Rémy Métailler, free solo climber and wingsuit turn Squamish’s Apron into an extreme sports circus
What could go wrong?
Photo by:
Rémy Métailler / Ryan McNutt / Braden Dean Instagram
Steep slabs are apparently now so routine in Squamish that even riding down the Apron, the lower slopes of the Stawamus Chief, is no longer interesting. Why else would Rémy Métailler need to spice up the near-vertical slab to make it an Instagram-worthy video by bringing freinds along for the ride?
So how do you make riding down a climbing route less “boring”? By bringing along a free solo climber and a freaking BASE jumper. Métailler tags friends Nick McNutt, a skier, and BASE jumper Braden Dean, to join the party. The trio turn Satawamus Chief Apron into a mini circus of extreme sports with a ride-by-fly-by combo.
McNutt solos up the granite near the popular Slab Alley 5.8 route. Métailler finds a way to safely and smoothly ride down the Apron within feet of the solo climber. Dean, airborn, buzzes both from above in his wingsuit.
You can watch footage from all three athlete perspectives below.
Métailler
McNutt
Dean
Métailler isn’t the only rider to ride down the Chief’s Apron, or a climbing route, or the only rider to share a slab with a climber. I believe that honour goes to Matt Bolton. But Whistler’s flying Frenchman is the first to bring a BASE jumper into the mix.
What’s next? Who is going to be the first to add a trials moto into the mix?
