A significant rescue mission was initiated on a Swiss mountain when a skier discovered a boy trapped beneath the snow. While skiing in Engelberg, Matteo Zilla noticed a waving arm and promptly stopped to assist. In a video posted on social media, the 37-year-old creative director can be seen approaching the individual, who was buried under fresh snow from an avalanche, and clearing his airways.
Assisted by fellow skiers, Matteo reassured the buried boy that they would rescue him. Their prompt actions led to the successful extraction of the trapped skier, as shared by Matteo on Instagram: “We freed him, and thankfully, there were no adverse effects.”
Providing more insights on social media, Matteo disclosed that initially, he thought the person had lost their skis, as he observed a man struggling to walk uphill without them. However, upon closer inspection, he realized the individual was completely submerged under the snow.
He recounted, “We were skiing in Engelberg on a powder day. It was snowing heavily, and we received approximately 40 to 50 centimeters of fresh powder. I spotted a person in the distance attempting to ascend without skis, so I presumed they had misplaced them and went down to help search.”
“Upon turning my head, I noticed a foot protruding from the snow. I immediately rushed over, cleared the snow from his face and mouth, and communicated with him to assess any injuries. It became apparent that he was unharmed, and we carefully removed the remaining snow from his body.”
“We learned that he had been skiing down, failed to see some small bushes, and tumbled into the snow. My emotions were secondary; the paramount concern was saving his life.”
Snow avalanches claim an average of 100 lives annually in Europe, according to the European Avalanche Warning Services. During the 2024/2025 season, 70 fatalities were recorded, with 20 in Switzerland, 21 in France, 11 in Italy, and eight in Austria.
In December 2024, Sophie Hediger, an Olympic snowboarder and member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team, tragically perished in an avalanche at the age of 26. Sophie, who represented Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics and aimed for a spot in the 2026 Games in Italy, was caught in the incident at the Arosa mountain resort.
In April of the same year, at least three individuals, including a 15-year-old, lost their lives in an avalanche in Zermatt, Valais. A fourth person sustained injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Valais police, in a post shared on Twitter, confirmed that “several people were swept away” by the avalanche on Easter Monday around 2pm. Tragically, it was confirmed that three individuals, including a teenager, had died, and one was injured.