One of the toughest trails on the planet has claimed the life of a British skier.
Mirror reports that on February 7th, a British skier fell “several hundred meters” to his death. The forty-seven-year-old man was skiing with two other guests at Portes du Soleil ski resort on the border of France and Switzerland. They decided to ski the Swiss Wall, which was closed at the time of the accident due to icy conditions. He was declared dead on the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him.
With an average slope of 37 degrees, the Swiss Wall, also known as Le Pas de Chavanette, is regarded by many as one of the world’s toughest trails. What makes this run so dangerous are the moguls. Ian McKellar, who was a British mogul champion, explained to The Times why it’s so difficult:
“It’s not just that it’s steep and icy. It’s cut with moguls [large bumps] the size of Minis, too, and even though the slope gets gentler further down, the bumps continue all the way to the bottom. As a rule of thumb, we reckon skiers need at least eight weeks’ experience just to be able to get down — and even then they’re not likely to be skiing with any style or rhythm.”
This fatality was the third death by a British skier in eleven days. The other deaths included a thirty-year-old dying from a huge fall at a French ski resort on January 29th, and a 63-year-old man suffering a heart attack on January 28th.
Image/Video Credits: Marius Quast, Alex Wrigglesworth
