“We are going to be particularly careful today”. On the snow front of La Rosière, the Savoyard resort bereaved by the death of Gaspard Ulliel, Pascal promises Thursday to be extra careful. Coming from Loire-Atlantique for a week of skiing, he says he will be very careful “especially to priorities on the slopes”. Especially since this morning, the visibility was poor when the weather was fine on Tuesday, when the actor hit another skier at the intersection of two blue slopes, the “Tétras” and the “Gélinottes”. Alongside Pascal, his friend Daniel confirms: “A skier who kills himself on the slopes, in a place where we often pass, it shakes. We’ve been thinking regarding it for two days, especially since some skiers go very fast.
“A death on the slopes is always a shock”
At the Tourist Office, director Jérémie Silva looks gloomy in the face of the tragedy: “We spent the day yesterday welcoming and informing all the televisions in the country. Our objective will have been above all to respect the pain of the family of Gaspard Ulliel and his loved ones: we are moved and have a lot of empathy for them. The insists: “A death on the slopes, regardless of the notoriety of the victim, is always a shock, especially since the station and the trackers do everything possible to avoid tragedies. Our visitors come here to have fun and are not supposed to experience this kind of drama…”
Two retirees from the Happy Days Club of La Rosière sell blueberry jams and bugnes in front of the Tourist Office. “Coming to winter sports and killing yourself stupidly like that, on a blue run, is dramatic and very sad”, breathes Dominique. Her friend Nicole adds: “It’s an aberrant, shocking accident: I skied that day, the weather was so beautiful, nothing might let imagine such a tragedy, in such a place.”
The actor was not a priori a regular at the station and was not staying there this week: he had come to La Rosière on Tuesday to take advantage of the 150 kilometers of slopes for the day. If the precise circumstances of the accident are not yet known – a preliminary investigation by the CRS is underway – the Albertville prosecutor’s office simply confirmed on Wednesday evening that the heart of the accident was indeed a collision between Gaspard Ulliel and another skier, at Roc Noir, at the top of the ski area. A place marked by a flat area, even a small rise, which can encourage skiers to pick up speed to pass the area, according to a good connoisseur of the area.
“I owe a debt of gratitude to my helmet”
Gaspard Ulliel was not wearing a helmet, the Albertville prosecution also confirmed. Thursday, the subject mobilizes among the skiers crossed at the foot of the slopes. Lucas, from Marseille, never skis once more without this protection: “I had an accident and I owe my helmet a debt of gratitude! The accident on Tuesday confirms me even more in this idea. At the end of the Council of Ministers at midday, the government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, was asked regarding the possibility of making helmets compulsory on the ski slopes. It is time for mourning and tributes, he replied: “Now is not the time to get into this debate or controversy.”
In one of the resort’s sports shops, Luigi, salesman and ski technician, insists: “Wearing a helmet is essential. A skier can easily reach 80 km/h, even on a blue. On a steeper slope, a good practitioner exceeds 100 km/h. At these speeds, a fall without a helmet, with or without a collision, is guaranteed head trauma if there is an impact on the head.
He systematically encourages his customers to equip themselves and, to those who tell him that they ski peacefully, he replies “The helmet also represents safety if you get hit. It’s the equivalent of a seat belt in a car or a helmet on a bicycle…” Luigi unfolds his arguments, in particular that of the cost, from 20 to 25€ per week for rental, i.e. 5€ per day “and they are really efficient, with the most efficient models having a structure with articulated parts that absorb shocks”. Benefiting from technology and new materials, helmets today are light, ventilated, adjustable and ergonomic. In the end, the patter and experience helping, less than 10% of Luigi’s customers leave without a helmet, according to his calculations. But beware: “You must not imagine that the helmet makes you invincible! Even wearing a helmet, on the slopes you must remain attentive and vigilant at all times. Gaspard Ulliel’s accident is a very visible tragedy. It has to serve at least to put forward this message.”