Man rescues teenage skiier trapped under snow and running out of air

‘I have no idea what I’d have done if he wasn’t there to help,’ says woman

A 19-year-old woman who was trapped under the snow and running out of breath was rescued by her friend in what he described as a potential “life-and-death situation”.

Footage of the incident in the Les Arcs resort of the French Alps shows Will Field, 23, rushing to dig out the woman after spotting her skis poking out of the snow.

The chalet worker had fallen after skiing off the marked runs and was buried under 2ft of snow, unable to free her arms to get herself out.

“She was completely stuck and could not move – my gut reaction was just to act as quickly as I could,” said Mr Field.

The 23-year-old can be heard shouting at her to “stay still” and reassuring her that she will survive.

He added: “She could breathe but there’s only so much oxygen under there – the snow was really heavy and it could have ended up being a life-and-death situation.

“She could have suffocated to death if no one else was there to help.”

The trapped woman, a chalet host from Cambridge, was part of a group of five resort workers who were enjoying recreation time on the slops.

She had gone ahead of the group but hit a patch of snow and was flung “head first” from her skis and buried under masses of snow.

She said: “I was trying to wiggle my arms but I could not get out.”

Luckily the woman sustained no injuries despite being immobile under the weight of the snow.

“I could breathe but the snow was really heavy,” she added

She suffered no injuries said she “would have no idea” what she would have done if her friend had not been there to help.

The video footage captured by Mr Field’s head camera shows the moment he skied down the side of a mountain and began digging her out of the snow with an emergency shovel.

The 23-year-old holiday representative said it was lucky his colleague was wearing red trousers or he might have missed her completely.

He added that the situation “could have been much worse than it was” and called on others to carry safety equipment when they ski.

Additional reporting by SWNS