Climbing
A tragic accident in the La Grave sector on Tuesday morning, March 24, has claimed the life of renowned French mountain guide Benjamin Ribeyre. Ribeyre was a highly respected IFMGA-certified guide, steep skier, and alpinist who had recently served as president of the Oisans Écrins guide company. The 34-year-old was also known as a vocal opponent of the proposed third section of the Glacier de la Meije cable car, making him a prominent figure in the local mountain community.
According to initial reports from CRS Alpes de Grenoble, Ribeyre was guiding a client down the Orcière Couloir, a classic but serious off-piste run in the La Grave ski area, when the accident occurred late Tuesday morning. The incident happened at a rappel section that interrupts the line—a technical passage that requires careful ropework. Ribeyre reportedly fell during the rappel.
Rescue teams from the CRS Alpes, along with medical personnel from SAMU 38 and Civil Security based in Alpe d’Huez, responded quickly. Despite their efforts, they were only able to confirm his death at the scene. His body was later transported back to the valley.
The client, an American national, sustained minor injuries.
Ribeyre was widely respected in the Alpine world. A sponsored athlete with Arc’teryx and a member of the SCOTT Sports Winter Pro Team, he was known for his work in steep skiing and exploratory alpinism. He featured in SCOTT’s Freedom To Explore series, including the “Arctic 12” project, where he skied the 12 highest peaks in Sweden. In recent years, he had been living and working full-time in La Grave, deeply embedded in the local guiding and ski community.
While Ribeyre’s death resulted from a fall, it comes amid a tragic winter in the region, which has seen multiple fatal avalanche incidents this season.
Exactly. Thank you for saying this. This site is full of false news
Not the case La Grave I believe has seen one fatal avalanche incident and they skinned up above the lift opened terrain. The other recent death was a tourer at col Du lauteret, reported as Lgrave, it isn’t. It’s like saying some on who died in Meribel was in the Sainte Foy region. La Grave doesn’t need negative publicity thats fake news. But this is very sad.
They didn’t skin up above the opened lift terrain in La Grave, they skied out from the mid station to where the avalanche occurred.