A German skier is lucky to be alive after triggering an avalanche in the Italian Alps and getting swept over a massive cliff.
Three witnesses watched in horror as the man got caught and carried in the slide which took him over a cliff and far down the slope. He temporarily disappeared from sight in the torrent of snow but when the debris had settled and skiers went to search for him, he was found injured but not buried beneath the snow.
The man had alertly deployed his avalanche airbag backpack at the top of the slope which likely contributed to him remaining on the surface during the chaos. The skier suffered fractured ribs and a broken leg and was airlifted from the mountain.
Here is an account of the incident from the man who filmed it:
“A wake-up call. It was our last descent of the day. The snowpack was more stable than we had anticipated, or at least that’s what we had thought repeatedly the whole morning.
A man decided to follow us from afar; we had exchanged a few words on the way up just before. Not being a mountain professional, I did not dare comment on any mistakes that he or that we might have made, however, two things were to be noted:
Firstly, even on a slope skied by three people a few seconds before, the avalanche risk was not reduced.
Secondly, the use of the airbag was a saving grace in his case. Despite the 300 meters of fall and the size of the avalanche, we found him conscious and outside. Even if he does well, that is not always the case.
It is therefore essential to study the place where you are going, to know the state of the snow cover, to ski accompanied and never underestimate a face just because you know it. Far too many accidents happen because of a lack of attention and a lack of concentration.
I feel lucky today, for us as for him it could have been much worse.”
While avalanche backpacks are a helpful tool to manage the risks of skiing in avalanche terrain, the best and first line of defense is a proper avalanche safety education so you can recognize and avoid hazardous terrain. Learn more about avalanche safety training here.
