In a terrifying video, a German skier remarkably cheated death after being swept down a mountain by an avalanche while skiing at Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain. According to the New York Post, the incident took place on January 29. Three witnesses watched and recorded the incident as a mass of snow swept the German skier up and thrust him down the mountain in a small avalanche. According to the clip, shared on Instagram by Morgan Akhourfi, the skier survived the terrifying incident by a whisker as he inflated his anti-avalanche airbag in time.
In the video, the skier, whose identity hasn’t been revealed, is seen desperately struggling to escape but is soon engulfed by the snow. According to Mr Akhourfi, he tumbled about 300 meters toward a 50-metre cliff before vanishing under the snow’s surface.
Watch the video below:
“I thought he was dead. We couldn’t see him at all and with that kind of fall it seemed impossible he’d make it out alive,” Mr Akhourfi said, per the Post. “There was a 50-meter cliff below and we just saw him disappear,” he recalled.
Once the avalanche stopped, the three witnesses rushed to give the skier aide. They were shocked to find him conscious, alert, with no apparent life-threatening injuries.
The skier deployed an emergency airbag made of tear-proof material that helped prop him up on top of the rushing snow. “It’s possible the airbag played a role in saving his life but honestly it feels like a miracle he survived,” Mr Akhourfi said.
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“Being unprofessional I would not allow myself to comment on the possible mistakes he or we have made, however it is interesting to see two things: firstly even on a ski slope a few seconds before by three people the risk of an avalanche is not reduced. Second: time using the airbag was in his life-saving case. Despite the 300m drop and the size of the avalanche, we found him conscious and out,” Mr Akhourfi wrote in the captain of the post.
“It is therefore essential to study where you are going, to know the condition of the snowcoat, to ski along and to never underestimate a face under the pretext of knowing it,” he added.
The man was airlifted out on an emergency helicopter. He suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs but was otherwise intact, the Post reported.