Mr Bruchez comes from a lineage of Swiss mountaineers; his father, a well-respected mountain guide, was responsible for opening a number of free-riding routes in the Verbier area. He died in 2001 after slipping into a crevasse on Petit Combin, a mountain just six kilometres south of Lourtier. Most people would be put off by such a tragedy, but for the young Mr Bruchez, who was just 12 at the time, it only strengthened his resolve to follow in his father’s footsteps.
