Heart-stopping footage shows the moment a mountain skier plummeted into a crevasse, badly injuring his leg.
Edouard Bozon’s helmet camera recorded his terrifying situation metres underneath a mountain slope in the French Alps after his friend triggered a small avalanche that sent him flying into the ravine.
Footage captures Edouard, from Lyon, screaming for help from his friend and warning him not to step to the close to the edge in case he sends more snow into the crevasse and buries him.
As he yells from the claustrophobic pit, his friend, who is not carrying a rope, tries to reach him with his ski poles.
Edouard Bozon found himself in the terrifying situation metres underneath a mountain slope in the French Alps after being caught off-guard by falling snow
Unable to make his way down the rest of the mountain because of a broken knee ligament, Edouard shot the amazing moment a rescue helicopter arrived and airlifted him to safety.
The incident was recorded while the pair were enjoying a skiing trip as part of a group in the high mountains around Mont Blanc.
Edouard said in a post: ‘This day we made many mistakes, that’s why I posted this video of me falling into a crevasse.’
After climbing down into a steep couloir (corridor) of a mountain, the headcam footage shows Edouard and a friend choosing to head off down the slopes while the other group members collect their ropes.
After climbing down into a steep couloir (corridor) of a mountain, headcam footage shows Edouard and a friend choosing to head off down the slopes while the other group members collect their ropes. He admits that this was his ‘first’ mistake being without the rest of the group
Edouard’s view after he fell into the crevasse halfway down the couloir (corridor) of the Alps mountain
‘The platform at the beginning of the couloir was relatively sketchy, so we both decided to start the descent without the rope while our two other friends were waiting the second group to take back the rope.
‘At this moment I was thinking that a group of six people at the top of the couloir was more dangerous than splitting the group.’
But he admits that this was his ‘first’ of a set of mistakes, because in the case of an accident, climbing rope can proove life-saving for someone stuck below the snow or on a cliff-edge.
‘So with my friend, we started to get down together without a real analysis of the terrain.
Luckily his friend hears his cries for help and is soon beside the crevasse attempting to reach Edouard
‘Here again another mistake because we were excited to ski, instead we should have to ski smaller section one by one before regrouping on a secure point.’
After shooting down a section of the couloir, Edouard stopped right beside a covered crevasse, but unaware of the potentially deadly trap he waited for his friend.
‘Then I arrived at the bottom part of the couloir, I stopped in front of the crevasse, in the middle of the couloir to wait my friend to cross the crevasse.
‘This is my biggest mistake because it was too exposed with all the snow… My friend came just above me with too much speed, the snow took me and caused the fall.’
Dropping at least three metres down, Edouard badly damages his leg and cries out for help.
Unable to make it down the rest of the mountain because of his injury, the group calls for a rescue helicopter who pick up Edouard and fly him to safety
Edouard later discovered that he had broke his knee ligament but on balance said that it was a ‘pretty low price’ instead of being buried alive or lost in the snow
Luckily, because his friend was so close and the hole had not covered itself, the friend quickly found Edouard but eventually pulled him off with the help of some ski poles.
Unable to make it down the rest of the mountain because of his injury, the group calls for a rescue helicopter who pick up Edouard and fly him to safety.
‘I broke my knee ligament but it’s a pretty low price, these places are serious and not always give you a second chance,’ he added.
‘I would add a final note, my family is heavily engaged in mountain rescuing. I grew up with their stories in mind and this time it was my own experience. I take it as a lesson.’