For almost a quarter of a century Lieutenant-Colonel Digby Willoughby oversaw the Cresta Run at St Moritz with an engagingly autocratic manner that brooked no dissension.

His “death talks”, as they were known, emphasised to potential riders the high risks involved in hurtling head first at 90mph down the 1,200m track carved out of natural ice.

He would then illustrate his instructions with X-rays of his broken neck. “These metal bars,” he would explain to a courageous but increasingly alarmed group of young men — women were forbidden to take part except on the last day of the season — “are the ones which, since an accident in 1990, have connected my head to my shoulders. Does anyone have any questions?”

Willoughby, whose personal bravery had been recognised by the citation of a Military Cross while he was a regular soldier, had a complete skeleton pieced together from X-rays of injuries sustained by committee members, which would hang on a table lamp in his room. He enjoyed the ghoulish effect of his presentation, which would inevitably result in the occasional request for a refund, but his aim was to instil in newcomers a proper respect for the run and for its safety procedures.

If a rider came off at the notorious Shuttlecock Corner, Willoughby would instruct him to rise to his feet to ensure neither of his legs was broken and then to cross his chest with his arms. “Only then do I know if you are capable of taking your toboggan out of the way because we are wasting our time down here.”

Owing to his concern for safety as well as through enhanced computerisation, it was possible for 35-40 riders an hour to embark on the Cresta Run from the top. Willoughby would actively encourage new members through organising schools for beginners.

The upshot was that membership rose considerably during his period in office, which was the longest of any secretary of the St Moritz Tobogganing Club since its foundation in 1887, and enabled him to build a network of friends and contacts all over the world. Women were forbidden to take part in case they sustained injuries — he had no truck with political correctness — but wives, daughters and girlfriends of members were permitted to go down on one day a year.

Five riders had been killed on the Cresta Run, but there were no fatalities during Willoughby’s stint as secretary from 1978 to 2002. Perhaps as a consequence, he was described as the best organiser of any dangerous sports event in the world. His generosity and brusque manner, which could appear rude to those who did not know him, were fabled. A brave and determined rider himself, and keen bobsleigh rider in the early 1960s, he would hold court in his room at the Kulm Hotel in St Moritz, where he would stay between December and March each year and where his office was housed. The vodka at his parties was potent.

Digby Jermaine Willoughby grew up in India, where his father was serving in the Bombay Grenadiers, and was sent to England to be educated at Blundell’s. From there he went to the National Service Cadet School, enlisting as a private at Eaton Hall with the Devonshire Regiment, and thence to Sandhurst. He joined the 1st battalion 2nd Gurkhas. In 1962 he was adjutant of the battalion and in 1964 his rifle company advanced over the border between Indonesia and Sabah, east Malaysia, to attack regular Indonesian forces in Nantallor. Willoughby planned and executed the raid, destroying enemy weapons and returning to base, which took more than a day’s march. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery.

After returning to Sandhurst as company commander, Willoughby took early retirement before embarking on his new role at St Moritz. When the Cresta season ended each year in mid-March, he would return to his Dorset home and the paperwork that was a part of his job. A keen gardener, he was also a representative of Bonhams, the auctioneers, in the West Country, and continued to attend Cresta meetings on his regular visits towards the end of the season.

In 2003 he was appointed MBE for services to the sport. He died in St Moritz the day before he was to watch the Willoughby Cup, which he founded.

Willoughby was married twice, first to Lauren Wade, and then to Cherry Wade, her cousin. Both marriages were dissolved. He is survived by a son and two daughters.

Lieutenant-Colonel Digby Willoughby, MBE, MC, soldier and sportsman, was born on May 4, 1934. He died on February 27, 2007, aged 72