Vincent
Reffet
France
·
BASE Jumping
Date of birth | September 15, 1984 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Annecy |
Age | 41 |
Nationality | France |
Career start | 2000 |
Disciplines | Wingsuit Flying / Outdoor Skydiving / B.A.S.E. Jumping |
Modest, generous and talented, Vincent Reffet was inseparable from his skydiving partner Frédéric Fugen. Together they led the way in the world of skydiving for over a decade and delivered extraordinary flying feats.
Vince made his first solo jump when he was still a teenager, in 2000. In 2002, he joined the French national Freefly team, with Fred following suit in 2004. Both skydivers later headed to Empuriabrava in Spain to train at the Skydive Empuria parachute club, the European home of modern parachuting. There, Vince and Fred began their partnership.
During the 2004 World Championships in Brazil, Fred and Vince became the Freefly World Champions. They won gold at two further World Championships in 2006 and 2008. In fact, the duo remained unbeaten between 2004 and 2009. In that time, they also proved adept at BASE-jumping, canopy piloting, wind tunnel skydiving, wingsuit flying and speed riding.
As well as their phenomenal feats, both athletes had a number of film and television roles and mentored other elite skydivers.
In 2015, Vince began working with 'Jetman' Yves Rossy, and was invited to fly in a twin formation flight with the Jetman jet-powered wings, soaring up to 200kph over the Burj Khalifa, The Palm Jumeirah and the Liwa desert.
In November 2020, Vince passed away while training in Dubai for the Jetman project. We are forever grateful for the many moments we shared. Our thoughts are with his wife Agnes, his family, Fred and his many other friends.