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Sylvain Saudan - Farewell to a skier

Obituary of a legend

by Bernhard Scholz 07/22/2024
The news of Sylvain Sauda's death at the age of 87 from a heart attack is a loss for the entire skiing and mountaineering scene. Saudan's pioneering spirit and his courageous descents set standards and inspired many generations of skiers and mountaineers.

On a Saturday evening in spring 2013, my mobile phone rang. Unknown number. Just as I was on my parents' terrace unsuccessfully trying to fire up the brand new gas barbecue. Annoyed: "Yes. Hello?"

"Bon soir, c'est Sylvain. Tu m'as envoyé un courriel." I see. Back then, I had written emails to quite a few French people. Steep face skiers. But why is someone calling me now?

Then it dawned: Sylvain? Sylvain! That must be Sylvain Saudan! The skier who manages the impossible descents! A living legend! He's calling me! Wow! Forget the barbecue. This was followed by a long conversation and an appointment for an interview in Chamonix. That was over 10 years ago.

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This week came the sad news of the death of Sylvain Saudan. 87, heart attack. A proud age! Whether extreme sportsman or academic. In light of the news, I read through the interview from back then. A lot has changed in the world of steep face skiing since then. New protagonists have emerged and popularity has spilled over from freeride back into alpinism. Ten years ago it was a niche, today it's back in fashion. Just like when Saudan popularised a type of skiing that was previously unknown. Skiing itself had only just become popular as a leisure activity for the normal population.

Saudan was named one of the 50 most important adventurers of the last 200 years - in the 1980s, when his career was already over. But the definition of adventure must be clear: an endeavour that no one has ever attempted before and whose outcome is completely uncertain. Real adventure is not about higher, faster, further. It's about exploring the unknown. And that's what Sylvain Saudan did with his skiing.

His career was well thought out. At least from the second stage. The first was born out of a beer mood. During a visit to Chamonix in 1967, he and friends talked about the possibility of skiing down the Spencer Couloir on the Aiguille de Blaitière. "Impossible!" said some. Sylvain, who had already seen and heard a lot as a ski instructor all over the world for over ten years, countered: "Yes, it's possible! Come with me, I'll show you!" At the time, he was a ski instructor and lorry driver who earned his living in Europe in winter and in Australia in summer.

Said. Done. Done it. Back in the valley, a journalist from Paris Match happened to be there. In Germany, this is roughly equivalent to Sport Bild. The woman didn't believe a word Saudan and his friends said. It was only when she was flown up in a helicopter and saw the ski tracks herself that she made a big story out of it. And it was a hit. Adventure! A (relatively) young, good-looking guy with a lot of charm pushes himself to the limit. One article follows another and Sylvain Saudan, the farmer-smart Valaisan, senses the chance of fame, success and, above all, money.

He plans his career: Like the great alpinists, the following descents should build on each other. Steeper and steeper, higher and higher. And always accompanied by the media. A total of nine major descents. He started in the Alps and finished in the Himalayas with the first ascent of an 8000 metre peak. He found well-paying sponsors who remained loyal to him for 25 years. He produced films, gave lectures and sold books. Worldwide. Sylvain Saudan found a business model for a sport that had never existed before. And he was good at it: he raced through the Alps in a red sports car. Quite unlike almost everyone else who did something similar. Heini Holzer, for example. The South Tyrolean, chimney sweep, Messner's rope companion, who achieved fame in the scene with his over one hundred steep face descents, but continued to climb on house roofs for a living. Fifty years ago, Saudan showed how you can be financially successful from a niche with a little luck, thought, planning, attention to detail, a lot of tenacity and a willingness to take risks and go your own way.

He established a principle for this career. He is and remains a skier. For him, this meant that he did not use any mountaineering equipment for his descents. No ropes, no crampons, no ice axes, not even a backpack for emergencies. After the ascent, he always turned into a skier. With ski boots, sunglasses, without a backpack and often without a cap. What was not feasible was not a ski descent. As soon as he could afford it, he simply flew by helicopter to the desired starting point of his descent. The strict alpinist definition of steep face skiers, which takes into account the clean, self-made ascent, did not yet exist at the beginning of his descents. It was Anselme Baud and Patrick Vallençant, who coined the term "ski extrême", who first laid down the rules (which Saudan would never have adhered to anyway).

His approach was controversial. He was criticised: That he wasn't an alpinist (he didn't want to be), that he was destroying the business of mountain guides (where you can ski down, you can't charge a lot of money for an ascent), that it was indecent to earn so much money as an untrained Valais farm boy with skiing (envy debates?), that he wasn't the first, but that many others also ski steep descents (true, but they didn't tell anyone)... His answer then and until the end: none. He just did his thing and was successful. He didn't see his sporting endeavours as competitive either. For him, the business side, the struggle for attention, was the challenge around which his career was centred. Saudan thought things through, planned, did nothing just like that. Only when he was sure that a departure was possible for him he carried it out. And from this reflection, close observation and clear goals with his endeavours, he consciously formed a life's work: Skieur de l'impossible. (The skier who skis the impossible descents). The adventurer.

In 2013, Saudan was already 76, but not tired and by no means retired. He was still travelling to give lectures, had a heliskiing company in the Himalayas, still gave interviews and appeared in films. Not because he had to. Because he wanted to. He followed his calling. And over the years, his strategy worked. The skier who did the impossible had become a living legend. An icon who was gladly used by numerous others who followed in his footsteps or wanted to get a taste of the flair of real adventure. He himself eagerly took part in the creation of this legend. As a result, more and more large companies invited him to inspire their management. Just like other real adventurers do. You could also meet him on the ski slopes in Chamonix, which fans loved to capture in selfies.

The position that Sylvain Saudan had already achieved during his lifetime will remain with him. A skier who was one of the first ever to dare the steepest descents, who threw himself into adventure and inspired several generations of skiers. There are and were very few people like him.

Farewell Sylvain!

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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