Pilot shows off nerves of steel with incredible close-call Alpine rescue (VIDEOS)
A dramatic helicopter rescue of an injured skier trapped at 2,000 feet on the French Alps has been captured in epic footage that looks like a scene straight from an action movie.
The jaw-dropping footage was captured by Nicolas Derely on the Pass of Anterne in Passy, France on December 2. It shows the helicopter pilot’s skillful descent through snow-covered slopes to reach a trapped skier who became stuck after dislocating his knee.
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The chopper’s blades come dangerously close to the mountainside, as it hovers inches from the stranded skier, so close that the aircraft’s nose almost appears to swallow the figure lying in the snow.
The pilot manages to keep the helicopter steady in this precarious position, rotor blades skimming snow as those onboard tend to the injured young man, whose name is Bruno.
Moments later, the chopper takes off again with the the skier onboard, and heads straight towards the spot where Derely is filming. A rope is dropped down from the helicopter to bring two rescue workers, who had been tending to Bruno’s leg, back up.
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The first video was filmed before the dramatic rescue. It shows the helicopter approaching from a different angle before it hovers close to the mountainside to allow the rescue workers to jump out of the helicopter with their equipment.
A second video shows the team tending to Bruno, who winces as they put his leg in a brace. The injured skier was taken to Chamonix Hospital.
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