We came close to disaster. This Sunday, during the Freeride South Line Series round in Serre Chevalier, German snowboarder Leonard Schweizer was caught in a terrible avalanche. While he was sliding down the slopes of the Hautes-Alpes resort, the 20-year-old young man was swept away by the snow slide.
As he slid down the slope, his orange airbag was triggered. However, he could no longer be seen. Images that send shivers down your spine and have left people fearing for the German’s life.
On Instagram, Leonardo Schweizer reassured his loved ones and supporters by confirming that he was fine. “Delighted to be alive,” he first wrote, sharing the terrible images of the avalanche. He then posted a photo of himself, with his airbag open on his back.
“I didn’t have my best run at the start, but it turned out to be much worse than I ever imagined. I ended up at the top of the avalanche thanks to my airbag, so get yourself an airbag. Thanks to everyone who helped me. I am doing very well and I am alive,” he said.
This is not the first avalanche in the Hautes-Alpes in recent days. Friday, a 65-year-old snowshoer was killed in an avalanche in Cervières. His body was found around 9 a.m. on an unmarked route. The alert was given by a mountain professional who had seen “sticks and snowshoe traces entering the flow but not coming out”.
This Saturday, a 33-year-old skier also lost his life in Cervières. Gap prosecutor Marion Lozach’meur explained that the man “was skiing in the company of another skier, unharmed because the latter was pinned against a tree during the slide”. Transported to hospital, the first died. An autopsy is planned as part of an investigation into the causes of death.
