British Skier Died After Ignoring Closed Sign On Swiss Wall Ski Run
11th September 2024
Last modified on September 15th, 2024
The black run in the Portes du Soleil is seen as one of the most difficult black runs in the Alps. 47-year-old Grahame Chapman ignored a closed sign & plunged to his death down the 37 degree slope last February.
An inquest at Horsham Coroner’s Court in West Sussex heard that he went “head over foot” after he fell and lost his skis.
The Swiss Wall is on the border of France and Switzerland.
It can be accessed from the French resort of Avoriaz and the Swiss resorts of Les Crosets and Champéry.
He was one of a group of three – two skiers and a snowboarder – who set out on the Chavannettes slope.
It is exceptionally steep, ungroomed and usually heavily mogulled.
The bumps can reach as high as 2 metres.
Swiss Wall, Portes du Soleil. Image © PlanetSKI
It was closed because of icy conditions but the inquest heard that Mr Chapman ignored the closed sign.
He fell about 20m from the start and tumbled down the slope only stopping near the bottom of the slope.
He was wearing a helmet at the time.
An eyewitness told the court it was “shocking” as he saw the fall from a chairlift.
The piste patrol was alerted and he died at the scene an hour after his fall.
Swiss Wall, Portes du Soleil. Image © PlanetSKI
The coroner, Dr Karen Henderson ruled the cause of death as a traumatic head injury and that it was an accident.
“It was a black slope known to be very difficult and you need to have a good level of skiing to do it,” said Dr Henderson.
“The slope was closed. Unfortunately Mr Carter ignored these warnings. The findings are compatible with a violent fall.”
At the inquest his wife read a statement and remembered his ‘zest for life’.
