Salomon Sports is reeling at the devastating news that a member of the Salomon family has been killed in an avalanche. Freeskier and mountaineer Andreas Fransson and freeskiing legend, JP Auclair, died in South America on Monday afternoon.

Fransson and Auclair were climbing and skiing on Mount San Lorenzo in a remote and mountainous region of Chile when the avalanche happened. While their bodies are unable to be recovered at this time due to the remote and dangerous area where the accident occurred, both skiers have been confirmed as deceased by authorities.

“Andreas held a special place in the Salomon family,” says Bruno Bertrand, Salomon global freeskiing sports marketing manager. “His passion, skill, creativity and ability to inspire those around him was unmatched. He will be missed dearly.”

Andreas chose to live life with full attention to every moment. His approach to life was his biggest achievement, but he also knew that such a high level of commitment to pursuing his dreams took him to wild and often dangerous places. He approached the mountains meticulously, without ego, and had no problem stepping away from objectives which felt unsafe.

An irreplaceable part of the Salomon Mountain Collective, Andreas played a vital role in the research and development of Salomon’s premiere backcountry and freeskiing products and most recently helped the brand launch into the mountaineering world. Andreas was one of today’s most prominent extreme skiers and climbers, taking the sport of ski mountaineering to the next level. With a solo first descent of the South Face of Denali in spring 2011, Andreas burst onto the scene in a major way. His harrowing descents from Chamonix to Patagonia to Norway and all across Europe showed that his capabilities in the mountains were nearly unrivaled. Andreas was a well spoken, thoughtful and articulate person who took calculated risks. Although his skiing accomplishments put him in a very exclusive club, he never saw it that way, and would frequently include most anyone in making plans for a fun ski day.

The Salomon family is rallying support around Fransson and Auclair’s teammates, friends and family.  We have all been honored to be a part of their lives and want to thank them for being brave enough to chase what made them happy, for sharing their inner and outermost journeys, and for inspiring others to do the same.

Contact

Joe Johnson
Salomon
joe@outsidemedia.com
509-220-1579

Logo courtesy Salomon