Tof Henry Remembered as Legendary Skier and Loving Father
This article originally appeared on Ski Mag
Christophe Claude Michel Henry, known as Tof, an accomplished professional big mountain skier from Chamonix, France, famous for his fast, bold skiing style on steep, exposed terrain, died on October 11 while skiing a northeast-facing line on 8,179-foot Puntiagudo Volcano in the Los Lagos Region of Chile. He was 38.
A procession through Chamonix occurred on October 23, during which the community and Henry’s loved ones paid their heartfelt tributes. They strolled through the town carrying skis, poles, ice axes, ropes, and all the elements that define our identity as mountain people.
In recent days, more details have emerged about Henry’s death. According to an Instagram post by French and Chilean photographer Mathurin Vauthier, who was sitting on a nearby ridge watching and capturing the descent with a drone just after 8 a.m., Henry and legendary Chilean mountain guide Juan Senoret were skiing simultaneously down a 50-degree slope, stopping just above a short downclimb, when Senoret fell above Henry and began to slide as the sloughing snow around him caused Henry to begin sliding at the same time. Both slid 200 meters before going off a 150-meter cliff band and dying shortly after impact.
Henry was born in Chamonix and began skiing at age two, freeriding on big, wide skis at age 15 alongside fellow Chamoniard Aurelien Ducroz, an eventual two-time Freeride World Champion. With Chamonix's unmatched access to big, vertical terrain and long seasons, Henry progressed rapidly and, at age 18, started skiing with Pierfrancesco "Pif" Diliberto, the monoskiing founder of TKB Films. It wasn't long before Tof was redefining the style of steep skiing, eschewing staggered hop turns in favor of straight-lining 50-degree test-piece lines in variable snow conditions and cranking GS turns over massive exposure. The painting of aesthetic ski tracks on virgin slopes hanging vertically on display above the Chamonix Valley for the whole town to see was an art Henry sought to master. He soon found himself under the wing of other mentors like Nathan Wallace, an American ski mountaineer who called Chamonix home for over two decades.
As Henry continued to push and inspire what was possible in the Alps, he made his mark on the multigenerational legacy of Chamonix alpinism by pioneering new lines and skiing classic ones in his fast, bold style.
Filmmaker Daniel Ronnback, who shot and directed Henry's film "Born in Chamonix," notes that while Henry continued to push the limits of big mountain skiing, his passion for fatherhood and his son, Jules, age 10, took on a greater significance. "The last few years, the kind of connection and passion he got for Jules was very deep," he says. "Tof talked more about what Jules was doing than what he was accomplishing himself."
As news of his passing circulated the internet last week, tributes to the man spattered social media channels. Many of them referenced his gutsy skiing and transformation of what's possible in mountain riding. Some recalled the powerful chemistry they felt being on the same rope or line as Henry. But almost all of them mentioned Tof's warm, larger-than-life smile.
"Even people who met Tof once in their life were always touched by his smile," says snowboarder Jonathan "Douds" Charlet, one of Henry's best friends who shared many first descents with him, including the North Face of Aiguille de Triolet and on the north face of the Arete de Rochefort. "He was riding every day like it was his last."
Charlet recently watched Vauthier's drone footage of the accident and could only speak of the beautiful day in Henry’s final moments. "The footage is amazing. The color, the day, the sky, the conditions, the snow mushroom--I think he was in paradise. Next to the sky on the tip of the mountain, you are next to God. I think that was a really perfect moment, maybe the best in his life. I'm just happy for him to have that before dying. It's amazing. The gift of the life is amazing."
Photographer Arthur Ghilini, who has known Henry since they were in ski club together at age six, said people are flying in from all over the world for Henry's funeral service. "Living in this little valley skiing these crazy things, we don't always realize the impact we're having on the rest of the world until so many people are coming here to honor Tof," he says.
Henry is survived by his son, Jules, his sister, Caroline, his father, Renault, and the entire Chamonix freeride ski community.
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