Srinagar, July 15 (KNO): Sylvain Saudan, the ‘godfather of extreme skiing’ and founder of heliskiing in Kashmir is no more. He was 87.
As per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Saudan died of a heart attack on Sunday evening, at his home in France’s Chamonix Valley, local media reported.
He was known for skiing down large and steep mountains, including those in the Himalayas, North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.
In 1982, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records for descending the highest and steepest slope ever skied.
The native of Valais in Switzerland started skiing at the age of 5 and traveled around the world. He accomplished his first feat in 1967 by hurtling down a dizzying slope on the Rothorn in Switzerland. He was considered by the skiing fraternity, to be the master of extreme skiing, earning him the name "skier of the impossible".
In 1972, he ran Himalaya Heliski, based in Srinagar offering heliskiing trips in the Kashmir region. In 2007, he survived a helicopter crash in Kashmir.
While condoling his death, the President Winter Games Association of Kashmir, Rauf Tramboo said that with Saudan’s demise, the adventure sports fraternity lost a great skier and adventure guru of present times.
Tramboo, who had worked with Saudan in 1980s, remembered him as a man of courage and sporting spirit for he slayed many high and steep mountains in the world.
“Saudan was the ‘father of heliskiing in Kashmir’ as he put Kashmir on the heli-skiing map of the world,” Tramboo told KNO.
According to him, Saudan’s favorite heli-skiing locations were Gulmarg, Lidder, and Sind valleys.
“He also skied down 7200 meters high Mount Nun In Suru valley of Kargil Ladakh,” Tramboo said.
Kashmir’s international skiers also expressed shock over Saudan’s death and paid tributes to him.
India’s first Olympian and former in-charge of winter sports, Gul Mustafa Dev, termed Saudan as a “great skier” and “adventure sports expert”.
“I met him in Gulmarg during my youth and skied with him. He was a great teacher and challenger,” he said.
Dev said that Saudan discovered and triumphed over many steep peaks in Kashmir and elsewhere. “His way of skiing was different and extreme. It taught us new things
Another legendary skier GM Hajam termed his death as a personal loss.
“Saudan was my teacher and instructor and good friend. When I first visited France for a skiing course, he was the one who taught me skiing on the unbeaten slopes,” he said.
Hajam said Saudan will be remembered as a big supporter of Kashmir skiing.
“He explored Kashmir slopes like no one did,” he added—(KNO)