A significant rescue mission was initiated on a Swiss mountain when a skier discovered a young boy trapped beneath snow. While skiing in Engelberg, Matteo Zilla noticed a waving arm and promptly halted to render aid. In a video circulated on social platforms, the 37-year-old creative director can be observed approaching the individual, who was engulfed by fresh snow post-avalanche, and clearing the airways.
Assisted by fellow skiers, Matteo endeavored to comfort the buried boy, assuring him of their efforts to extricate him. Their prompt actions led to the successful rescue of the trapped skier, as Matteo recounted on Instagram: “We freed him, and thankfully, no harm was done.”
Providing additional insights on social media, Matteo disclosed his initial belief that the person had misplaced their skis, recalling a man struggling to traverse uphill without them. However, upon closer inspection, he realized the individual was completely submerged under the snow.
He narrated, “We were skiing in Engelberg on a powder day. It was snowing, and we received approximately 40 to 50 centimeters of fresh powder. I spotted a distant figure attempting to ascend without skis, assuming he had lost them, prompting me to assist in the search.”
“Yet, upon turning my gaze, I noticed a foot protruding from the snow. Without delay, I cleared the snow from his face and mouth, engaging with him to assess any injuries. It was evident he was unharmed, and we carefully excavated the rest of his body.”
“We learned that he had been skiing downhill, missed some small bushes, and tumbled into the snow. While my emotions were heightened, they were secondary. The paramount objective was preserving his life.”
Snow avalanches reportedly claim an average of 100 lives annually in Europe, according to 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, Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger, a member of the Swiss national snowboard cross team, tragically perished in an avalanche at 26 years old. Hediger, who represented Switzerland at the 2022 Winter Olympics and aspired to compete 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, located in the southern canton of Valais. A fourth person sustained injuries and was airlifted to a nearby medical facility. Valais police, in an April 1 tweet, revealed that “multiple individuals were swept away” by the avalanche that struck around 2 p.m. on Easter Monday. Tragically, it was confirmed that three people, including a teenager, had perished, and another was injured.