Tragic Alps Ski Death: 7-Year-Old Boy Dies After Plunging Off 160-Foot Cliff On Ski Slopes

A seven-year-old little boy, Carwyn Scott-Howell, died following a tragic ski accident while on family holiday in the French Alps. Carwyn was skiing with his family when he became separated from his parents and skied off into a wooded area outside of the marked ski run. The boy then plummeted 160-feet off the side of a cliff.

The Daily Mail reports that the boy’s death was a ruled a tragic accident and that the family was not neglectful on the slopes. In fact, the young boy was described as a “competent skier,” and had been on the slopes since the age of three. The family was on vacation in the French Alps making their final ski run of the season when the tragic accident happened. The boy was skiing with his mother and two siblings when one of his sisters lost one of her skies. The mother stopped to help the girl get her ski back on and Carwyn continued on down the slope. She expected to meet him at the bottom but he was not there.

The mother says she went back to the resort accommodations and could not find the boy. That is when she called for help. The boy was found at the bottom of a 160-foot cliff after skiing off of the marked ski slope. The ski resort and police say that the slope was clearly marked and are unsure why the boy would have left the ski area, but say it was an apparent accident.

Carwyn’s funeral was held after the boy’s body was returned to his home in Wales. The family buried the young boy with his ski helmet and a tiny red tractor as a reminder of his youth and love of life. Family and friends in attendance of the funeral wore the child’s favorite colors: blue, red and purple, and spoke about the boy’s outgoing and adventurous nature. Carwyn’s teacher noted that he was a sweet boy, but also a class clown.

“Carwyn used to bring in homemade fudge for me which was sweet just like him. He was very keen to make people laugh by pulling funny faces and playing tricks on staff and pupils.”

Despite police calling the death a tragic accident, an inquest has still been opened into what exactly may have led the boy to veer off course that day.

“An inquest into Carwyn’s death has been opened and adjourned until the end of June.”

[Image Credit: BBC]