Andreas Fransson and JP Auclair killed by avalanche in Patagonia

37-year-old Auclair, born in Quebec, was a highly talented free skier, considered one of the best skiers in Canada. Famous also for his interpretation of urban skiiing -immortalised in the film All.I.Can - Auclair's talent didn't go unnoticed and last year he was one of the nominees for the prestigious Adventurers of the Year accolade, promoted by National Geographic.

Fransson was recognised as one of the best extreme skiers in the world. A superb alpinist, strong and fast, in 2011 he managed to make the bold first ski descent of the South Face of Denali, a feat that crowned a short but extraordinary trip to Alaska. But what made him world famous was his capacity to see beyond, to identify and attempt lines hitherto deemed impossible or not even thought about. His descent of the Whillans Ramp on Aguja Poincenot in Patagonia in 2012 is a case in point, a descent he himself defined as the very limit of what he was capable of. A charismatic, leading light in the Chamonix scene (his second home), Fransson's loss is a terrible blow to the mountaineering community in general and in particular to the close-knit Swedish scene which in November 2013 had to deal with the death of his close friend, 32-year-old Magnus Kastengren.

Andreas Fransson, Aguja Poincenot, Patagonia



JP Auclair - All.I.Can