Jean Andre Quemener died after jumping from a 3,000-metre peak in the Italian Dolomites at Canazei, north of Venice.
The 32-year-old, known to friends and family as JA, previously worked as a States engineer before being ‘introduced to the world of diving’.
In a statement, his family said that despite struggling as a child with dyslexia and hyperactivity, Mr Quemener ‘never let these barriers deter him from achieving his goals’.
They said: ‘From the moment JA was born he was a free spirit – from breaking cots to free himself of the bars to riding bicycles at the age of two and taking on extreme sports from such a young age and always being such a natural.
‘His outlook on life was that time was the most important thing and to live life to the full and he certainly never stopped living. He met so many people in life who he touched in different ways, from his family to his friends who become his family all over the world.
‘He achieved so much in his life, accepted everyone for who they were and pushed people to be the best they could be.
‘His spirit and love will never fade but will live on through the stories and the people who he knew him.’
They added that the best way to sum up Mr Quemener was when he left the Island to pursue his extreme adventures, he left his welding equipment to his Highlands tutor to give to ‘the underdog that had talent’.
A spokesman from the Foreign Office said: ‘We are supporting the family of a British man following his death in Canazei, Italy, and are in contact with the local authorities.’
