Fortunately, the fall was not fatal, but the injured man had to wait three long hours for help. By pure chance, Dragan Lazar and his daughter Lea noticed his skis and began to suspect that something might be wrong.

The two fellow off-piste skiers immediately informed the Italian mountain rescue team. As a reminder to other off-piste skiers, Lea Lazar has decided to publish the video of the rescue operation on the Web. Dragan and his 22-year-old daughter Lea, both experienced skiers, had been on their second descent down Mount Kanin – venturing away from the ski pistes of the Sella Nevea ski resort to enjoy what seemed like ideal conditions for off-piste skiing – when their interest was piqued by a 10-metre deep Karst hollow in the snow. They decided to stop on a whim and have a look at it, when they noticed a pair of skis lying in the snow next to the hole.

According to unofficial information, the unfortunate skier lost consciousness after the fall and injured his wrist. He had been trapped in the cave for about three hours before being found. His screams for help had gone by unheard, although at least three skiers had skied in the vicinity of the hollow during that time.

Mountain rescuers would like to warn skiers not to try off-piste skiing alone and without proper equipment. Namely, the injured skier did not have it. If he had nonetheless decided to climb up the wall of the cave in his injured state, he would have risked falling onto the rocks.

Ž. B. TV Slovenija; translated by K. Z.