Patrick Vallençant
| Patrick Vallençant | ||||
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| Born |
June 9, 1946 Lyon, France |
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| Died | March 28, 1989 (aged 42) | |||
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Patrick Vallençant (June 9, 1946 in Lyon – March 28, 1989) was a French alpinist/skier and pioneer in ski mountaineering.
He was a pioneer in ski mountaineering and leader of the French school of ski mountaineers. His motto was: "si tu tombes, tu meurs", translated as "you fall, you die". In addition to numerous first descents, he was responsible for the creation of the "Pedal Step Turn" and co-founded the Degré 7 ski apparel company.
He died on March 28, 1989, in a non-skiing related climbing accident as a result of a broken carabiner, while abseiling from the top of La Beaume Rouge, in France.
To cope with skiing the steep terrain (greater than 50 degrees), Vallençant developed a new turning technique, known as the "Pedal Step Turn" (also "Pedal Hop Turn" and "Pedal Jump Turn"). The technique involved pushing off from the uphill ski, away from the slope and completing a portion of turn's rotation while in the air and then landing back on the downhill ski. With the advent of parabolic skis, using the uphill ski to initiate a turn is now a common technique for carved turns and racing. The key difference is in carving or racing the skier is traveling much faster, the terrain is not as steep and there is no need for such a dramatic thrust off the slope. The "Pedal Step Turn" was originally developed on traditional racing skis.
Patrick Vallençant founded the Stages Vallençant in Chamonix to teach extreme skiing & co-founded the "Degré 7" ski apparel company in 1983 with Iingrid Buchner, a stylist. He sold his share in Degré 7 in 1988.
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