Ski victim’s father in warning of slope dangers

Lawyers for Peter Jackson, 70, said he had hoped the hearing would help explain how his son Nigel, 43, a director of policy research and dedicated charity worker, fell to his death on Christmas Day 2009.

However, Coroner Caroline Sumeray at North London Coroner’s Court recorded a narrative verdict, noting the circumstances of Mr Jackson’s death without pinpointing how it happened, solicitors Irwin Mitchell said, and cause of death was given as possible suffocation with or without hypothermia.

Although the court heard reports as to apparent failures in safety standards at the resort, no further explanation was given into how Mr Jackson, who grew up in Sheffield, had died, she added.

Mr Jackson, who worked in London, had been skiing in the French Alps when he disappeared, prompting his partner to raise the alarm when he failed to keep a lunch appointment.

His body was found the next day, buried under five metres of snow in a ravine on Mont Blanc.

Irwin Mitchell are urging the authorities and those responsible for maintenance of the slopes and the safety of skiers to do everything in their power to make sure nothing similar happens again.

Philip Banks, from the firm, said: “We are calling for the company responsible to improve their procedures and standards, and to do everything in their power to protect skiers on the slopes so that nothing like this ever happens again.”

It is alleged that the marker poles on the slope were positioned too close to the unfenced edge of the piste. Concerns have also been raised as to why skiers were allowed on to the slopes in apparently poor weather conditions, with low visibility.

On the day the accident took place, it appeared that the local ski area monitoring equipment malfunctioned, meaning vital information which could have established what happened was lost.

Father Peter Jackson said he was determined to warn other skiers of the potential dangers.

He added: “You think the people who manage ski resorts know what they are doing – you presume it is safe – but it is not always the case.

“I won’t let what happened to Nigel go and I will fight to warn others of possible dangers. Even if it saves one more life it will have been worth it”.