Adventure Racing Mourns the Loss of Benjamin Gaimard

Anne-Marie Dunhill / 05.01.2010

It is with great sadness that SleepMonsters learned of the avalanche accident that claimed the lives of three skiers in Les Arcs in the Savoie region of the French Alps on January 1st, 2010. Amongst the victims was the high mountain guide and ski instructor, Benjamin Gaimard, aged 35, as well as two other French men from the Paris region, Jacques and Jean-Louis.

The massive avalanche occurred in the North-East sector in “Le Combe des Lanchettes”. Although all were equiped with ARVA and had ABS airbags, according to Philippe Delandes, president of the Office of Mountain Guides, “Against an avalanche of that magnitude, there isn’t anything that one can do”.

Benjamin Gaimard was the grandson of Marcel Gaimard, former mayor of Bourg-Saint-Maurice and the son of Alain Gaimard, co-founder of the Raid Gauloises as well as the Mountain X-Race, Raid World Series and the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge. A Facebook page has been created to pay him homage and in four days has almost a thousand members, many leaving notes and photos of their memories of this charming, gentle man who showed infinite patience in his work on adventure races and had a passion for the mountains. In 2007 he published a book on the subject, La Grande Traversé des Alpes”.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday January 6th at 17:30 in the Salle Bernard Taillefer in the Arcs. Benjamin is survived by his parents and four siblings as well as his companion Elise Richards. The editors and reporters of all of the SleepMonsters sites extend their heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the three skiers during this time of infinite sorrow.

Facebook page: Hommage à notre Ami Benjamin Gaimard
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=251146937320

Sources:

Le Dauphine.com
LesArcsnet.com
Le Dauphine Liberé