Olivier Bonnet, general manager of Simond, died while climbing in the Mont-Blanc area in early August. He was near the Dent du Géant, which rises to an altitude of 4,103 meters, with a mountain guide. Bonnet reportedly died when a chunk of rock came off the mountain. Simond is the French climbing equipment brand that was purchased in 2008 by Oxylane, then the parent company for Decathlon. Simond was established in Les Houches and after the takeover it shared the head office of Quechua and Wed'ze, Decathlon's private labels for outdoor and skiing products, just a little further down the valley in Passy. Le Dauphine Libéré, the regional newspaper, reported that Bonnet was warmly appreciated by employees at Simond, where he assumed the leadership five years ago. He previously worked in other functions in the Decathlon group, including its management in Germany. Bonnet's profile on the Simond website says that he was passionate about mountaineering and that he enjoyed rugby, while his musical tastes varied from Bach to the Beatles and Eminem. The 57 year-old Frenchman died on Aug. 3, leaving behind his spouse and three children.

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