A British teenager died from the cold after getting lost during a pub crawl at a ski resort, an inquest has heard.

Kieron Flux, 18, disappeared while on a night out at Val D'Isere in France with his father and nine others in January, after he visited the town centre with friend Joseph Craig.

Mr Craig said in a statement that the pair had joined a pub crawl organised by tour reps and visited four bars before they became separated.

Mr Flux, a plumber from the Isle of Wight, was said to have become involved in an argument with a group from Wales and Mr Craig said he had to stop one of them from attacking Mr Flux.

He said: "They wanted a fight, I do not remember how it was resolved. Kieron went out for a cigarette. The same man who I held back punched me on the nose and left.

"Kieron saw me holding my nose and asked what had happened. Kieron went off, my only recollection was being back on the bus to the chalet.

"Kieron didn't come back that night but no one missed him until the next morning."

Mr Flux's father Wayne said that after he returned from skiing the next morning he realised his son had not come back and he raised the alarm.

Police searched the area by helicopter and Mr Flux's body was found in the snow.

His father was taken to a chapel of rest to identify his son. "He was frozen solid," he said.

Police said he had been captured on CCTV getting on to a shuttle bus alone and getting off at the wrong place. 

Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Isle of Wight coroner Caroline Sumeray said that the cause of death was hypothermia contributed to by intoxication.

She said: "I have heard that he was intoxicated. He had gone on the shuttle bus and got off at the wrong end of town, he was disorientated and wasn't dressed warmly and subsequently got lost in the snow and developed hypothermia and died.

"Had he not been intoxicated with alcohol, I do not think he would have ended up getting lost and dying."

She also informed Mr Flux's mother, Diane Haines, that some of her son's organs had been retained without explanation by French authorities and she would ask the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to investigate.

Mrs Haines said she had not been previously informed and added: "So I buried him with most of his organs missing."

Ms Sumeray added: "I offer my deepest condolences for your loss."