On Oct. 11, Christophe Henry of Chamonix, one of the world’s best extreme skiers, and Chilean guide and top climber Juan Senoret died on the upper slopes of 2,493m Volcan Puntiagudo in Chile. They fell to their deaths while trying to ski down the volcano.
The third member of their team, photographer Mathurin Vauthier, was with the pair when they fell just below the summit, according to downdays.eu.
Christophe Henry, left, and Juan Senoret. Photo: Daniel Ronnback/Juan Senoret
Vauthier managed to reach the two skiers after the fall, but his attempts to administer first aid were unsuccessful.
Downdays.eu also reports that another skier reported that Henry and Senoret were both skiing a steep, exposed line on the north face of Volcan Puntiagudo when they fell in a no-fall zone. According to some local sources, an avalanche could have caused their fall.
Local rescuers recovered the bodies at about 1,700m. Reaching them was difficult because of the icy slope.
Henry was well known for his super-fast descents of Chamonix’s classic lines and was one of the pioneers of modern extreme skiing. The Piolet d’Or committee listed Juan Senoret’s first ascent of the north face of 2,168m Cerro Catedral in Torres del Paine with his brother Cristobal Senoret as as one of the most significant climbs of 2022.
This is the second tragedy to befall the Senoret family. In 2021, the third brother, Diego — another very good climber — died in a car accident.
