500 feet when the rockfall occurred, his sister, Precenia Newman, told Reporting Texas.

Valais Cantonal Police said one of the climbers on the Hörnli Ridge route up the Matterhorn, a peak in the Alps between Switzerland and Italy, lost sight of his companion due to rockfalls and immediately called authorities about 6 a.m. Tuesday. Formal identification of the deceased was underway, police said.

Newman said Liner’s family was notified of his death by the U.S. consulate in Switzerland.

“You don’t cage a beautiful bird.” Newman said. “We weren’t going to stop him no matter what. If he had something in mind, he was going to do it.”

In an Instagram tribute to Liner, Hawkins wrote, “We were climbing the Matterhorn on October 27th and he took a big fall and didn’t make it.”

Police said rescuers from an Air Zermatt helicopter quickly located Liner’s body. Newman said Liner fell about 660 feet and was pronounced dead by the helicopter team.

“He loved Modest Mouse, IPAs, American Spirit Blues, brunettes and most importantly climbing in the mountains.” Hawkins wrote. “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.”

The Global Summit Guide says that eight to 12 people die every year on the Matterhorn and that 500 to 600 climbers have died since its first ascent in 1865.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Valais is investigating the exact causes of the accident, police said.

The Valais Cantonal Police and Valais Cantonal Rescue Organization did not respond to Reporting Texas’ request for comment. Air Zermatt declined an interview.

Liner had gone viral on social media with his climbing videos. Newman said her brother hoped to expand his influencer career, move to Chamonix, France and become a flight attendant.

Liner grew up in Pensacola, Florida, with an older brother and sister, but moved to Austin in July 2020. He worked as a server at Hank’s Austin and trained at the Austin Bouldering Project. Liner grew up wanting to master skateboarding, golf and basketball, and eventually found climbing, she said.

After outgrowing rockwalls, Liner’s climbing trips took him to Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Yosemite National Park and Mount Blanc, Newman said.

“Twenty years, it’s a robbery of life, but I can’t even say that with Kieran,” Newman said.

Liner and Hawkins had planned a three-week trip to Switzerland, Italy and France, his sister said. They arrived Oct. 13 and were set to return Oct. 30.

“Kieran wasn’t going to be tamed,” Newman said.

She said Liner spoke to his mother, Justine Hamel, before his Matterhorn climb.

“(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,’” Newman said.

Newman organized a GoFundMe for donations toward Liner’s funeral arrangements.

In a direct message conversation posted to Instagram, Liner requested his friend share the thread if anything happened to him. Liner wrote he would be an alpinist until the day he died.

Liner said, “You realize the guy who played it safe ended up dying in the end anyways.”