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2 extreme skiers die in Chile avalanche

Jean-Philippe Auclair and Carl Andreas Fransson died in the avalanche.

By Ed Adamczyk

PUERTO AISEN , Chile, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The bodies of two prominent practitioners of extreme skiing were found Wednesday in Chile's Patagonia region, police said, killed in an avalanche.

Jean-Philippe Auclair, 37, of Canada, and Carl Andreas Fransson of Sweden were hiking with two colleagues last week on the 3,700-meter (12,200 feet) San Lorenzo mountain in southern Chile when they were swept away by the avalanche. The survivors, each from Sweden, were not injured.

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The group of four arrived in the region Thursday.

Auclair, a resident of Quebec City, Canada, was regarded as a pioneer and legend in extreme skiing. He was chosen as a National Geographic "Adventurer of the Year" in 2014.

"JP was not only an amazing skier, but he also had the insight to bring skiing to a whole new level," said Canadian Olympic skiing gold medalist Jean-Luc Brassard. "Jean Philippe was quite exceptional ... he created an entire way of skiing. It's like creating a small electric car out of your garage and all the Ferraris, Maseratis and Jaguars are now copying you."

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