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Published 12:12 PM EST, Wed January 9, 2019
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helicopter rescue french alps
Daring helicopter rescue of injured skier in France
01:14 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Skier injures himself in French Alps

Friends call emergency services

Helicopter arrives to stage amazing rescue

Rotor blades just inches from the snow

CNN  — 

Dramatic footage of a helicopter partially landing on a mountain side shows the incredible moment a skier was rescued from the French Alps.

The adrenaline-inducing video, posted on Facebook by Nicolas Derely, documents the precarious mission to rescue a young man who had injured his knee during a ski trip near the Anterne Pass.

Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features and videos

The man, named as Bruno, became exhausted and suffered an agonizing fall.

The team was able to call the emergency services despite being well above cloud level, at a reported altitude of about 7,000 feet.

<strong>Zermatt (Switzerland): </strong>The famed Valais village of Zermatt sits below the iconic Matterhorn peak. This car-free resort offers upscale boutiques, world-class skiing and a thriving apres-ski scene.
Zermatt (Switzerland): The famed Valais village of Zermatt sits below the iconic Matterhorn peak. This car-free resort offers upscale boutiques, world-class skiing and a thriving apres-ski scene.
Zermatt/Leander Wenger
<strong>Grimentz (Switzerland): </strong>The small Valais village of Grimentz is chocolate-box perfect, with its old-school chalets and unspoiled valley. It sits in the Val d'Anniviers, a side shoot of the great Rhone Valley.
Grimentz (Switzerland): The small Valais village of Grimentz is chocolate-box perfect, with its old-school chalets and unspoiled valley. It sits in the Val d'Anniviers, a side shoot of the great Rhone Valley.
Grimentz
<strong>Wengen (Switzerland):</strong> The classy village of Wengen, which can only be reached by cog railway or cable car, gazes out across the deep Lauterbrunnen valley and up towards the famous 4,000-meter peaks of the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau.
Wengen (Switzerland): The classy village of Wengen, which can only be reached by cog railway or cable car, gazes out across the deep Lauterbrunnen valley and up towards the famous 4,000-meter peaks of the Eiger, the Monch and the Jungfrau.
Jungfrau Region
<strong>Kitzbuehel (Austria): </strong>The Tyrolean town of Kitzbuehel hosts the historic Hahnenkamm race every January, when the world's best ski racers fling themselves down a steep ribbon of ice -- 40.4 degrees at one point -- known as the Streif.
Kitzbuehel (Austria): The Tyrolean town of Kitzbuehel hosts the historic Hahnenkamm race every January, when the world's best ski racers fling themselves down a steep ribbon of ice -- 40.4 degrees at one point -- known as the Streif.
Kitzbuhel Tourism/Bernhard Spoettl
<strong>Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy): </strong>Just two hours north of Venice, Cortina d'Ampezzo sits in a sunny bowl fringed by the towering needles of the eastern Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage region, some of which soar to more than 3,000 meters. The James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" (1981) was filmed here.
Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy): Just two hours north of Venice, Cortina d'Ampezzo sits in a sunny bowl fringed by the towering needles of the eastern Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage region, some of which soar to more than 3,000 meters. The James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only" (1981) was filmed here.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Lech (Austria): </strong>A former farming village done good, luxurious Lech caters for the more discerning end of the money spectrum, plus vacationing royals. The town sits in an open bowl among gentle peaks on the banks of the Lech river, part of the famous Arlberg region.
Lech (Austria): A former farming village done good, luxurious Lech caters for the more discerning end of the money spectrum, plus vacationing royals. The town sits in an open bowl among gentle peaks on the banks of the Lech river, part of the famous Arlberg region.
Michel Porro/Getty Images
<strong>Alpbach (Austria): </strong>Named "Austria's most beautiful village" in a 1983 television contest, Alpbach continues to maintain its cutesy homespun looks and traditional architecture. All upper floors of new buildings must be clad in wood to preserve the bygone feel.
Alpbach (Austria): Named "Austria's most beautiful village" in a 1983 television contest, Alpbach continues to maintain its cutesy homespun looks and traditional architecture. All upper floors of new buildings must be clad in wood to preserve the bygone feel.
Alpbach Tourism
<strong>Megeve (France): </strong>Megeve was one of the first purpose-built resorts in the Alps, developed by the wealthy Rothschild family in the 1920s, but unlike some of France's more recent purpose-built carbuncles the old farming roots have been retained.
Megeve (France): Megeve was one of the first purpose-built resorts in the Alps, developed by the wealthy Rothschild family in the 1920s, but unlike some of France's more recent purpose-built carbuncles the old farming roots have been retained.
JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Courmayeur (Italy): </strong>The quaint old town of Courmayeur sits on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc tunnel. The skiing begins from a sunny plateau above the town with stupendous views of more than a dozen of Europe's highest peaks.
Courmayeur (Italy): The quaint old town of Courmayeur sits on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc tunnel. The skiing begins from a sunny plateau above the town with stupendous views of more than a dozen of Europe's highest peaks.
Courmayeur/Gughi Fassino
<strong>Saas-Fee (Switzerland): </strong>Saas-Fee is home to the world's highest revolving restaurant at 3,500 meters which is a perfect spot for taking in the 360-degree panorama of 4,000 meter peaks, including the Dom, the Taschhorn and the Alphubel on the surrounding skyline.
Saas-Fee (Switzerland): Saas-Fee is home to the world's highest revolving restaurant at 3,500 meters which is a perfect spot for taking in the 360-degree panorama of 4,000 meter peaks, including the Dom, the Taschhorn and the Alphubel on the surrounding skyline.
PhotoPress/Saas Fee
10 most beautiful alpine ski resorts

READ: How getting fit to ski can harness your ‘sixth sense’

As members of his party watched on, a helicopter from the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne (French Mountain Police) delicately nudged its nose towards the steep slope.

What followed was astonishing.

The pilot managed to plant the aircraft’s right landing skid into the snowy incline to allow three members of the rescue team to disembark and treat the injured man.

The medics fitted a leg brace on Bruno before the helicopter returned to perform the daring procedure again.

With the helicopter’s rotor blades just inches away from smashing into the snow, the skier was winched away to a nearby hospital.

Watch the video at the top of the page to witness the dramatic rescue first hand.