Sydney schoolboy killed by avalanche while skiing with family in Austria
The family of 16-year-old Sydney schoolboy Max Meyer, hailed today as a ‘super smart’ student, looked on helplessly as he was buried under a huge wall of snow in an avalanche on the Austrian ski fields, police said.
The family of a Sydney schoolboy looked on helplessly as he was buried under a huge wall of snow in an avalanche on the Austrian ski fields.
Max Meyer, a 16-year-old, a student at Sydney’s International Grammar School, was skiing with his parents and brother when the deadly avalanche struck in St Anton am Arlberg, a popular and upscale ski resort an hour’s drive from Innsbruck in the Tyrolean Alps, on Wednesday afternoon, local time.
His family were unable to help as they had no emergency supplies or a shovel with them.
MORE NEWS:
‘Stupid’ teen deported over ‘bomb’ prank
Inside Sydney’s luxury skipper to the stars
Bold plan for answers into failed Sydney gym
Tributes have flowed for Max, including from his school friends. He was preparing to enter Year 11 and was known by classmates for his zeal when it came to extracurricular exploits including the robotics club, with whom he went on a field trip to NASA in 2017.
“He was an absolute buzz to be around and so smart, especially in languages,” Hugh McIntyre said.
“He was always first to participate in initiatives at school and always striving to be more involved. Absolutely heartbreaking. He will be missed by all of his peers.”
Charlie Goodsir, a former student of International Grammar School, said he was shocked to hear about the death of Max Meyer.
“I knew him fairly well and he was a lovely kid. I coached him in debating and I was one of his year 11 mentors on year 7 camp,” Charlie said.
“One of the nicest young men you’ll ever meet. He was a keen student who was super smart and well liked by his peers … this is really upsetting he was such a great kid.”
Yesterday, Max’s family issued a call for help after running into trouble while skiing off-piste near the resort in Tyrol, a police spokesman said.
Local authorities said the teenager had been skiing with his father, 58, mother, 55, and younger brother, 14, in the late afternoon when they became stuck on steep terrain and called for help.
According to the police statement, the family was hit by the avalanche as they waited for rescuers to arrive.
Rescuers retrieved the boy’s body 20 minutes later but he could not be revived. The family, a German man and Australian woman and their children, live in Australia.
The St Anton am Arlberg mountain rescue service said the family made several descents before “finding themselves in rough, untracked and very steep terrain” at about 4.40pm.
“Because of the terrain and the great snow depth, it was no longer possible to get ahead, which is why the family made an emergency call,” the rescue service reported on social media.
The family was at that time in the area known as Steissbach, a steep and narrow valley when the avalanche hit.
“This covered the mother and also the 16-year-old son. The woman was able to free herself from the snow and remained unhurt. The avalanche came to a standstill at the bottom of the valley and had a thickness of up to 4m.
“The 16-year-old son was completely buried by the snow masses and could be located by the arriving helpers by means of a sounding chain.”
A teacher at the boy’s school, Claire Loh, said the boy was a bright, inquisitive student.
“Such a bright boy. We had him in our robotics club in 2017 and he was on the 2017 NASA trip. Always excited to learn new things. Just an enormous loss,” Ms Loh said.
The school has offered support to fellow students in an email to parents.
“It is with deep sadness that I write to inform you that one of our students has died in an avalanche while skiing with his family,” principal Shauna Colnan wrote.
“The school will be open tomorrow and next week, and senior staff, counsellors and I will be there to assist should you require support.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was still awaiting confirmation on the tragedy but was ready to help.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is aware of reports of an Australian who died in Austria.
“The Department stands ready to provide consular assistance to the family of the victim in accordance with the Consular Services Charter,” the department said in a statement.
Ski outings turned into dangerous experiences in the Austrian Alps and Slovakian mountains on Wednesday amid continuing heavy snowfall.
Six German teenagers were luckier, emerging alive from an avalanche that engulfed them at the Wildkogel resort in Austria’s Salzburg province.
‘It’s a day of celebration’: Shock remarks at western Sydney rally
There’s a massive police presence across Sydney as evening gatherings on the grim anniversary of Hamas attacks get under way. At Lakemba Mosque, hundreds have massed as a police chopper flies overhead.
‘So, so devastating’: Mainstay deli shuts after 70 years
The closure of an iconic southwest Sydney deli has prompted its legion of customers to express how the institution – treasured like the Opera House – meant more than prosciutto and panini.