A British teacher who plunged 650 feet to his death while skiing off-piste in the French Alps was today described by his students as an “inspirational father figure and friend”.
Ed How, 37, fell down a run of cliffs after losing control of his skis while on holiday with his wife and baby daughter in Val d’Isère.
He taught chemistry and coached the boys’ football team at leading public school Charterhouse in Godalming, where pupils told of their shock and upset, and paid tribute to a “great man”, as hundreds of tributes and messages were posted on a website page set up after his death on Wednesday.
Former pupil Hugo Scheckter said teachers were in a “great deal of shock” and the whole Charterhouse community would be “worse off without him”.
He added: “His little girl will grow up without her dad. He was a family man but Charterhouse was his family, too. He was an inspirational friend and father figure.”
Another pupil, who asked not to be named, said: “Some of the football lads will really miss him. He helped out one of the boys, made sure he worked hard enough to stay in school and enjoy sport. I can’t believe it.”
Mr How and his family lived at the boarding school, and he was a keen cross-country runner. Vivio Berardi, 21, a former pupil of Mr How’s, said: “He was a great man, the kind of character you meet when you are 16 and 17 and just fall in love with his aura and charisma. He led by example and never got angry, but people always did what he wanted.”
Fred Spencer, 21, said: “He would go out of his way to get to know everyone on a day to day basis. It is not just losing a teacher but losing a friend.”
