Timeline: Remembering JP Auclair and Andreas Fransson

On Monday, September 29, 2014, the skiing community lost two of its great icons in JP Auclair and Andreas Fransson. The accomplishments of these two men are vast; it would be nearly impossible to recount all of their tribulations here. Today, one year after their passing, we shed light on some of their most noteworthy feats. The bullet points here serve as a reminder of JP and Andreas’ extraordinary contributions to the sport of skiing and their unwavering commitment to spread good will while helping others. We are forever indebted. – Henrik Lampert

Timeline

August 22, 1977: JP Auclair is born in Québec City, Canada.

April 15, 1983: Andreas Fransson is born in Luleå, Sweden.

1997:

JP graduates from the Québec Provincial Mogul Team to the Canadian Mogul Team. Coached by Mike Douglas, other members of the squad include JF Cusson, Vincent Dorion and Shane Szocs. In their free time, these skiers would take to the air in the “snowboard parks.” Collectively the crew comes to be known as the New Canadian Air Force.

Andreas first skis at Riksgränsen, Sweden and begins skiing there regularly. Soon after, he begins work there as a ski instructor.

JP and the New Canadian Air Force star in Poor Boyz Productions’ State of Mind.

1998:

JP arrives in Colorado for a NorAm mogul contest. He enters the first-ever US Freeskiing Open. There, JP tops the big air podium and takes 2nd place in slopestyle, behind Cusson.

The brainchild of Mike Douglas and Stephen Fearing, the Salomon 1080 ski is born; it’s the first-ever twin tip ski. The 1080 makes waves on a global scale when JP hoists a prototype above his head at the US Open awards ceremony.

JP appears in Poor Boyz Productions’ Degenerates. He earns the closing segment and inspires countless skiers across North America and beyond.

JP goes heli-skiing for the first time with a Warren Miller crew, at Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing. JP is caught in an avalanche and carried 100 meters. He cites this as a humbling experience—one that opens his eyes to the power of the mountains.

1999-2010: JP appears in 10 films by Poor Boyz Productions, in addition to numerous films by Matchstick Productions, Teton Gravity Research and Warren Miller.

2002:

Andreas shoots handrails and cliff drops on Salomon 1080s (telemark setup) with Tero Repo. The two would go on to produce hundreds of photos together.

JP co-founds Armada Skis along with Tanner Hall, JF Cusson, Julien Regnier, Boyd Easley and Chris O’Connell.

2006: Andreas moves to Chamonix, France—the ski mountaineering capital of the world. Immediately after his arrival, he skis the Mallory Route in autumn—a line rarely skied even when conditions are ideal in the spring. To make it even more impressive, it was Andreas’ first time back on skis after a knee operation.

2007: JP acquires his guide certification with Alaska Heliskiing in Haines, Alaska. He would retake the course one year later simply to reinforce his snow safety knowledge.

2008:

JP founds Alpine Initiatives. Originally established to aid orphans in Kenya, the non-profit now provides inspiration and funding for the betterment of mountain communities, with an emphasis on environmental stewardship, sustainable living, community building and creative expression through the arts.

JP acts as associate producer, editor, art director and featured athlete for Poor Boyz Productions’ Reasons. The film is awarded Best Editing and Best Film at iF3, and Movie of the Year at the Powder Video Awards.

JP places 2nd at the Red Bull Linecatcher in La Plagne, France and 2nd at the Red Bull Cold Rush in Retallack, BC where he also earns People’s Choice award.

In Japan, JP takes an exam to attain certification as a master of Kendama. Regarding the traditional Japanese toy, JP says, “Having a Kendama on me is a constant reminder that I really don’t need much to be happy.”

2009: Andreas descends the Aiguille du Plan, North Face. He is the first to complete this line in 15 years.

2010:

Andreas completes first descent of the East Couloir on the Grand Gendarme d’Envers du Plan in Chamonix.

Andreas breaks his neck after an avalanche swept him 400 meters while skiing the Aiguille Verte’s Y Couloir in Chamonix.

2011:

JP works with Sherpas Cinema’s Dave Mossop to create the famed urban skiing segment, shot in Trail, Rossland and Nelson, British Columbia. The clip, starring JP, appears in the film All.I.Can. for which he acts as co-director, editor and athlete. When posted to the web, the clip quickly amasses more than one million views; the edit has now surpassed the three million mark, securing it among the most viral skiing edits in history.

JP makes his home in Zurich, Switzerland, just three and a half hours from Chamonix, keen to soak up, “the European approach to skiing,” and to immerse himself in the rich mountaineering culture.

Andreas completes first descent of Denali’s South Face, a line Chris Davenport called “the baddest un-skied line in North America.”

Andreas goes to South America with filmmaker Bjarne Salén and solo skis the highest peaks in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Winter 2011-12:

Andreas completes the first ski descent of the 60-degree Whillans Ramp on Aguja Poincenot, Patagonia; one of the most awe-inspiring, exposed lines ever to be skied.

JP begins to explore Chamonix with Andreas Fransson; Andreas imparts his knowledge of ski mountaineering technique upon JP.

Andreas wins Sweden’s Male Adventurer of the Year for his first descent of Denali’s South Face.

Andreas, Morgan Salén and Bjarne Salén make six first descents over three weeks spent in Norway’s Lyngen Alps.

2013:

Tempting Fear, a documentary from Switchback Entertainment and Bjarne Salén debuts. It details Andreas’ comeback from injury and life as one of the greatest extreme skiers in the world, and takes home “Best Action Film” at the 2012 Adventure Film Festival in Boulder, CO.

JP co-directs and edits Sherpas’ Into the Mind.

JP named one of National Geographic’s 2014 Adventurers of the Year.

Bjarne Salén releases two-part series Reaching My Limit, chronicling his and Andreas’ adventures in the Argentinian Patagonia in 2012, including the descent of Whillans Ramp.

Andreas and friend Magnus Kastengren complete first descents of the East Face and Bowie Couloir on Mt. Cook in New Zealand.

Andreas and Kastengren make an attempt at the previously un-skied Caroline Face of Mt. Cook. After summiting and embarking on the descent, Kastengren perishes from a several hundred meter fall down the mountain’s west face.

2014:

At the SIA Snow Show in Denver, CO, JP unveils his brainchild, the Armada Declivity ski—a tool built specifically for ski mountaineering and adventures in high-alpine terrain.

JP and Andreas launch a project called Apogee Skiing, with a goal of producing a four-part web series documenting their adventures around the world. The first episode is filmed in Norway. The word apogee refers to “the highest point in the development of something; the climax or culmination.”

JP and his partner Ingrid welcome son Léo to the world.

September 29, 2014: JP and Andreas are killed in an avalanche in the Patagonian Andes, on Monte San Lorenzo, in the Aysén region of Chile.

In recognition of JP and Andreas’ extraordinary contributions to the sport of skiing and their unwavering commitment to spread good will, please consider a donation to one or more of the following charities: The Auclair Fund, proudly managed by friends of JP Auclair, Alpine Initiatives, and Armada; and Safe Passions, established in Andreas’ honor, with an aim to bring awareness of safety in the mountains to youths and young adults.