Matthew (“Busto”) was in good spirits throughout the trip. The group had met the previous day to discuss the plan. He ate well, slept well, and was positive on the morning of the hike.
The group checked the LZ, left vehicles there, and began the hike at 06:30, taking the easier 4x4 trail up to Chalet de Criou. From there, we continued with food and water breaks before making the final ascent to the summit.
Busto led much of the hike but became fatigued on the steeper terrain towards the summit. This was not unusual for him, and after a rest, food, water, and adding warm clothes, spirits were high. Photos were taken, winds checked and rock drops made to confirm the exit along with base beta and video footage. The group reviewed the jump plan, everyone was satisfied with the conditions.
At the exit, Busto mentioned he had done some more intense exits then this and was not concerned about the technicality of this one. His only concern was the suit being a little large fit for him with the potential for poorer flight performance not making the LZ.
Sequence of jumps:
Jumper 1 exited first with a clean start and solid flight around the corner.
Jumper 2 followed with no issues.
Jumper 1, having landed safely, called Busto to confirm conditions were good and reminded him to stick to the poised exit that he had been training, as he was considering trying a running exit when gearing up.
Busto relayed this information to Jumper 3, and they shared a fist bump.
Jumper 3 exited cleanly and landed with the others at the LZ.
After five minutes, concern grew when Busto had not appeared. Jumper 3 recalled that Busto had mentioned possibly flying to an alternative LZ higher up the valley if he was not performing well in the suit. After 15 minutes, we drove to check the alternate LZ incase we had missed his flight. After 20 minutes, we heard a rescue helicopter approaching the valley and made the call to mountain rescue.
Unknown to us, a bystander near the exit had already contacted emergency services after witnessing Busto exit unstable, fail to gain controlled flight, and not deploy a parachute. Later that day, another witness from a refuge opposite the jump reported seeing Busto bounce multiple times down the cliff before what appeared to be a parachute deploying after multiple impacts.
Matthew was pronounced dead at the scene by mountain rescue.

Notes
Busto was in good spirits this season but was not solely focused on BASE. His exits were known to be inconsistent, and on at least two occasions earlier in the season, he was recommended to remain at Brento to work on exits rather than participate in other jumps. By the time he came to France, he felt happier with his performance but spoke about returning to his previous onsie to regain comfort, noting that he had performed well in it the year before. However after each jump on this trip, he expressed feeling more confident and improving.
Looking back at the sequence of events, it reinforces the importance of being current and consistent when undertaking a BASE trip. Time and again we see the same mentality: denial about true skill level, progressing too quickly, or jumping beyond personal capability. This was a technical exit where a poor launch was simply not survivable. Everyone present understood that risk and each made the conscious decision to jump.
Based on the limited witness account, no camera and no flysight found, we can only speculate but it appears an unstable exit led directly to impact.
Busto was a larger-than-life character who embraced every interaction with humour, warmth, and positivity. He will be deeply missed by all who met him.
He was a solid CUNT

And as he would say Suce Mabite!