An Aussie snowboarder has escaped with his life from an avalanche thanks to a combination of luck and an inflatable backpack after the slope he was traveling down suddenly collapsed beneath his feet.
Footage posted to Facebook by Tom Oye shows how, in the space of a few seconds, parts of a Canadian hillside turned from an idyllic powdery slope into the scene of a terrifying avalanche.
In the clip, the snowboarder is sent into a 30-second plunge down-peak as he battles to stay above the falling snow and ice.
According to his social media account, the Adelaide native now lives in Whistler, Canada, where the dramatic near-death experience occurred.
Ten Eyewitness News report Oye was wearing an avalanche airbag backpack, which appears to have helped push the stricken snowboarder to the surface. The backpack is believed to have been a recent birthday present.
The Australian appeared to be in good spirits following his ordeal, captioning his video: “Not how I planned on starting the morning… stay safe out there kids!”
Oye’s grandmother told ABC News that the 29 year old was fortunate to escape uninjured.
“The gods smiled upon him. I knew when I watched [the video] that he was all right, so that wasn’t quite so bad. Having seen him come off motorbikes and that sort of thing, you know you’re a bit prepared I guess. But it was a bit scary,” Marlene Oye said.