A dramatic mountain rescue unfolded in the Swiss Alps after a skier's sharp eyes spotted a desperate signal for help: an arm waving from beneath a blanket of fresh snow.
A Lifesaving Glance on a Powder Day
While enjoying a day of fresh powder in Engelberg, creative director Matteo Zilla, 37, noticed something unusual. At first, he thought he saw a man struggling to walk uphill without his skis. But as he skied closer, the true and terrifying reality became clear. He saw a foot, and then an arm, protruding from the snow. The person was completely buried following an avalanche.
"I immediately went over and removed the snow from his face and mouth, speaking to him to check if he was injured," Matteo later recounted on social media. With the help of other skiers who stopped, he worked quickly to clear the boy's airways and reassure him they would get him out.
The Miraculous Rescue and Avalanche Statistics
The collective quick thinking of the group paid off. They carefully freed the young skier, who was fortunately found to be unharmed. Matteo summarised the successful outcome on Instagram, writing: "We released him and fortunately no consequences." It emerged the boy had been skiing down, hit some hidden bushes, and flipped over into the deep snow.
This incident highlights the ever-present dangers in alpine regions. According to the European Avalanche Warning Services, snow avalanches claim an average of 100 lives in Europe every year. In the 2024/2025 season alone, 70 fatalities were recorded across the continent's mountains.
A Tragic Context of Alpine Dangers
The rescue comes against a backdrop of recent avalanche tragedies in Switzerland. In December 2024, Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, 26, died in an avalanche in Arosa. Earlier, in April 2024, an avalanche in Zermatt killed at least three people, including a 15-year-old, and injured a fourth.
Matteo Zilla reflected on the emotional weight of the rescue, stating his own feelings were secondary to the imperative of saving a life. His vigilance and the coordinated response of fellow skiers turned a potential tragedy into a story of remarkable survival.
