The grieving family of a British businessman who died following a skiing accident in the French Alps have said they are devastated by his death and will treasure all their memories of him.

Jeremy Salvesen, 51, from Elie, Fife, was skiing with his family in the resort of La Clusaz on Thursday when he reportedly fell and hit his head on a rock.

The entrepreneur, reportedly part of the Salvesen business dynasty, was said to have been taken to hospital in nearby Annecy, where he died from his "catastrophic" injuries.

His family today spoke of their loss and said they would take some comfort from knowing he had been doing something he loved.

In a statement, they said: "We are devastated by Jeremy's death as a result of catastrophic injuries in a tragic accident in the French Alps while he was skiing on a beautiful day with a large family group.

"We all take comfort from knowing that he was doing something he loved with a big smile on his face.

"As always, Jeremy was pushing himself to the limit. His life has been a wonderful adventure and we treasure all our memories of him.

"We want to thank everyone at La Clusaz and at Annecy who did everything they could for Jeremy and in particular, we want to thank the expert medical professionals who cared for him."

No further comment is expected to be made by the family.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) confirmed the death of a British national.

An FCO spokeswoman said: "We are aware of the death of a British national on April 10 in France.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

According to The Scotsman newspaper, father-of-four Mr Salvesen, who owned a chalet in the resort near the Swiss border, was an entrepreneur and business investor involved in several start-up projects in Scotland.

It was reported that in 2009 he finished third with his sailing partner in the double-handed class of the Portimao Global Ocean Race - an eight-month adventure which took in South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and the USA.