Horror as British skier, 14, dies after losing control and smashing into tree on family holiday in Italy
24 February 2025, 05:58
A British teenager has died on a family holiday to Italy after losing control and hitting a tree.
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The 14-year-old boy lost balance and veered off a red run in Cortina d’Ampezzo, an exclusive skiing resort in northern Italy, before colliding with the tree and suffering serious chest injuries.
Emergency services rushed to the scene by helicopter and chairlift and tried to resuscitate the boy, but were forced to pronounce him dead.
Investigators arrived later to work out the chain of events that led to the boy's death.
His body was taken to a local hospital.
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The boy, who has not been named, was descending the Falzarego run, which is of an intermediate difficulty level.
It runs for 3.5km (about 2.2 miles) and usually takes about 15 minutes to complete.
The boy's parents are said to be receiving psychological support after his death. The family had been staying in the village of San Cassiano.
A foreign office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has died in Italy and are in touch with the local authorities.”
This was not the first time that children have died while skiing in Italy in recent years.
A ten-year-old died after hitting a tree in the Tofane mountains near the Cortina d’Ampezzo resort in 2011.
A 14-year-old from Florence suffered a fatal crash into a shaft used to fire fake snow in 2016.
Cortina and Milan are set to host the Winter Olympics in 2026, with skiing events due to take place in Cortina and Bornio.
