Italian skier Matteo Franzoso, 25, is in critical condition at a hospital in Santiago, Chile, after a serious fall during training in La Parva, in the Andes. The Genoa-born athlete, intubated and placed in a medically induced coma, suffered a severe head injury after losing control on landing and crashing into a wooden barrier beyond the safety nets.
Rescue services responded immediately: Franzoso was airlifted to Santiago, where doctors are keeping his prognosis reserved. His brother Michele, a coach at Sci Club Sestriere, is by his side, while his parents are on their way to Chile.
The accident has deeply shaken the local skiing community. The Franzoso family lives in Rollieres, near Sestriere, the same resort where Matilde Lorenzi trained before her fatal accident in Val Senales in 2024. The two families were close friends.
Franzoso’s national teammates, including Dominik Paris, Mattia Casse, Christof Innerhofer and Giovanni Franzoni, have suspended their training in La Parva as they await news from Santiago.