Eerie last texts of Brit hiker missing on 'not particularly difficult' mountain

04 August 2023 , 15:01

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Eerie last texts of Brit hiker missing on 'not particularly difficult' mountain

The family and friends of a British hiker last seen on a Swiss mountain six weeks ago have shared his last known texts and location with the Mirror – as they admit they are "mentally prepared for the worst."

Yorkshireman Aidan Roche, 29, was last seen on 22 June on the Eiger Trail in the Grindelwald area of the Bernese Alps, just two days before he was due to come home. The solo traveller had arranged to meet someone he met the night before for a pint after he finished the day's trek. In texts seen by the Mirror, Aidan says: "Hello, hello I should be in Grindelwald in about two hours. I'm still pretty high, I'll see you back at camp." The experienced hiker also sent a picture of his location with the message at 13:07.

The solo traveller had arranged to meet someone he met the night before (Supplied)

Yorkshireman Aidan Roche, 29, was last seen on 22 June (Supplied)

By 21:20, the unnamed friend messaged him saying "Did you climb the whole Eiger? I [am] going to sleep early. Your toothbrush is under the back tyre." Friends and family then began messaging each other in worry after a few days of not hearing from Aidan as he normally kept everyone up-to-date on what he was doing each day.

Police and mountain rescue teams spent five days with dogs and drones searching the area. Aidan's brothers Connor, 32, and Niall, 31, then stayed on and searched for an initial nine days, followed by another six. The pair climbed into snow drifts, followed in Aidan's footsteps and put up missing person signs in local petrol stations, supermarkets and shopping centres.

"There's none of his bag or anything that he had with him. It doesn't make sense how we haven't found anything. From the timestamp of the picture he sent, it's about 90 minutes of hiking and it's not particularly difficult. All of that trail and beneath the trail and beneath all the rock faces beneath the trail... We've searched thoroughly. There is not a trace", Niall tells the Mirror.

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Police and mountain rescue teams spent five days with dogs and drones searching the area (Roche Family / SWNS)

The brother affectionately says the three boys were in walking boots "from about the age of three" and he has "lost count" of how many times Aidan has summited Ben Nevis and Snowden. He continues: "He always takes a survival blanket type thing and a whistle, as well as his Garmin [fitness tracker] watch. This is what he does when he is not working, he is really prepared."

Niall says the hardest part is dealing with the "unknown." He says everyone is missing him so much, he has "loads of friends, is really sociable and likes to party." He continues: "There are almost 100 different scenarios running through your mind. I still think there's a bit of hope, but I don't want to dwell on it too much because I understand the reality of the amount of time that he's gone missing, so I am kind of mentally prepared for the worst."

Aidan is an experienced hiker (Supplied)

Texts sent to Nicolle from Aidan (Supplied)

The Roche family have raised more than £31,000 to pay for the search helicopter, which cost £7,000 and to put up more missing posters in places as far as Milan and Geneva. They are pleading with Apple to try and gain access to Aidan's iCloud account, as they believe this could hold the key to the last known location of his phone.

The family have managed to trace the last picture he sent as a ravine near Stollen. They also believe he was hoping to visit the Gletscherschlucht glacial canyon, which is a tourist attraction with a carpark. They don't know whether he made it or not but are pleading for dashcam footage of anyone who visited on June 22.

Nicolle Richardson, a close friend of Aidan's, shared videos with the Mirror that Aidan sent her on the day he went missing. He text her at 10:56 on the 22nd saying: "This place is out of this world, you need to go." She said: "It’s such a scary thought and a sad feeling. It’s hard to stay positive at this stage I just hope he’s okay."

A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed to the Mirror: “We are supporting the family of a British man who went missing in Switzerland, and are in contact with the local authorities”. The Mirror has also approached Apple and Strava for comment.

Rachel Hagan