Sadness at ex-pupil’s death in ski resort

The Yorkshire Post revealed yesterday that Edward De Nunzio, from Tadcaster, fell 16ft from the icy roof as he leapt between buildings in Courchevel in the early hours of Saturday.

The 18-year-old trainee ski-instructor had been out with a friend who escaped unharmed.

Edward had been a pupil at Bootham School in York, where he achieved three As and two A*s at A-level.

Headteacher Jonathan Taylor described his former pupil as “enormously talented” who was “cheerful, humane, combining academic ability with personal charm”.

Edward had acted in drama productions and was a member of the school council.

Mr Taylor said: “Ed had a gift for friendship – he was sociable and very good fun. It would be hard to overstate how impressive a young man he was.

“His friends, his teachers, and the whole Bootham community will be deeply saddened by the news of his death.”

The teenager had planned to do voluntary work in Peru later this year, before starting a geography degree at University College London in October.

He had three weeks left on the ski instructor course which he started on January 8 before the tragedy happened.

The course is being run by the New Generation Ski School, and a spokeswoman stressed that the firm had never before had a fatal accident in its 13-year history. French police are investigating to determine the exact circumstances of Edward’s death.

His father, ex-Asda chief executive Tony De Nunzio, paid tribute to his “hugely talented” son.

Mr De Nunzio is currently non-executive director of Boots, non-executive chairman of Pets at Home and executive chairman of Maxeda, a large retailer in the Netherlands.