We like to inform all our friends that yesterday on the 23rd of February our dear member Reto (and Dario’s father), died at 77.
The funeral will take place in the church of Vilters, Switzerland on the 27th of October 2023 at 10:00 CET.

Since the start of the expedition in 1999, he was probably the one who followed the expedition most intensively over all these years. Since he did not fly, he was even more active in Swiss TOPtoTOP 1.0, TOPtoTOP camps and, – activities in Switzerland.

Reto once gave us a very beautiful compliment: He told us that, thanks to our travel reports, he felt like he had a second life on the expedition, experiencing all the countries and cultures we visited. Many dear people we had the privilege to meet also became his friends. Conversely, he had friends and relatives who had emigrated, and we had the opportunity to get to know them.

He was always a great help, keeping track of expedition equipment lists, and bringing materials to the ship at the start. In Chile, for example, Reto the architect, drew up the plans for an integration workshop for disabled individuals, which TOPtoTOP implemented with Swiss development aid (DEZA).

But above all, he was a loving person. He was also a ski and sailing instructor, and in doing so, he unwittingly made a significant contribution to Dario’s career and, ultimately, to the success of TOPtoTOP.

Just yesterday, we were still on our way in western Switzerland on Swiss TOPtoTOP 2.0 when we received the sad news in the evening that he had succumbed so quickly to his brain tumor.

In the morning, we were still braving stormy conditions until suddenly the sun appeared, dispelling the clouds. In retrospective, it felt like Reto’s last farewell to us and the welcome to his new life. He is now our star in the sky, guiding us and leading us safely through life.

Thank you so much, dear Reto.

Note: The blog of the 4 more TOP’s (SO + JU + NE + GE) on our track is coming soon.