Cover image credit Oskar Enander
Chamonix legend Tof Henry has died after an accident on the mountain at Chile’s Puntiagudo.
The titan of big mountain skiing was riding with Chilean guide Juan Señoret in the Los Lagos region. It is reported by a local news outlet that two have died after an incident at the top of the Puntiagudo volcano’s north face on Wednesday, since confirmed to be Tof and IFMGA guide Juan.
Chamonix-born Tof was a seasoned Andes skier. He is known throughout the ski community worldwide for taking skiing to its maximum limit, for riding big lines, hard and fast.
Part of the Armada panoply of riders, Tof’s profile reads:
“With wrecking ball power and eye watering speeds, Tof absolutely charges legitimate mountaineering lines, fully pinned where other great skiers are jump turning and sideslipping. He’s flat out changed the game in steep skiing.”
Watch Henry’s recent film Born in Chamonix, in which he talks about the risk of big mountain skiing in the opening credits:
“The risk is huge. We try to combine the experience and knowledge to [make] the right decision. Everyday we are most exposed because we are, everyday, in the mountains. We love the risk, it is one part of skiing. You know you are not playing ping pong or tennis. You are risking your life.”
As the ski world wakes up to news of this huge loss, tributes to the skiers pour in.