Louis Balsan
Louis Balsan was a French bobsledder who competed in the 1930s. He later became a writer in the 1950s, discussing his involvement in World War II espionage and the history of mountain climbing in the Pyrenees. He was born in Paris.Competing in two Winter Olympics, Balsan earned his best finish of ninth in the four-man event at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936. At the 1932 Winter Olympics he and Daniel Armand-Delille finished eleventh in the two-man eventBalsan was later arrested by the Gestapo in 1942 during World War II for participating in resistance activities. He was taken to Mauthausen and then Loibl Pass, until the 8th Army liberated the area in 1945. He wrote a testimony of his life in concentration camps in Le Ver Luisant. Other books written by fellow prisoners include Karawanken and The Tunnel. the history of mountain climbing in the Pyrennes. Balsan died in 1982.
