BFL179 | 21.10.2011

Antoine Montant

from France

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Unknown

BASE SEASONS

Unknown

SKYDIVES

Unknown

WS SKYDIVES

Unknown

BASE JUMPS

Unknown

WS BASE JUMPS
  • Date & Time: 21.10.2011
  • Location: Pointe de Sans Bet, Sixt-Fer-á-Cheval, France
  • Category: BASE Fatality
  • Object Type: Earth
  • Cause Of Death: Impact in terminal freefall
  • Clothing - Suit: S BirdIntermediate Wingsuit by Tony suits
  • Canopy: Unknown
  • Container: Unknown
  • Packing & Setup: Slider Up BOC Vertical
  • Weather: Winds light and variable
  • Possible Factors: Emergency low pull, Pilot Chute Entanglement - PC in tow, Proximity flying

What do we believe happened?

Antoine went for his 3rd wingsuit cliff jump to a very technical jump in the Sixt area involving flying a long turn and passing under power lines. His body was found dead on a ledge under the power lines, entangled in his bridle. He was flying a S-Bird.

Given his lifestyle and accomplishments, it's hard to figure out why he decided to start wingsuiting on his own as he had many friends in the WS base-jumping scene. He was a top-level athlete, very experienced in many aerial sports and has been managing risks in remote alpine environment for years.

He will be greatly missed here, but we can be pretty sure that he's now inventing new sports with his brother up there in the sky.

Antoine was one of the most accomplished athletes in his sport. Born into a family of sportsmen, Antoine grew up in the wide open country between the Lake Geneva and the Alps, and learned to ski from the moment he could walk. He soon got a taste of the wealth of outdoor activities that such an open environment offered.

Antoine was just nine years old when his older brother, Valéry, an experienced hang-gliding and paragliding pilot and a pioneer in speed riding who was killed in an accident in 2006, introduced him to paragliding. He instantly caught the bug and soon became an experienced pilot. After becoming a certified instructor in skiing and paragliding, his love of the mountains and his insatiable appetite for thrills led him to the top of these two sports.

What he loved most of all was to be in the mountains, climbing up the slopes ready to make his descent by whatever means available: extreme skiing, base jumping or speed riding.

His talent was matched only by his imagination for ways to get back down to the valley floor. Even though he achieved some amazing feats, Antoine's exploits in alpine skiing were not widely known. But unlike many extreme skiing purists, Antoine was first and foremost an inventor. He liked finding unlikely routes and blending types.

Contact

Missing something?

Can you help us with incident interpretation? We are interested in any details regarding personal experience, gear, weather conditions and any other circumstances related to the incident.

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