Neil Munro 23 September 1967 - 14 April 1999

Neil Munro, former member of the British Freestyle Ski Team, died in an avalanche accident at the age of 31 while skiing off-piste with friends in the small Haute Savoie resort of St Foy, near Val d'Isere.

The weather was fine and the group of strong skiers were enjoying another day of powder skiing at the end of a season which will be remembered for its exceptional snowfall. St Foy is known mainly for its off-piste terrain, and Munro was keen to put the season's first tracks down a steep couloir. His companions could only watch as he released an avalanche which swept him 700 metres down the mountain.

They dug him out quickly and administered CPM, with apparent success. A helicopter, summoned by mobile phone, was on the scene in minutes and took him first to Bourg St Maurice, then to the intensive care unit at Grenoble. It quickly became clear, however, that Munro had sustained a massive head injury. His parents and brothers gathered at his bedside as it became clear he had no hope of survival. His girlfriend Tanya Rotherham flew in from New Zealand and he was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival.

Munro's competition career began at the Dollar Academy, where he was captain of skiing in 1984 (they also have put up a memorial page). He was a super-talented skier, with extraordinary balance and feel for his skis. He loved to jump and he loved an audience, two essentials for a mogul skier. Once in the start gate he never held back, always skiing at 110% and often more. He exploded onto the national scene in 1986 at the age of 19 and quickly established himself as one of the country's most talented mogul skiers. Although his career was hampered by knee injuries, he earned numerous Europa Cup top ten and World Cup top twenty results while in the British Team. He was British Moguls Champion in 1990 and represented Great Britain in the Albertville Olympics, where he placed 26th.

Munro always found time among the competitions and training camps to indulge his other great passion - travel. His lifestyle was something of a legend. He would hop endlessly between friends living in some of the most beautiful places in the world, never outstaying his welcome, or would disappear for months at a time with his great friend Nick Yates, with whom he toured around Southern Africa and New Zealand.

Academically successful before devoting himself full-time to skiing, Munro was famous for his relaxed attitude to his career. He never held down a job (though there were rumours of a few days in a pea-canning factory) and his decision to become a helicopter pilot came as a surprise to his friends. It was hard to imagine Munro working for a living. But as he roared through the training, his decision made more and more sense. He needed a career that would give him freedom, thrills and a skill which he could take around the world with him. He travelled to New Zealand, where he began training, and recently returned to the UK to complete his qualifications. His death came just as he had been offered the North Sea flying job he had been seeking.

Munro's combination of great enthusiasm, loyalty and a hint of vulnerability earned him hundreds of friends. The number of nicknames he held bears tribute to the fondness in which they held him. At school he was "Titch Munro"; in the British Ski Team, "The Highlander" or "The Hippie"; in Val d'Isere, "The Wee Man" or "Chief Porg"; and, in New Zealand, "Nelson".

Munro's attitude to life was extraordinary. He will be terribly missed by his parents, Don and Ena Munro, his brothers Sandy and Greig, his girlfriend Tanya and all those who had the luck to cross his path during his short, exciting life.