Neil Edgeworth Dies In Chamonix Avalanche
by L. Farrow
(March 26, 1997)

Has the push for getting the epic photos gone too far?

Further enforcing its notoriety as being lethal to climbers and off-piste boarders and skiers alike, Chamonix claimed another victim on February 21. Killer Loop rider Neil Edgeworth, 25, was killed during a short stay in France for a Snowboard Life story.

According to photographer and friend Ken Achenbach, the two had taken a day off from shooting with four other riders at Le Brevent on the north side of the Chamonix valley. After a noonish late start, they happened upon an out of bounds south-facing, 45 degree chute; at approximately 5,000 feet from top to bottom, "a lot larger than a lot of North American areas," says Achenbach.

"It was a perfect shot, so I said, Hey, Neil, there's a wicked background if you jump off the hip." In this case, the hip was a rocky crest at the point where two chutes had merged into one. The hip doesn't usually go because the snow is generally more supported. After positioning himself around the backside of the ridge for a shot along the edge, Achenbach briefly considered having writer Colin Whyte and Eva Sandelgard go first before deciding to have Edgeworth do it himself. He gave the go ahead and Edgeworth counted down and dropped in.

"It looked like he stuck the landing, but as soon as he touched down, the whole face slid," says Achenbach. "He fell into this huge volume of snow, and was taken 3,600 feet down into the valley."

Whyte said it was like the vintage Roger's Pass avalanche film footage where the cinematographer had set up miles below a gigantic cornice, but was still demolished by the blast and debris of the avalanche.

The avalanche was an easy Class 3-meaning it was powerful enough to kill a person, destroy a car, damage a large truck, destroy a small building, or break off a few trees. Avalanches of this nature are not uncommon in and around Chamonix, especially on this, a high avalanche rated day. Because of the day's rating, Achenbach says the riders were sticking to chutes that were tracked up, and in fact, Edgeworth was following tracks when the slide was triggered-further proof that tracked slopes aren't necessarily safe.

Ten minutes later, Edgeworth was found in the avalanche debris at the bottom, his legs still strapped to the board that was sticking out from the snow. Achenbach performed CPR until the jendarme (Chamonix rescue and patrol) arrived. But despite having three doctors at the scene, who briefly revived Edgeworth's heart (and a few seconds later his right eye flickered open), the injuries were too severe.

The slide had ripped through a narrow rock chute with a tremendous drop. "He had to have been dead five seconds after he landed," Achenbach says.

Edgeworth, a native of Kelowna, British Columbia, and the Big White entourage, emerged on the snowboard circuit at age 16, and quickly established his reputation as one of a handful of early riders who brought new tricks to the budding sport of snowboarding. Edgeworth beat Craig Kelly at the West Beach Classic in 1991-further evidence of his abilities and natural talent.

The snowboarding community and Canadian riders in particular have lost a pioneering spirit in their world of snowboarding.