Descending from Spanish immigrants, Laurent Boix-Vives was born in Savoy, in Brides-les-Bains in 1926. But it was in Moûtiers, a few kilometers from there, that he grew up and worked as a grocer alongside his parents, and where he met the woman of his life, Jeannine, whom he married in 1948, before settling with her in Courchevel.

The young couple opened the very first grocery built on land purchased by Anselme Boix-Vives, Laurent’s father. At the beginning of the 50s, the young entrepreneur undertook the construction of the first ski lift in Moriond, the Marquis ski lift, which is still in service today. This was followed by the construction of many, many more. Through his involvement in the development of Courchevel as a winter resort, Laurent Boix-Vives became an emblematic figure.

His passion for the mountains incited him to buy the Rossignol family business in 1956, which he helmed with great success for the following fifty years. Indeed, Laurent Boix-Vives managed to raise the Isère company to the number one position in the world in ski material thanks to constant technical innovations. This success is illustrated by the Strato, the legendary ski he designed in 1965, which enabled several generations of champions to boast an unparalleled track record. At the time the company was purchased by the group Quicksilver, Rossignol was celebrating the fabrication of its fifty millionth pair!

A new project still very much linked to the mountains and winter sports now awaited Laurent and Jeannine Boix-Vives, who decided to open a five-star hotel at the bottom of the Cospillot slope: a luxury refuge called Strato. A final tribute was paid to him on 25 June 2020 at the Saint-Pierre cathedral in Moûtiers.

“His love of the mountains led him to buy the Rossignol business in 1956.”