But it will be good for the villagers, too. The Mayor, Heinz Amacher, has also been working to make the little park a more permanent memorial. Some relatives of the Australian victims have asked that the area be preserved. They have suggested that the gorge be turned into a national park and have offered money towards such a project. Judge Trapp will not discuss his investigation, nor speculate on the likely view of the prosecutor who has the power to demand fresh inquiries or to direct Judge Trapp to collect additional evidence.
Insiders expect the case to go to trial, probably before the end of the year.
One of the difficulties is that there are no rules about canyoning. The exact number of people under investigation has never been officially revealed, but Adventure World part-owner Georg Hoedle has said that the suspects include the five guides who survived the accident, the lead guide on the day, two leaders at base camp and the company's three directors, including himself. Returning from a climbing holiday in France, he maintained his innocence and said he would be cleared of any charge of negligence. Two more Adventure World employees are being investigated over that incident, in which a rope used for much higher jumps was mistakenly attached to the man's legs. The accident happened just before a meeting of Swiss government officials brought in tighter regulation of adventure sports, including tougher rules governing commercial operators and a course to educate canyoning guides.