Thibault Cheval

This was our fifth training outing in mountaineering: three days in May, followed by two more in June.
The day before, we had climbed the Bruyères ridge — our third ridge climb together — and we had planned to end this training cycle with a wingsuit jump.

Thibault had been a high mountain guide for several years. He had done this particular jump one or two years earlier, I believe — he showed me the video the day before.
He was experienced in wingsuit flying, having practiced for about ten years and completed several hundred jumps. A few days prior, he had done a solo wingsuit jump and had already jumped several times this year, though I’m not sure how many.

As planned, we took the first cable car from La Grave at 7:30 a.m. By 8:00, we were roped up and had our crampons on.
We crossed the glacier quickly, with Thibault leading, until we reached the base of the southeast ridge of the Trifides. It was 8:30.

This time, I led the climb, with Thibault seconding.
The route was beautiful, the conditions perfect: bright sun, a light breeze, and incredible views.
After two hours of climbing, we reached the summit at 10:30. We took a break to enjoy the panorama. Physically, we felt good — no notable fatigue.

We prepared our wingsuits and packed our respective gear: crampons, ice axe, jacket, harness… I took the 40-meter rope inside my wingsuit; Thibault carried the rest of the gear (8 quickdraws, 4 cams, 2 slings).
We geared up as we had rehearsed the day before. Then I rappelled first using a rope that was already in place.

Conditions were ideal: a perfectly blue sky, and a light headwind of around 5 knots at the exit.
Before I unclipped, Thibault reminded me to visualize my push direction clearly.
I decided to push slightly to the right and told him. We did a final check. I wished him a good flight.
He was right behind me, slightly higher up. He said he was filming my exit.

I jumped around 11:15 a.m. I pushed off with both feet from a rock point that felt solid, just above a makeshift wooden platform set into a rock ledge where we had finished gearing up, safely clipped in.

The exit went well. The jump profile wasn’t technically demanding — that’s why Thibault had chosen it.
The numbers were: 140-20 / 200-40 / 370-90 — a 400-meter wall.

The flight was straightforward — a long straight line through the air with no terrain to follow.
I deployed at a comfortable altitude, just above the start of the forest, and landed as planned on a final patch of frozen snow, where the river begins, at the bottom of the valley.

We had each planned separate flight paths and landing zones. I was flying an Aura 5 — a larger suit with better glide — and Thibault was in a smaller Strix.
I landed softly, facing into the valley wind. A gentle breeze was rising from the valley floor.

I turned around, but didn’t see him jump.
I tried calling, with no success. He had warned me that there might not be cell service where he was planning to land.

I packed my gear and started hiking down the trail at around 11:45.
I reached the car about an hour later, changed clothes, and tried calling him again — still nothing. It was 12:45.

At the mid-station of the gondola, I spoke with the staff. They said they couldn’t see anything through their binoculars.
Thibault had planned to return via the gondola from the mid-station and then meet me at the car. I was told that depending on where he landed, it could take him one to two hours.

I kept trying to call, but there was still no answer.
At 2:00 p.m., I called the PGHM (mountain rescue) in Briançon. The helicopter was dispatched and on site 40 minutes later.
At 3:00 p.m., I called them back. They told me they had found his lifeless body on a snowy ledge, 200 meters below the Trifides exit — his parachute was open, and one leg wing zipper was open on the side where it appeared he had impacted.
His camera wasnt recovered

https://www.ledauphine.com/societe/2025/06/17/un-pratiquant-de-wingsuit-decede-a-la-grave