Swedish skiing stars died in avalanches – VG

skiing stars Andreas Fransson and Canadian JP Auclair died in an avalanche in Chile Monday. Fransson was in the Lyngen alps in Troms every spring.

31-year-old Andreas Fransson is from Luleå in Sweden. Along with the Canadian skilegenden J.P. Auclair (37) he visited San Lorezo-mountain in the Aysén region of Chile when they were caught in an avalanche, writes Swedish SVT.

The 700 meter long landslide should have buried skiing stars. Chilean authorities state that the two victims were found on the Argentine side of the border

The family of the Swedish freeriders waiting for the official death message.

– We know nothing until we get an official message but we have our own contacts. We are very sad right now, says Carola Fransson, mother Andreas Fransson to Expressen.

– It’s not officially confirmed yet, but we have seen two bodies in the landslide, says Alf Fransson, the father known Norwegian skier to the Swedish local newspaper Kuriren.

Found on the Argentinean side

San Lorenzo Mountain is right on the border between Chile and Argentina. Landslide on the Chilean side, but stopped on the other side of the border.

The deceased is in the Argentine area and is Argentine authorities have been given the responsibility of bringing out the bodies. They will probably be taken to Rio Gallegas to be autopsied, local media reported.

– The two victims were first observed by a Chilean helicopter with the police board, said the official Chilean spokesman Sidi Bravo said.

According to Bravo gets 90 percent of those who disappear under the same conditions in the area never found. He said to the AP that the helicopter could not land at the site, but that the crew could ascertain that the skiers had not survived the slide.

Four days ago Andreas Fransson sent out his last tweet about the trip to San Lorezo Mountain.

Thurs the 2nd Swedes, skifilmregissøren Bjarne Sahlén and photographer Daniel Rönnbäck, should also have been on the scene, but is unharmed, reports several international magazines from around.

According to Aftonbladet should men have done a film together in the mountains where the landslide struck Monday.

Stars in freeriding

– Fransson and Auclair was known to everyone involved in freeriding, says Erlend Sande, executive editor of magazines from around the free flow.

Freeriding is snow skiing around the resorts, hike, where you go on tour to find places to run down and called freeskiers and those who jump and do tricks in the terrain park.

Catarina Axelsson Swedish Foreign Ministry says that the man officially missing.

– Three Swedes have been involved in an accident. Two are in good condition, while a person is still missing. We are waiting for more information from rescuers. Man have made their way into a very inaccessible area, says Axelsson VG at 08 Wednesday.

JP Auclair, known since the late 90s, helped to introduce twintip skis and a new shape for skiing, with backward landings and style inspired by snowboarding.

– This is how all children and young people and skiing now. Auclair had the best style of all and has inspired many. In adulthood, he has become more interested in traveling and outdoor activities, and he has explored the steep mountain sides in several places in the world. His status is comparable to the Terje Haakonsen has for snowboarding, says Sande.

Number one in the world

Andreas Fransson had dedicated their lives extreme steep skiing. Fransson and Auclair was in the Narvik area along this spring. Fransson lived in Chamonix, which is the capital of the French call extreme skiing.

– He was regarded as the best performer in extreme skiing skiing. An activity where quite small errors can have a relatively large impact, says Tore Meirik, freerider and journalist in free float.

He followed Fransson at the top of Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix and wrote a portrait of magazines from around the known Norwegian skier.

Feared to be unhappy

– I asked him if he was afraid to die. He did not clear no. He was very keen to stress that there is a big difference to not fear death and wanting to die. What he feared most was that he would be unhappy and do things he does not feel comfortable with, say Meirik.

– It is important to remember that he died in descent, but to have been affected by landslides on the way up to the summit, says Meirik.

Andreas Fransson should be as well known in freeskiing community that Zlatan is in football.

– Fransson has been much discussed in recent years, as a performer who pushed the limits of this sport. He was regarded as number one in the world so steep skiing, where there are so many athletes, but many provided. Fransson used to go to Norway every spring. He has been much in the Lyngen Alps, says Erlend Sande.

Some of the other famous athletes who have died in avalanches earlier:

* Thomas Olsson from Sweden died on the way down from Mount Everest

* Fredrik Ericsson from Sweden perished in the attempt to climb K2 and then run back down.

* Doug Coombs died from USA the steep skiing in La Grave, France.

* Snowboard legend Craig Kelly died in avalanches in Canada.