Ran over by his buddies

Once upon a time in Avoriaz, France, there was a steep couloir called “Le President.” It could be accessed from the “Crôt,” the main run leading down to Les Prodains where the tram base station is located. That run is now gone, overgrown by trees and thick bushes, but in the early seventies, it was impressive; the kind of narrow and steep path you had to descent to be considered a serious skier. To be precise, it was located just after the hairpin turn of the “Défaugt” and would plunge all the way down to the valley floor. With this in mind, rewind back to January 1971, picture a pack a young, adrenaline-charged males ski instructors without clients, skiing like crazy and always “pushing the envelope.” It was a wet deep-snow day, with giant snowflakes falling and marginal visibility. Jean-Claude Page was leading the group and suddenly veered right and plunged full-speed into the narrow “President” followed by the whole gang. At the top-third of the gully, Jean-Claude tumbled and fell, leaving his followers neither time nor choice to do anything but ski over their fallen comrade, all of them probably thinking they had hit a stump or a dead chamois… Thank God, the snow was so soft and so abundant that Page survived this exercise in lamination, instantly came back to life, got back up without thinking of dusting the snow that was filling his neck and back, and wondered why he felt he had carried the weight of the world for a few fast seconds. He, who would become the Avoriaz ski school director a few years later, had his first telling experience in leadership…