Skier buried alive in Swiss avalanche saved by friends — VIDEO

A skiing trip in Switzerland nearly killed a man after an avalanche buried him a few feet below the surface, covering his entire body in snow and concealing him from his group’s view.

In a YouTube video just over five minutes long, a group of Australian friends are seen skiing down the fresh, powdery hills of Les Crosets on the Swiss/France border, when disaster strikes — mounds of snow come crashing down, knocking the men over and burying James Mort alive.

His friends, who managed to stay above the snow’s surface, frantically search for the entombed skier.

“Where’s James?” videographer Daniel O’Sullivan yells.

Minutes later, Mort’s skiing pole is seen waving through the air. The team tries shoveling the man out of his snowy trap as fast as possible. Mort’s helmet is finally exposed and he’s able to breathe. He was buried for about four minutes.

Mort posted the incredible rescue to his Tumblr as a public safety reminder: “This blog aims to increase awareness of the risks posed by avalanches both inbounds and in the backcountry,” Mort writes. “The 30th of January 2015 is a daythat will forever be engrained into my memory as the scariest day of my life.”

Check out the full video below.

Contact Ashley Casper at acasper@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @TheCasperA