Both deadly incidents occured on Saturday in the Pyrenees mountains of south-western France and come as France’s annual skiing holidays kick into high gear.

The 13-year-old boy, who was from Toulouse, appears to have lost control and hit a hit a tree while skiing with his father and brother on a beginners slope at a resort in Mortis, AFP reported.

He was flown to a hospital in Toulouse, where he subsequently died. Initial reports indicate he was not wearing a helmet.

The 53-year-old man, identified as Dominique Malle-Ville, fell under circumstances that remain unclear while skiing at a resort in Cauterets. He was apparently wearing a helmet but was killed instantly in the crash.

It was the first day of the holidays which hewas spending with his wife and one of his children. He was skiing on a red level slope reserved for advanced skiers, police said.

These deaths come after Michael Schumacher’s crash on a slope on the Alps highlighted the issue of wearing helmets when skiing. Schumacher suffered a serious brain injury when he fell and hit his head on a rock in an off-piste section at a French resort in December.

Reports emerged at the weekend that Schumacher was showing some signs of response.

French families will hit resorts across the country en masse in the coming weeks with the winter ski holidays for school children running from last week through until the middle of March.