Godfather of Extreme Skiing Passes On

16th July 2024

Last modified on July 19th, 2024

The legendary Swiss extreme skier, Sylvain Saudan, has died. He was 87-years old. UPDATED

Sylvain Saudan was born in Lausanne in 1936.

He was the first person to attempt extreme ski descents.

‘Legend’ does not do the man justice.

Saudan’s list of first ski descents is huge.

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 Blanc
Aiguille de Bionnassay.

He went on to make 23 first descents of previously unskied slopes.

He also climbed and skied:

Mt Mc Kinley in Alaska 6,187m in 1972,
Nun Kun in Kashmir 7,035 m in 1977
Gasherbrum 1 in Pakistan 8,068m in 1982.

As we said, LEGEND.

Saudan grew up in the hamlet of La Fontaine, just above Martigny, near Verbier.

He skied down to school each day and walked back up after classes.

He qualified as a ski instructor and worked in Crans Montana.

He made first descents in the Alps and Himalayas and skied extensively skiing in North America, Asia, Africa and Europe.

In India his heli-skiing areas were, Gulmarg, Lidder and Sind valleys, he also skied down 7,200 Mts high Mount Nun In Suru valley of Kargil Ladakh.

In 1982, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for descending the highest and steepest slopes ever skied.

He developed a new style of turning – the so called “windscreen wiper turns”.

Normal jump turns accelerate the skier and throw the person too far down the mountain so, using long ski poles, Saudan turned by planting a ski pole downhill.

He kept his weight on both skis and leant back on his heels.

He lifted the ski tips up and swivelled them in an arc into the turn.

It made skiing steep slopes safer and more effective.

He skied on 2.10m skis in order to grip the ice.

He has a couloir in Whistler named after him and the resort has posted a tribute on his death:

“Alpine ski legend, Sylvain Saudan, “the godfather of extreme skiing” and “skier of the impossible” has passed away.

His legacy at Whistler Blackcomb goes back decades.

“In the early days when our mountains were separate resorts, local shredders would hike to the top of Blackcomb to ski a steep and gnarly chute, which they named Saudan Couloir in his honour.

“This iconic piece of terrain is now used in our yearly ski race — the Saudan Couloir Ski Race Extreme!

“We’re grateful for everything he brought to the sport and our resort #RIPSylvainSaudan”

“As a pioneer, he helped us develop the brand’s first bindings in the 70s, sharing his contagious passion for skiing with us,” wrote Salomon in a social media post commemorating Saudan.

“Decades later, Sylvain continues to inspire generations of free skiers, and on their behalf, we thank him.”

He was also a ski teacher in the Scottish resort of Glenshee and skied with some of the founding members of the British Association of Snowsport Instructors, BASI.

“He was quite simply the best and most adventurous skier ever,” said founding member, Derek Bightman, to PlanetSKI’s James Cove back in 2011.

“My god, he pushed the boundaries of what was possible on skis.”

Two books have been written on his skiing adventures