sixteenth July 2024
Final modified on July 18th, 2024
The legendary Swiss excessive skier, Sylvain Saudan, has died. He was 87-years previous. UPDATED
Sylvain Saudan was born in Lausanne in 1936.
He was the primary particular person to aim excessive ski descents.
‘Legend’ doesn’t do the person justice.
Saudan’s listing of first ski descents is large.
Chamonix’s 55-degree Spencer Couloir,Pakistan’s Hidden Peak,The Messner Couloir on the southwest face of Denali.Couloir Whymper,Couloir Gervasutti,Couloir Marinelli,The Eiger,Mont BlancAiguille de Bionnassay.
He additionally climbed and skied:
Mt Mc Kinley in Alaska 6,187m in 1972,Nun Kun in Kashmir 7,035 m in 1977Gasherbrum 1 in Pakistan 8,068m in 1982.
As we mentioned, LEGEND.
He made first descents within the Alps and Himalayas and skied extensively snowboarding in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe.
In India his heli-skiing areas have been, Gulmarg, Lidder and Sind valleys, he additionally skied down 7,200 Mts excessive Mount Nun In Suru valley of Kargil Ladakh.
In 1982, he entered the Guinness E-book of World Information for descending the best and steepest slopes ever skied.
He developed a brand new type of turning – the so known as “windscreen wiper turns”.
Regular leap turns speed up the skier and throw the particular person too far down the mountain so, utilizing lengthy ski poles, Saudan turned by planting a ski pole downhill.
He stored his weight on each skis and leant again on his heels.
He lifted the ski ideas up and swivelled them in an arc into the flip.
It made snowboarding steep slopes safer and simpler.
He skied on 2.1m skis to be able to grip the ice.
He has a couloir in Whistler named after him and the resort has posted a tribute on his loss of life:
“Alpine ski legend, Sylvain Saudan, “the godfather of maximum snowboarding” and “skier of the inconceivable” has handed away.
His legacy at Whistler Blackcomb goes again a long time.
“Within the early days when our mountains have been separate resorts, native shredders would hike to the highest of Blackcomb to ski a steep and gnarly chute, which they named Saudan Couloir in his honour.
“This iconic piece of terrain is now utilized in our yearly ski race — the Saudan Couloir Ski Race Excessive!
“We’re grateful for all the pieces he dropped at the game and our resort #RIPSylvainSaudan”
“As a pioneer, he helped us develop the model’s first bindings within the 70s, sharing his contagious ardour for snowboarding with us,” wrote Salomon in a social media put up commemorating Saudan.
“A long time later, Sylvain continues to encourage generations of free skiers, and on their behalf, we thank him.”
He was additionally a ski instructor within the Scottish resort of Glenshee and skied with among the founding members of the British Affiliation of Snowsport Instructors, BASI.
“He was fairly merely the very best and most adventurous skier ever,” mentioned Bobbie Birnie (BASI Licence No 1) to PlanetSKI’s James Cove again in 2012.
“My god, he pushed the boundaries of what was potential on skis.”
Two books have been written on his snowboarding adventures
Sylvain Saudan, Skieur de l’ImpossibleVictoire à ski sur l’Himalaya: 8,068m
There have been 5 motion pictures made on his descents.
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