{"id":482029,"date":"2026-10-31T03:30:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-31T03:30:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/482029\/"},"modified":"2026-10-31T03:30:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T03:30:57","slug":"austin-man-dies-climbing-matterhorn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/482029\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin man dies climbing Matterhorn"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bayliss Flynn<\/p>\n

Reporting Texas<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cKieran wasn\u2019t going to be tamed,\u201d said his sister, Precenia Newman\/ Photo courtesy of Precenia Newman<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Valais Cantonal Police<\/a> said one of the climbers on the H\u00f6rnli 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.<\/p>\n

Newman said Liner\u2019s family was notified of his death by the U.S. consulate in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t cage a beautiful bird.\u201d Newman said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t going to stop him no matter what. If he had something in mind, he was going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an Instagram tribute to Liner,<\/a> Hawkins wrote, \u201cWe were climbing the Matterhorn on October 27th and he took a big fall and didn\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Police said rescuers from an Air Zermatt helicopter quickly located Liner\u2019s body. Newman said Liner fell about 660 feet and was pronounced dead by the helicopter team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe loved Modest Mouse, IPAs, American Spirit Blues, brunettes and most importantly climbing in the mountains.\u201d Hawkins wrote. \u201cIt makes me feel better he died doing what he loved and I\u2019m glad that I was there with him so he wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Global Summit Guide<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

The Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office of the Canton of Valais is investigating the exact causes of the accident, police said.<\/p>\n

The Valais Cantonal Police and Valais Cantonal Rescue Organization did not respond to Reporting Texas\u2019 request for comment. Air Zermatt declined an interview.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Austin and trained at the Austin Bouldering Project. Liner grew up wanting to master skateboarding, golf and basketball, and eventually found climbing, she said.<\/p>\n

After outgrowing rockwalls, Liner\u2019s climbing trips took him to Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Yosemite National Park and Mount Blanc, Newman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwenty years, it\u2019s a robbery of life, but I can\u2019t even say that with Kieran,\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cKieran wasn\u2019t going to be tamed,\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n

She said Liner spoke to his mother, Justine Hamel, before his Matterhorn climb.<\/p>\n

\u201c(He) told her, \u2018Hey, Mom, nothing\u2019s gonna happen. But if something were to happen, I want you to know that I died doing what I loved,\u2019\u201d Newman said.<\/p>\n

Newman organized a GoFundMe<\/a> for donations toward Liner\u2019s funeral arrangements.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Liner said, \u201cYou realize the guy who played it safe ended up dying in the end anyways.\u201d<\/p>\n