Melbourne 12 April, 2025 – A Perth man has tragically died during a solo hike in the Swiss Alps after failing to return from his trek and missing work the following day.
Stephen Ingram, 33, sparked concern among his colleagues when he didn’t show up for work. Emergency services launched a search operation and found his body during an aerial search of the Stockhorn mountain on Tuesday.
Mr Ingram, who had been living in Geneva, Switzerland since 2017, worked as a grain market analyst for COFCO International. According to reports, he is believed to have slipped on ice and fallen from the mountain while hiking alone.
His sister, Lisa Hegarty, described the incident as a “pure accident” and said Stephen died doing what he loved most.
“Every single weekend, if he wasn’t out conquering some mountain, he was thinking about it and planning his next trip,” she told The West Australian.
“He had an amazing bunch of friends in Geneva and Australia that shared his passion — if they weren’t hiking, they were skiing.
He was always ready for the next challenge and absolutely lived life to the fullest.”
His other sister, Tara Southworth, confirmed his death in a heartfelt Facebook post.
“It brings us a lot of sadness to give this news. Stephen has passed away while hiking in Switzerland on Sunday,” she wrote.
“We want to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts, especially Stephen’s community of friends in Switzerland, who were tireless in their support with helping us find him.
We know Stephen was a big part of everyone’s lives, and he died doing something he loved. As they say, the brightest candle burns the fastest.”
Stephen’s death has left his family and friends in both Australia and Switzerland devastated.
