Vital Vouardoux

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Vital Vouardoux (born May 2, 1919 in Grimentz , † October 20, 1977 in Sierre ) was a Swiss ski and mountain guide and skier.

Life

Vouardoux attended elementary school in his hometown and then began to work in agriculture. After graduating from recruit school, he remained in the military as a fusilier for the mountain troops and was transferred to the national border at the beginning of the Second World War . Faced with the choice of pursuing a career as an officer or returning to his homeland as a simple soldier, he decided against the career, he wanted to stay in the mountains he loved. In 1944 he married his wife Alice, b. Salamin, the marriage had three daughters and four sons. On July 18, 1945, he was presented with the certificate of recognition as a high mountain guide in Zermatt . He then worked for the canton of Valais in avalanche protection on the Moiry glacier . From 1948 to 1960 he was a member of the local council of his home parish. At the beginning of the 1960s, the passionate hunter took a job as a game warden in the Val d'Anniviers . In 1977 Vouardoux suddenly suffered a weakness on the way to the Cabane d'Arpitettaz near Zinal . He was flown to the hospital in Sierre by helicopter, where he died a short time later.

Vouardoux won the bronze medal in the glacier patrol competition in 1943; this was one of three military patrol competitions that took place in Switzerland during World War II. He took part in the demonstration competition military patrol at the Olympic Winter Games in 1948 , at which time he held the rank of private. Although he had to replace Walter Imseng, who suffered from mumps, at short notice , he harmonized perfectly with his teammates. Together with Robert Zurbriggen , Heinrich Zurbriggen and Arnold Andenmatten , he won the gold medal.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Le Nouvelliste. (PDF) Obituary and death notices. Sion: Nouvelliste valaisan N ° 245, October 21, 1977, pp. 17, 45 and 46 , accessed on January 11, 2020 (French, 110 MB).
  2. ↑ a b Olympedia.org , short biography, accessed January 8, 2017
  3. ↑ Werner Imseng: Ski history: Highest downhill race in the world. (e-doc) In: Der Schneehase, 31st yearbook of the Swiss Academic Ski Club. Swiss Academic Ski Club (SAS), 1980, p. 83 , accessed on January 11, 2020 (German / French, editor: Dr. Raoul Imseng).
  4. ↑ Thomas Lüthi: Olympia: Arnold Andenmatten died at 96 - view. September 12, 2018, accessed February 3, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Report Général sur les V es Jeux Olympiques d'hiver St-Moritz 1948 (PDF, French; 3.9 MB) , accessed on January 8, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Vouardoux, Vital
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Vouardoux, Xavier
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss soldier and skier
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Grimentz
DATE OF DEATH 20th October 1977
Place of death Sierre