Hiker ‘Completely Vanished’ in Swiss Alps

Aiden Roche, 29, has been missing in the Swiss mountains for six weeks. The British hiker was last seen hiking on June 22 in the Bernese Alps.

He went there on a two-week solo trip and disappeared on the twelfth day. The experienced hiker was last seen walking along the Eiger Trail. He was likely heading toward his camper in the well-known alpine town of Grindelwald.

There have been no confirmed sightings of him since the day he went missing. He had sent his family and friends some videos of his latest trek, but they heard nothing after that and finally, they alerted Swiss authorities. When police investigated his camper, it was unlocked, but nothing seemed to have been stolen.

a photo of the missing hiker, Aiden Roche

Aiden Roche. Photo: Roche family

 

Search ends

The Swiss police and mountain rescue service scoured the area unsuccessfully for a week before calling an end to the search.

In an attempt to prolong the investigation, Roche’s family has raised over $32,000 for helicopter searches. They also placed posters of him in the region. They hope that someone will recognize him and come forward with information that could help drive the investigation forward.

Since he went missing, Roche’s brothers have gone to Grindelwald and walked the Eiger Trail several times, looking for clues.

Speaking to ITV, Roche’s brother said, “I don’t know what’s worse, knowing that something has happened to him or just not knowing…After that afternoon, he just completely vanished. All sorts of stories go through your head. What happened to him? Where is he?”

In desperation, hoping for what they term a “crazy survival story,” the family has released some stills from his last video. It includes some unclear images of a woman sitting on a bench and some people walking toward him. They are hoping that these strangers might provide some hitherto-unknown insights.

Rebecca McPhee

Rebecca McPhee is a freelance writer for ExplorersWeb.

Rebecca has been writing about open water sports, adventure travel, and marine science for three years. Prior to that, Rebecca worked as an Editorial Assistant at Taylor and Francis, and a Wildlife Officer for ORCA.

Based in the UK Rebecca is a science teacher and volunteers for a number of marine charities. She enjoys open water swimming, hiking, diving, and traveling.