Someone who I respected a lot passed away in an avalanche in Chile.
Here he is skiing in Japan.
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Quebec extreme skier Jean-Philippe Auclair was found dead after an avalanche that struck San Lorenzo mountain in Patagonia on Monday.
National Geographic's Carl Andreas Fransson, originally of Sweden, was also found dead.
Chilean police officers and members of the armed forces recovered their bodies in a joint rescue operation.
Authorities said Fransson and Auclair arrived in the Aysen region of Chile's Patagonia on Thursday along with two other tourists from Sweden. They had been hiking the 3,600-metre mountain and disappeared when a wall of rocks and snow cascaded down, dragging them to a stream in Argentine territory.
The two survivors in the group were treated at a local hospital, and police said they provided information to help locate the bodies.
The regional director of Chile's Emergency Service, Sidi Bravo, said 90 per cent of the people who go missing in the hard-to-reach area are never found. "It was lucky to have found them and to be able to recover them," Bravo said.
Officials said the bodies would be removed by Argentine authorities and were expected to be examined by the forensic medical service in Rio Gallegos, Argentina, before being returned to their homelands.
Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs issued a written statement saying it is aware of reports indicating that a Canadian citizen may have been affected by an avalanche at Chile-Argentina border. The statement also says Canadian consular officials are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance.
Auclair was world renowned in the extreme skiing community. He was featured in this widely acclaimed video produced by Sherpas Cinemas:
National Geographic's Carl Andreas Fransson, originally of Sweden, was also found dead.
Chilean police officers and members of the armed forces recovered their bodies in a joint rescue operation.
Authorities said Fransson and Auclair arrived in the Aysen region of Chile's Patagonia on Thursday along with two other tourists from Sweden. They had been hiking the 3,600-metre mountain and disappeared when a wall of rocks and snow cascaded down, dragging them to a stream in Argentine territory.
The two survivors in the group were treated at a local hospital, and police said they provided information to help locate the bodies.
The regional director of Chile's Emergency Service, Sidi Bravo, said 90 per cent of the people who go missing in the hard-to-reach area are never found. "It was lucky to have found them and to be able to recover them," Bravo said.
Officials said the bodies would be removed by Argentine authorities and were expected to be examined by the forensic medical service in Rio Gallegos, Argentina, before being returned to their homelands.
Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs issued a written statement saying it is aware of reports indicating that a Canadian citizen may have been affected by an avalanche at Chile-Argentina border. The statement also says Canadian consular officials are in contact with local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance.
Auclair was world renowned in the extreme skiing community. He was featured in this widely acclaimed video produced by Sherpas Cinemas:
Here he is skiing in Japan.