Who was Christopher Roma? Tributes pour in as experience hiker found dead aged 37

Bavaria Hit By Heavy Snowfall — Christopher Roma's dead body was discovered by the authorities after he made a distress call (Image via Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

Hiker Christopher Roma, 37, who was missing for some time, was found dead on January 17, 2024, in the White Mountains. Roma's family reportedly described him as an expert in hiking and that he covered the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail, as per WMUR.

The rescue teams went on a mission to find Roma after he made a distress call the previous day, claiming that he was feeling cold. Roma's body was extracted at 8:30 in the morning after it was located the previous night.

While the rescue teams tried to respond to Christopher Roma earlier after the distress call, things became hard for them because of the bad weather.

The first half of Paul Hogan's post (Image via Paul Hogan/Facebook)

Social media platforms were flooded with tributes from Roma's close friends, with most of them expressing their shock regarding the way things turned out for him. Paul Hogan, who serves as a professor of the NHTI - Concord's Community College, wrote on Facebook that Roma was a close friend to many people and continued:

"We are working on plans for a Celebration of Life, as we know this is what he would have wanted. We would like to lessen the burden on his family, and many have been asking how they can help."

The second half of Paul Hogan's post (Image via Paul Hogan/Facebook)

Hogan mentioned that a GoFundMe page has been launched for the family to cover all the expenses of his memorial.

Christopher Roma called the authorities before his body was found: Rescue mission and other details explored

Christopher Roma's body was recovered due to the efforts of the local authorities. New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division shared a statement on Facebook about the rescue mission, revealing that Roma was near Mount Bond in Lincoln when he made the distress call.

The call was disconnected in between and a rescue mission was immediately launched to find Roma. Roma's friends reportedly got in touch with the authorities, claiming that Roma called them.

The groups found it challenging to proceed farther due to the snow and strong gusts, even though the rescue attempt was scheduled to begin on January 16. Christopher Roma was saved by helicopter thanks to the support of the New Hampshire Army National Guard.

However, the clouds and reduced visibility prevented the helicopter from landing. The statement by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division also reads:

"By early afternoon ground crews still had not reached the subject. At 5:00 PM a team from Mountain Rescue Service reached the hiker but unfortunately he was deceased. It was decided that all rescuers would come off the mountain for the night and an extraction would be planned for the next morning."

The area where Christopher Roma was located was covered with clouds for a long time and the authorities recovered his body on Thursday morning when the clouds were no longer in the place. Furthermore, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division requested the hikers to follow a few rules to stay safe, including the use of traction devices and snow shoes.

Netizens pay tribute on various social media platforms

Christopher Roma was a popular hiker who traveled to places such as the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Social media platforms were immediately flooded with tributes when the news went viral:

Netizens express their grief on Facebook (Image via NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement Division and Operation Game Thief/Facebook)

Roma's cause of death is yet to be revealed and a GoFundMe page has been launched to offer support to his family. The page aims to collect $20,000 and donations worth $27,445 have been made until now. Detailed information on Roma's survivors remains unknown.

Edited by Divya Singh