The parents of a Rotorua teenager killed while skiing on Mt Ruapehu say their son gave life 110 per cent.
Matthew Phillip Brown, aged 13, died on Friday when he fell over a 20m bank on the Turoa skifield.
"He always liked to push and challenge himself. He always wanted to win," said his mother, Janet Brown.
Warwick Brown said his son was a natural sportsman who played hockey, basketball and golf and took part in triathlons and cross-country running.
Mrs Brown was one of the parents who travelled to the slopes with a group from the Catholic high school John Paul College on Thursday.
The next day, Matthew and his schoolmates enjoyed morning lessons on the lower slopes and decided to move up the mountain to more challenging slopes.
A witness said Matthew picked up speed on a slope and failed to take a bend, falling about 20m on to rocks.
A doctor arrived minutes after the accident but Matthew died at the scene, Mrs Brown said.
John Paul principal Bede Roughton said Matthew was a popular student and extremely talented in sports.
"He made a big impact on a lot of people. We asked his father last night whether there were friends of his we could contact to let them know what happened and the list was huge."
Mr Roughton said John Paul College had arranged counselling for the ski-trip students after they returned to Rotorua from the mountain.
- NZPA
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