TL:DR – 23-Year-Old British Skier Caught in Massive Avalanche in the French Alps
- Miraculous rescue: British skier Daniel Matthews, 23, was caught in a 1,300ft avalanche near Tignes, buried under 7ft of snow.
- Quick discovery: Friends located him within six minutes; he regained consciousness after nine minutes.
- Warning ignored: Daniel admitted making an uneducated decision to ski in unsafe conditions during a rare red alert.
- Survival insights: Survival rates drop significantly after 15 minutes buried; wearing proper equipment is crucial for safety.
British skier, 23, swept away in huge avalanche in the French Alps | News World
Daniel Matthews was buried under 7ft of snow after being caught by a 1,300ft avalanche while skiing near Tignes in the French Alps (Picture: Instagram)
A British skier was miraculously rescued after being hit by a 1,300ft avalanche in the French Alps.
Daniel Matthews, 23, was left unconscious for minutes after being buried under 7ft of snow in Tignes.
A video shared on Instagram showed the dramatic moment Mr. Matthews was knocked over while skiing downhill on an off-piste route near the Palafour lift at the French resort.
He was discovered by friends six minutes after being covered in snow.
After nine minutes buried, he was able to free his head and regain consciousness.
Daniel Matthews was unconscious for several minutes before he managed to get his head out of the snow before being lifted out to safety by his friends (Picture: Instagram/daniel_matthews12)
Accepting that he had been both ‘lucky and unlucky,’ Daniel insisted his trip had nonetheless been ‘one hell of a thrill’.
He wrote: ‘Friday 13th was an unlucky and incredibly lucky day for me. I made a very bad decision and uneducated decision to ski Skimans Couloir just off the Palafour lift in Tignes.
‘Just 30 mins before I had skied the wider couloir about 25 metres further up the ridge (also not the best decision) but it was a hell of a thrill!’
Recalling his ordeal, he said the experience was like being thrown around in a ‘washing machine’ for 35 seconds and snow falling on him as if ‘someone had poured concrete on me’.
What are chances of surviving an avalanche?
The survival rate will largely depend on how long the person is buried under, with changes in survival decreasing the longer they are buried, experts say.
Most people die as a result of suffocation (around 57%) or injuries (30%), the Snow Institute says.
- First 15 minutes after burial: if people are pulled out within this time, 93% will live, according to the Utah Avalanche Center
- After 45 minutes under snow: the survival rate drops to around 20% to 30%
- Two hours after burial: very few can make it out alive
He added: ‘I hope I and others may be able to learn some things. I didn’t follow the signs that day that were clearly there! and I paid for it.
‘The only person to blame is myself.
‘Luckily I was wearing the right equipment and was with people who knew what they were doing.
‘So please wear the right equipment, do training, listen to mother nature and be with people you trust!’
Skiers had been given a rare day-long red alert warning of dangerous conditions on February 13 across several areas in the French Alps, including in the area of Haute-Tarentaise where Tignes is.
It was only the third time the highest alert had been issued since the system was introduced 25 years ago, prompting many resorts to close pistes.
Two Britons were among three killed by an avalanche in the nearby resort of Val d’Isere last week.
Stuart Leslie, 46, and Shaun Overy, 51, were in a group of five skiers with a professional instructor when they were swept away by a blanket of snow.
Both men were thought to be keen enthusiasts, with Mr. Leslie having written about his love of going off-piste.
Across the mountain range in Austria, at least three people were killed yesterday when avalanches hit in Tyrol, including a dad who was out skiing with his teen son.
In California, the community in Lake Tahoe is reeling after the death of six friends, who were on a guided backcountry ski trip when they were struck by an avalanche.
Dry slabs of avalanche snow can reach up to 186mph (300kmh), with the mass itself powerful enough to injure and kill, while victims can also be hit by rocks, debris, and trees.