THE family of a Scots ­businessman who died after a skiing accident in the French Alps have said they are devastated by his death.

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, part of the Salvesen shipping dynasty, was taken to hospital in nearby Annecy, where he died from his "catastrophic" injuries.

His family 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."

Father-of-four Mr Salvesen, who owned a chalet in the resort, was an entrepreneur and investor involved in several start-up projects in Scotland.

In 2009 he finished third with his sailing partner in the double-handed class of the Portimao Global Ocean Race - an eight-month challenge which visited South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and the USA.