Heart-Stopping Footage Captures Avalanche Swallowing Skier, You’ll Never Guess How He Survived!

A German man’s recent ski adventure nearly ended in tragedy. While traversing some beautiful mountains in Italy, an avalanche began nearby. In no time, he was completely overtaken by the powerful snow. As luck would have it, three fellow skiers happened to witness this harrowing moment. They were, narrowly, out of the path of this avalanche themselves.

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As a result, someone in this group was able to capture the avalanche on camera. What they didn’t realize, however, is that they would capture the German man being taken away with the snow. When they noticed someone was caught up in the avalanche, they were certain he wouldn’t make it.

“I thought he was dead,” Morgan, one of the nearby skiers shares. “We couldn’t see him at all and with that kind of fall it seemed impossible he’d make it out alive. There was a 50-meter cliff below and we just saw him disappear.”

Still, Morgan and his friends rushed to where they thought the man may have landed. Much to their surprise, he was still alive. In fact, he was even conscious, alert, and didn’t appear to have life-threatening injuries. Check out the video below of the harrowing moment the avalanche overtook this frightened skier.

So, how did the German skier survive, exactly? It’s believed that his emergency airbag (made of tear-proof material) made the difference. Because he deployed it at the right time, it may have kept him on top of the rushing snow rather than getting crushed by it.

As helpful as the airbag may have been, the German skier still suffered some rough injuries. This includes a broken leg and fractured ribs. Still, all things considered, he certainly has much to be grateful for.

“It’s possible the airbag played a role in saving his life,” Morgan says, “but honestly it feels like a miracle he survived.”

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