Pulse-pounding moment skier rescues man buried under avalanche

A heroic skier captured the heart-pounding moment he dug a man out from under a pile of fresh snow after an avalanche in Switzerland — when he spotted a limb sticking out of the powder.

Matteo Zilla, 37, a creative director by day and an avid skier, was racing down the Swiss slopes on Saturday when he noticed a foot poking out.

“We were skiing in Engelberg on a powder day. It was snowing and we received around 40 to 50 centimetres of fresh powder,” Zilla recalled, according to UK news service, Caters.

“I saw a guy far away who was trying to walk up without skis, so I thought maybe he had lost them and I went down to help search. But then I turned my head and saw a foot sticking out of the snow.”

Zilla, who has prior avalanche training, raced over to the man to free him from the snow as quickly as possible, according to the intense footage he posted on social media. 

“I immediately went over and removed the snow from his face and mouth, speaking to him to check if he was injured,” he said. 

“We realized he wasn’t injured and very slowly removed the rest of the snow from his body.”

The trapped skier had been carving up the slopes and failed to see a group of small bushes, causing him to flip over into the snow. 

He appeared to be uninjured after being safely removed from the heavy snow. 

“My emotions were on one side, but they weren’t important. The most important thing was saving his life,” said Zilla.

This past month alone, 17 people have been killed from avalanches across Europe, prompting regional authorities to issue “extreme risk” warnings across the slopes.

This past weekend, six skiers reportedly died in the French Alps from avalanches across the region, according to The US Sun.

A female skier was also rescued on Weerberg mountain in Austria in critical condition after being buried alive by an avalanche. 

She later succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Innsbruck.

In Italy this past weekend, a man was killed in the northern city of Aosta after being wiped out by an avalanche. 

Italian mountain officials said the avalanche occurred along a popular route filled with ski tourers.

Authorities across Europe issued repeated “high” Level 4 and “extreme” Level 5 avalanche danger warnings, following the deadly weekend that unfolded on the slopes.

Skiers were urged to observe “extreme vigilance” and advised against off-piste skiing.