Luce Douady was exploring a new section of cliffs near Grenoble in southeastern France with friends when she slipped from a difficult path and fell to her death on Monday. She was 16.
The talented climber, who won the junior world championship in bouldering last year, was seen as a future star of a sport set to be introduced at the Tokyo Olympics.
She was described as "brilliant in competition" by the French Mountain Climbing Federation, which expressed "the immense sadness of the climbing community".
"This terrible news has hit her training comrades, coaches and her club hard. But today, the entire federation is in mourning," the FFME added.