Giraud Lézin

Giraud Lézin, a peasant's son, was born into simplicity and poverty in the hamlet of Les Cours. His life, as incredible as it was tragic, was marked by a life of labor and a passion for hunting. Living in Pied-Du-Col with his family, they subsisted with the help of their few animals and fields. Resistant to paying for a gun license, he was considered a poacher and an outlaw, always on the run from the authorities. His intimate knowledge of the trails and his skill at escaping already made him a local legend. The mountain was his refuge. At age 30, he discovered mountaineering and climbed the Meije Orientale on August 21, 1878. From a recluse, he became one of the first guides of the Oisans, accompanying wealthy individuals on their ascents. But poverty and his past as a poacher never truly left him. In 1898, overwhelmed, he ended his life with his faithful hunting rifle. The life of Giraud Lézin, a shooting star of our commune, thus went out, leaving behind a tragic destiny and exploits that still resonate today.