Skier is swept away by tumbling avalanche but survives thanks to airbag

A skier is lucky to be alive after being swept away by an avalanche while skiing near Mont Blanc on January 29.

Witness Morgan Akhourfi, 24, filmed the terrifying moment when the skier disappeared under the snow, tumbling 300 meters toward a 50-meter cliff. Despite the severity of the fall, the man survived after deploying his avalanche airbag, which helps keep the wearer near the surface of the snow.

Rescue teams arrived within 20 minutes and airlifted the man, who was found conscious but in shock, with a broken leg and fractured ribs. Morgan, a skier from Chamonix, said he initially thought the man was dead.