Michael Schumacher's helmet camera shows Formula One great skiing off trail before crash

"His pace was completely normal for a skilled skier," said Lt. Col. Benoit Vinneman.

Schumacher, 45, the most successful Formula One driver in history, is still in critical condition in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Grenoble. The impact of the crash split his helmet in two and doctors say the protective gear saved his life.

Prosecutor Patrick Quincy said experts still need to go through the footage image by image, but he said Schumacher landed 30 feet outside the marked trail after falling face down and striking his head on a rock.

Schumacher had been on a family vacation in Meribel, where he owns a chalet.

"Michael Schumacher is a good skier who knows Meribel," Quincy said.

Skiers and snowboarders continue to use the zone where Schumacher crashed, but say they know they need to be careful.

British tourist Steve Bovill said he always wears a helmet. Speaking from the sunny mountainside, he said, "It was an accident that could have happened to anyone."

Quincy said the investigation, which is standard after any major skiing accident, had no deadline and was intended to discover what happened, not necessarily fix blame. Without specifying, he said authorities plan to interview more witnesses.

Schumacher's 14-year-old son Mick was also skiing in their small group

Quincy said investigators would call in experts to review the footage from Schumacher's helmet cam.

The cameras, which count snowboarder Shaun White and skier Lindsey Vonn among their promoters, have become increasingly popular in adventure sports.

They generally mount on the outside of the helmet or elsewhere on the body and, as investigators pointed out in the Schumacher case, tend to have a fairly narrow field of vision.

Footage from the devices has been used in investigations before, including the deaths of two Icelandic skydivers killed in Florida last year.