The victim tried to jump into the void on skis. Witnesses witnessed the tragedy.
If base-jumping is a practice that offers thrills that are difficult to match for its practitioners, it is also one of the extreme sports that leave the least margin for error. A new accident took place this Sunday, March 5, 2023 near Tignes in Savoie, where a 37-year-old man fell to his death by jumping from a cliff.
Fall over 100 meters
The information was relayed by our colleagues from France 3 Rhône-Alpes. The facts occurred this Sunday around noon on the Rocher de la Grande Parei site, located near the Tignes ski area at 2000 meters above sea level.
The man, a 37-year-old base jumper of Chilean origin, tried to jump off a cliff from a height of 100 meters after gaining momentum on skis. But the jump turned tragic.
A witness witnesses the tragedy
According to a person present on the spot at the time of the tragedy, the jumper rushed into the void, but there would have been a technical problem with his parachute. The man would have crashed heavily on the ground. Four trackers intervened to provide first aid to the victim.
Rescuers from the Modane High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) were called to take care of the victim. A helicopter went to the scene with an emergency doctor on board, but the man was already dead when they arrived.
Ongoing investigation
An investigation has been opened by the Albertville prosecutor’s office to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy. The CRS Alpes are responsible for this.
Accidents of this type are rare, but as a rule, they rarely forgive the jumpers who are victims of them. In April 2021, a base jumper had notably lost his life by jumping from a site renowned for the base jumping community in Millau.
