A British man has been found dead in the French Alps following the first night of the Oxford and Cambridge universities’ ski trip.
The 22-year-old, who has yet to be publicly identified, was confirmed dead by police after he was found unconscious in a holiday flat in the ski resort of Val Thorens on Sunday morning.
Thousands of Oxbridge students arrived at the French ski resort, the highest in Europe, at the weekend but officers did not confirm if he attended either university.
According to a Swiss newspaper, Le Matin, the man’s friends were unable to revive him after finding him at about 8am on Sunday, prompting them to call the emergency services. Paramedics were also unable to save him and he is suspected of having suffered a heart attack. Gendarmes have said an autopsy will be carried out later in the week.
It is understood that he had arrived in Val Thorens by coach with a group of friends from the UK on Saturday.
The annual varsity trip is a fixture on the social calendars of both universities, with publicity for this year’s event billing it as the biggest ski party in the world. Its advertising reads: “Those lucky enough to attend can ski all day on the slopes of one of the best ski areas in the world, and party all night.”
A spokesman for Nuco Travel, which organised this year’s event, told the Varsity student newspaper that “sadly one of our passengers passed away on Sunday 4th December 2016. At this time, to respect their family’s and friends’ privacy, we will not be commenting further.”
The first varsity ski trip was held in Switzerland in 1922 and attracts more than 3,000 young people a year, with a standard self-catering package costing £339.
