In the ski resort of Savoie, in which “Liberation” went a few hours after the announcement of the death of the actor, the excitement is considerable.
At the very top of the Tarentaise valley, in La Rosière, a certain fatalism tinged with sadness reigned at the foot of the slopes on Wednesday, the evening of the death of actor Gaspard Ulliel, 24 hours after his ski accident in this ski resort. medium size close to Italy. Like the tributes that keep pouring in, everyone is aware, of course. Many skiers saw the accident on Tuesday at the end of the day, around 4 p.m.
Elodie and her family, who came from the Somme for the week, passed near Gaspard Ulliel while he was being treated, unconscious and on a drip, before his helicopter transport to the Grenoble University Hospital where he died on Wednesday: “the visibility was perfect, the track wide and almost flat in this place, the snow was good, there were not many skiers: the place is not dangerous, he was really unlucky” , sighs the forties next to Release.
A seasonal employee of a sports store confirms: the intersection between two blue slopes, the Tétras and the Gélinotte, where Gaspard Ulliel and another skier collided, is located in the Roc noir sector, at 2,200 meters altitude. The area “is well attended, but wide and secure, equipped with signs”. He shakes his head: “it’s unfortunate, but skiing remains a dangerous activity, this kind of accident can happen, you have to accept it… Proportionally to the number of skiers, it remains very rare nevertheless”.
Behind his counter, a waiter who knows the station well confirms this: “It can happen anywhere, it’s skiing! Here, we have injuries every day. There’s been a lot of damage this year, maybe it’s the Covid effect: some people haven’t skied for two years, they’ve probably lost their level a bit. And the snow is hard at the moment, it’s slipping hard, it hasn’t snowed for two weeks. Be that as it may, the helmet will one day or another become compulsory…” According to the first details of the drama, Gaspard Ulliel would not have worn this famous protection at the time of the shock.
In front of the bar, Ben, rider and seasonal worker in a ski shop, insists: “it’s one of the most dangerous sports, you have to wear a helmet, it’s clear and sharp, especially when you’re going fast!” And according to a well-informed actor from the resort, who wishes to remain discreet, at the time of the fatal collision the two skiers were going fast, precisely: “It was skiing hard…and it hit hard.”
The Albertville prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the accident and is not giving any details for the time being, except that “Gaspard Ulliel collided with another skier when he had just turned left”. This second person emerged unscathed from the accident.
Pending the results of the investigation, skiing will continue at La Rosière: “It may encourage us skiers to be cautious in the coming days”, wants to believe Pascal, just arrived from Rouen. He will not wear a helmet in any case: “I came to ski in peace, with my friends. And we know that an accident can happen to us”.