Sunday 21st May 2017, in the morning, a French speed-rider (25) from Haute-Savoie, suffered a fatal fall in the Mont-Blanc Massif. The accident happened on the North Face of the Aiguille du Midi (3,842 m), where the victim, out of control, fell to his death.
According to Le Dauphine, the young speed-rider departed with a group of friends to do multiple speed riding descents in the Mont Blanc massif.
Speed riding is skiing with a paraglider wing, allowing to directional control, contact with the snow and short phases of free flight. The wing is small than the usual paragliding wing and is built for speed rather than lift.
According to La Liberation, the accident occurred around 11:15am. The man died after falling "several hundreds of meters", told at AFP, a gendarme of Chamonix PGHM.
According to Captain Patrice Ribes to Agence France-Presse "We found the body of the victim at the foot of the north face of the Aiguille du Midi, in the sector of the Col du Plan".
For the moment, the circumstances of the accident are still unclear.
According to Le Dauphine, none of the victim's friends have assisted directly at the accident.
An investigation was opened by the Chamonix PGHM to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
On 15th March 2017, a 31-year-old speed-rider died in the same sector.
The North Face of the Aiguille du Midi is an imposing and steep face, 1000 metres high. It is easily visible from Chamonix town and is the name given to the sector that extends from the Aiguille du Midi, to the Col du Plan.
A paraglider launch from the north face of the Midi offers little room for error. The ability to execute a clean launch is essential. For speed-riders, this is an exceptionally demanding face, because it is very steep and has limited snow cover.
