YouTuber ‘Super Frenchie’ is no stranger to insane BASE jumps and his latest is no exception. A decade in the making this jump is a first off the Aiguille du Goûter sérac at 13120-feet.
After 10 years of contemplation, I finally performed a first ski BASE jump off the Aiguille du Goûter sérac at 4000 m (13120 ft) after skiing from the summit of Dôme du Goûter at 4304 m ( 14117 ft ) with the help of Kevin Gourgues!
The serac is 80m tall (260 ft) over the rocky face of the aiguille, over the Direct West Couloir (first skied by Pierre Tardivel July 2nd, 1991).
The last 2 weeks of inconsistent weather affected snow conditions, but recent high pressure made for a gorgeous day in the Mont Blanc Massif
I was worried with the 10 to 20 km/h north wind on the Dôme but there was a calm air pocket with no wind below the sérac which permitted me to open my parachute safely.
However, a fast parachute opening was required due to the 30% thinner air resulting in sinking into the couloir. After opening, the rolling North wind funneled towards the bottom of the Aiguille du Goûter, pushing my parachute towards the direct west couloir south ridge. The fast opening was a good call as I cleared the ridge by only 20 meters.
Once flying away between Aiguille du Goûter and Aiguille de Bionnassay towards Bionnassay Glacier, I had to negotiate a strong anabatic wind (upslope wind) – a bumpy ride all the way to the landing below the Refuge du Goûter on the north flank of the glacier.
Observing wind patterns and evolution of the ice walls over the last 5 years were mandatory to perform a first ski BASE jump safely. The ice is constantly changing due to climate change and increasing temperatures.
I grew up skiing in St Gervais in front of the Mont Blanc West Face, which I have been admiring my whole life. I even got it tattooed on my back after performing the first ski BASE jump from the summit of Mont Blanc in 2019.
Performing several first ski BASE jumping descents around the world and more particularly in the Mont Blanc massif turns childhood dreams into a reality and allows a modern approach to mountaineering.
The first ski BASE jump off the Aiguille du Goûter is a moment of pride. This is the classical route to the summit of Mont Blanc and a massive rock face steeped in history.
Huge thank you to Stefan Laude at Fresh Influence for his camera and editing work as well as Alex Perinet for his help planning!
