) is an extreme skier

Extreme skiing

Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...

, dubbed "skier of the impossible." He is noted for skiing down large and steep mountains, including those in the Himalayas

Himalayas

The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...

. In 2007 he survived a helicopter crash in Kashmir

Kashmir

Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...

.

He is considered to be the father of extreme skiing and that has given him the name "skier of the impossible". He has the most difficult 18 descents to his credit. In mountains people are usually known for first ascent of high and difficult peaks but he is famous for first descents. He has skied down Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton...

, the highest mountain in North America; Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...

, the highest mountain in the Alps; Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in the Africa; Nun

Nun Kun

The Nun Kun mountain massif comprises a pair of Himalayan peaks: Nun, 7,135 m and its neighbor peak Kun, 7,077 m . Nun is the highest peak in the part of the Himalayan range lying on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir...

 peak in Kargil

Kargil District

Kargil is a district of Ladakh, Kashmir, India. Kargil lies near the Line of Control facing Pakistan-occupied Kashmir's Baltistan to the west, and Kashmir valley to the south. Zanskar is part of Kargil district along with Suru, Wakha and Dras valleys...

; and a number of other peaks in Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

 and the Karakoram

Karakoram

The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...

. For his 50th birthday, he skied down Japan's Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji

is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...

 without snow . Saudan’s crowning achievement came in 1982 when, at age 46, he skied down Pakistan’s 26470 feet (8,068.1 m)-high Gasherbrum I

Gasherbrum I

Gasherbrum I , also known as Hidden Peak or K5, is the 11th highest peak on Earth, located on the Pakistan-China border in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan and Xinjiang region of China. Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massif, located in the Karakoram region of the Himalaya...

, or Hidden Peak. It was the longest 50-degree ski descent ever accomplished—and very well might still be. Additionally, he pioneered and perfected the ability/technique to "jump turn" on steep inclines. This involves placing all the skier's weight on the upper ski (le ski amont), using it and that leg to spring leap, and then twisting the skier's body in the direction of turn. This enabled him to do 180 degree turn on mind blowing inclines.

He is an accomplished guide for heliskiing, one of the first European guides, along with Hans Gmoser to exploit the Bugaboos (Mica Creek, British Columbia)in the 1970's, with waist deep powder snow (often 150'000 vertical feet per week or more). He later developed his own line of skis that were exceptionally suited for powder skiing. These were relatively short and wide metal skis to be quick turning in powder snow, as well as to be easily loaded outside the helicopters.

Skiing with Sylvain demanded focus and concentration as well as physical stamina. Spring skiing with him in Argentier, France meant skiing all the way out to the bottom. This included going over streams, balancing on one leg down the length of fallen tree trunks. Skiing was like a dance, each move was studied, with a choreography of precision moves.

His extreme exploits involved considerable preparations, studying the mountain, the snow, the terrain over an extended period of time.

At 73, the father of extreme skiing is now a motivational speaker for corporate executives, using his films to demonstrate the leap in courage it takes to conquer new peaks and new challenges.

Quotes

• I don't live for the mountain. I couldn't live without her. I live with her. (in Dreyfus, p. 31).
• When you ski down a corridor, you're really edging death with each move that is not perfectly controlled. There's really only one way out: don't fall down. (in Dreyfus, p. 270).

External links

• SKI magazine - The father of extreme skiing - Jan-2009 - p. 86