ANDREAS FRANSSON

Andreas Fransson is one of today's most prominent extreme skiers, taking the sport of ski mountaineering to the next level. With a solo first descent of the South Face of Denali in spring 2011, Andreas has burst onto the scene in a major way. His harrowing descents from Chamonix to Patagonia to Norway and all across Europe have shown that his limits lie beyond the norm, and his capabilities in the mountains are nearly unrivaled. Andreas is a well spoken, thoughtful and articulate person who takes calculated risks and will surely pioneer new terrain across the world for many years to come.

Hometown: Lulea, Sweden

Residence: Chamonix, France

Home Resort: Chamonix

Equipment setup of choice: Rocker 2 108, Guardian 16 bindings, Quest Max 120

Describe your perfect day of skiing: Wake up after a big storm, start the day with tea and yoga, then ski untracked powder all day at Brevent or Aiguille du Midi. Or, walk for days to get to a deserted mountain, climb it, ski it, and walk out safely.

When I'm not skiing I'm: climbing, running, writing, yoga

To escape the mountains I go to: Finland or India

Which 3 athletes have influenced you most: Alan Watts, Doug Coombs, JM Boivin

Words of wisdom: Mountain wind over shady peaks, cold snow creating warmth within. Many dreams, many ways but life still comes down to this

Website: www.andreasfransson.se, www.facebook.com/thoughtsfromhighplaces, www.twitter.com/ndreasfransson

Video: "Tempting Fear" trailer