Gérard Brémond, 1937-2026

Born in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt on 22 September 1937,Brémond met the 1960 Olympic champion Jean Vuarnet † in the early60s and with him developed the Avoriaz ski resort near Montriond, my home town.

This new ski spot wasn’t easy to conceive and develop given its extremely rugged setting and terrain. In fact, Avoriaz came to be asa perfect confluence that happened from a resort concept without automobiles, just like Zermatt (Vuarnet’s idea) and the integration of the architecture that would seamlessly hug the cliffs and the natural surroundings (Bremond’s vision). 

He didn't follow the easy path of developing resorts along the line of  Les Arcs, La Plagne, Flaine or Le Corbier that were totally unimaginative and, let’s admit it, woefully cheap looking and ugly. 

Instead, Brémond seeked a creative architectural team headed by Jacques Labro, Jean-Jacques Orzoni, and Jean-Marc Roques that made the site unique in its field, and probably ended up costing much more than planned, given its complexity when it opened up in 1967. 

Eventually, it evolved into simpler, easier to build buildings as it expanded. In 1973, Brémond introduced the "Pierre & Vacances" vacation lodging concept that went on to achieve remarkable success, barely slowed by the 2020 COVID pandemic. 

Although I never had any personal contact with Gérard Brémond, his pivotal role in the creation of Avoriaz had a positive influence on my young years and played a significant role in launching my professional career. He also leaves behind a legacy of construction projects that innovated the leisure and tourism industry, while remaining closely integrated with their natural surroundings.