Climbing influencer, 41, dies in the Pyrenees 'doing one of the things he loved most', as family pay tribute

Gerard Olivé, aged 41, had reportedly wanted to sleep on the peak on New Year’s Eve (Tuesday December 31). His family alerted authorities on Thursday January 2 when they had not heard from him in a few days, telling police had he left his vehicle parked in the Senarta car park, in Benasque, with the intention of climbing the Aneto mountain on Monday December 30.

Poor weather prevented an immediate search but the Guardia Civil activated a search operation involving members of the air unit as soon as they were able to on Saturday January 4. They recovered the body of Olivé, a mountaineer from Tivissa in Tarragona, at about 1.30pm in the Salenques valley, in the northeastern Spanish province of Huesca. He is believed to have suffered a fall from the top of the Salenques ridge.

His family shared news of his death on his Instagram page. In a statement alongside a photo of Olivé with his dog, they wrote: "With a broken heart, we share that Gerard has unexpectedly left us while he was doing one of the things he loved most: enjoying the mountains. We thank all of you who knew and loved him for your expressions of affection and support. Gerard will always be with us at every summit, every country and every record. We love you.”

Olivé, who worked as a chef, loved sleeping outdoors in a temporary shelter, usually in the mountains, in his downtime. Inspired by the Edge of the Impossible documentaries, and wanting a distraction from his stressful day job and a break-up, he started hiking and sleeping outdoors - an activity called biovacing - he told ABC newspaper almost two years ago.

"My first bivouac was the most beautiful day of my life," he told this newspaper at the time. Since then, he had continued to enjoy the mountains. He had more than 52,000 followers on Instagram, who all enjoyed seeing the photos and videos Olivé shared on his climbs.

He first rose to Instagram fame in 2022 when a video of him suspended in a hammock in the Pyrenees went viral. In spring 2024, he released a film called Ikigai featuring himself on an alpine mission. The last video he uploaded, posted a few days before his death, was a video montage of all the climbs he had completed during 2024.

There have been many tributes left to Olivé on the Instagram post. A woman called Maria wrote: “I don't know how we will live without you, a part of me has left you, we will always be together, no matter what, no matter where, I love you madly.”

A friend wrote: “I don't think I had ever been aware of how much fun we had and what a shame and how sad it is to realise it now and not have been able to tell you.” Another said: “Rest in peace Gerard, where you vibrated most among your beloved mountains.”

One fan wrote: “Best wishes to all his family. The benchmark for bivouacs on high mountain peaks, without a doubt! Rest in peace En Pau in the mountains.”