A German man is counting his blessings after surviving an avalanche while skiing in Italy in a terrifying ordeal caught on video.
Three witnesses watched and recorded in quiet despair as a mass of snow swept the German skier up and thrust him down the mountain in a small avalanche on Col du Géant, according to a viral video.
The German skier miraculously survived a small avalanche on Col du Géant. Morgan Akhourfi / SWNS“I thought he was dead,” Morgan, a skier from Chamonix, France, told SWNS. “We couldn’t see him at all and with that kind of fall it seemed impossible he’d make it out alive.”
Video shows the man, who has not been named, swallowed up in a torrent of snow — and being forced towards a precipice.
“There was a 50-meter cliff below and we just saw him disappear,” Morgan said.
Morgan and the other two witnesses rushed to give the man aide — and were shocked to find him conscious, alert, and suffering no apparent life-threatening injuries.
The man survived with just fractured ribs and a broken leg. Morgan Akhourfi / SWNSHe had 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,” Morgan said.
French first responders came to the man’s rescue. Morgan Akhourfi / SWNSVideo shows the man being airlifted out on an emergency helicopter — a French first responder casually asking the snowbound German, “C’est va?” or “It’s going?”.
The fortunate skier suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs but was otherwise intact.
