A significant rescue mission was initiated on a Swiss mountain when a skier discovered a young boy trapped beneath the snow. While skiing in Engelberg, Matteo Zilla noticed a waving arm and promptly stopped to assist. In a video shared on social media, the 37-year-old creative director is seen approaching the individual, who was buried under fresh snow due to an avalanche, and clearing the snow to ensure his airway was unobstructed.
With the help of other skiers, Matteo comforted the trapped boy, assuring him that they would rescue him. Their prompt actions led to successfully freeing the buried skier, as Matteo recounted on Instagram: “We released him, and thankfully, there were no negative consequences.”
Providing more insights on social media, Matteo disclosed that initially, he thought the person had lost their skis, recalling a man struggling to walk uphill without them. However, as he drew closer, he realized the individual was completely submerged under the snow.
He elaborated: “We were skiing in Engelberg on a powder day with heavy snowfall, receiving approximately 40 to 50 centimeters of fresh powder. I spotted a person in the distance attempting to walk without skis, so I assumed they had misplaced them and went to assist in the 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 to assess any injuries. We determined he was unharmed and cautiously removed the remaining snow covering his body.”
“We learned that he had been skiing downhill, accidentally hit some small bushes, and tumbled into the snow. Although my emotions were intense, they took a back seat to the primary focus of saving his life.”
Snow avalanches claim an average of 100 lives annually in Europe, as reported by the European Avalanche Warning Services. During the 2024/2025 season, there were 70 recorded fatalities, 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 passed away 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, a minimum of three individuals, including a 15-year-old, lost their lives in an avalanche in Zermatt, Valais. One person sustained injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Valais police, in a post on Twitter dated April 1, confirmed that “multiple individuals were swept away” by the avalanche that struck around 2 pm on Easter Monday. Tragically, it was confirmed that three individuals, including a teenager, perished, while another was injured.