On Sunday August 18, Mario Richard, 47, was killed in a BASE jumping accident in the Dolomites of Italy. He left behind his wife, rock climber Steph Davis.
The couple had been jumping in Trentino, Italy since the beginning of August. They’d made several successful jumps, but something went wrong in the air after Richard descended from Sasso Pordoi. Wearing a wing suit, he hit nearby rocks and had passed away by the time rescue teams reached his body.
Richard, originally from Quebec, began BASE jumping in 1991. Even before that, enjoyed skydiving, but his love of the air goes back much further in time. In his website, he says he fascination with flight began as a child when he would craft garbage-bag parachutes for his G.I. Joe action figures. He and Davis lived together in Moab, Utah.
Friends of Davis and Richard comment on Richard’s bravery and individuality. He will be missed by many. Andrew Bisharat, Editor at Large at Rock & Ice Magazine, posted a photo of a wing-suited Richard on Instagram Monday. In the caption, he wrote, “Mario, you were a rare bird indeed. May you fly free and your kindness, spirit, knowledge and inspiration live on.”
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