Body of Climber Missing Since 1986 Found as Swiss Glacier Melts

Facts

• The remains of a 38-year-old German climber, who went missing near Switzerland's iconic Matterhorn Mountain 37 years ago, have been recovered.¹
• The discovery was made earlier this month by climbers who came across a hiking boot and crampons peeking out of the thawed ice while hiking along the Theodul Glacier in Zermatt.²
• Though the DNA analysis later confirmed the corpse's identity, the police didn't divulge his name or the circumstances of his death. However, it published a photo of a hiking boot with red laces sticking out of the snow, reportedly belonging to the deceased climber.²
• Swiss glaciers have been melting at accelerated rates due to climate change, leading to the discovery of the bodies of long-lost hikers. The remains of two young Japanese climbers, who went missing on the Matterhorn in a 1970 snowstorm, were found in 2015.³
• In 2022, Switzerland's glaciers registered their worst melt rate since records began more than a century ago, losing 6% of their remaining volume – nearly double the previous record set in 2003.⁴
• Meanwhile, this month has seen record temperatures worldwide, with experts expected to measure ice levels in August and September.²

Sources: ¹Times, ²BBC News, ³Sky News, and ⁴Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by SWI. The melting of glaciers has consequences much more significant than the discovery of long-lost climbers. Around half of the glaciers in the Alps are in Switzerland, where temperatures are rising by around twice the global average. If nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, all glaciers in Switzerland and Europe risk melting almost entirely by the end of the century.
• Narrative B, as provided by Scientific American. Almost every summer, the melting ice of the Alpine ice field uncovers things or people lost decades ago and creates an opportunity for archaeologists to expand their understanding of how mountain life has changed through the millennia. Who knows what else lies beneath the melting mountain landscapes, waiting to be discovered?

Predictions