A British boy plunged to his death while attempting to save a fellow pupil from slipping down a mountain ravine during a school skiing trip.

Hayden Waller, 12, fell and broke his neck while hiking with three friends in the resort of Mallnitz, southern Austria.

His mother said yesterday that she did not blame anybody for the death of her “adventurous little boy” and expressed complete confidence in the way the trip was organised. “This was just a tragic accident,” she said.

The boys were with a group of 39 pupils aged between 12 and 18 and 7 teachers from The Howard School in Rainham, Kent.

During free time on Monday afternoon Hayden and three friends, aged between 12 and 14, decided to explore the dense snow-covered forest, which is criss-crossed by hidden gorges.

One boy, also aged 12, lost his footing and began to slide down the mountainside. Hayden attempted to grab him but both boys slid over the edge of a gorge. While the first boy’s fall was stopped by a tree 10ft from the ground, Hayden fell backwards, striking rocks before he hit the ground more than 30ft below.

Horst Wohlgemuth, the Mallnitz police chief, said the boys were using two hours of free time to climb up to an observation tower. “This was an extremely dangerous thing to do as the pathway there is dangerous even in the summer, and to try and reach this platform as darkness was falling was extremely foolish,” he said.

“In the mountains it gets dark very quickly, sometimes within a few minutes, and the schoolboys probably did not realise this.” The boys completed about two thirds of their trek and were only 300ft away from the platform when they got into difficulties.

“One of the boys was going ahead of the others to look for the best route. He stopped at one point when he realised he could go no further and started to turn back to say it was a dead end,” Mr Wohlgemuth said.

“He was above and ahead of the other three when he slipped and started to fall towards the ravine. Hayden appears to have tried to grab him and both of them went over the edge.

“Because the first boy that fell was on his stomach he managed to grab a hold when he hit a tree branch or root about 10ft down. But because the boy that died had been facing backwards he had no chance to slow his descent.”

Mr Wohlgemuth said the remaining boys tried to help Hayden but could not get to him, and instead went down to the valley to get help. Near the bottom they met a walker who raised the alarm. Two of the teachers climbed up to Hayden and attempted to resuscitate him before the rescue services arrived. The location was so dangerous that the teachers needed help to get back to safety.

The injured boy was taken to hospital where he was treated for cuts and bruises and shock. He was kept in overnight for observation but was later discharged.

Mr Wohlgemuth has said that no one was to blame for the tragic events. “It was an accident — young boys going on an adventure in the nearby woods. I think we all did that when we were children,” he said.

Hayden’s mother Hayley Waller, 31, her husband, Gary, 35, and their ten-year-old son, Aaron, from Gillingham, Kent, flew to Austria yesterday.

Mrs Waller said her son had been looking forward to the trip and had been excited about going skiing for the first time.

“He was the most lovable, likeable child you have ever come across and we are absolutely devastated,” she said. “I cannot stress enough that people should not blame the school or any of the staff. Hayden’s younger brother will be starting at The Howard in September and I would be perfectly happy to let him go on a similar trip.”

The party arrived on Friday and had been due to stay until next Sunday. They are now expected to return home today.

The Howard School, a specialist sports college, has been visiting Mallnitz for 20 years.

Paul Morris, the headmaster, said: “Everyone connected with the school is completely devastated. Staff are comforting the other pupils on the trip and we are arranging for them to return home as soon as possible.”

Rose Collinson, director of children’s services at Medway Council, said it would play a full part in the investigation into the boy’s death.

The Government announced in November a series of measures to encourage schools to take more pupils on trips after fears that teachers were deterred by the risks.

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