Daredevil snowboarder in lucky avalanche escape

A Swiss snowboarder's off-piste ride became a lot more intense than he bargained for when he triggered an avalanche midway through the run and somehow escaped unscathed.

GoPro footage of the hell ride at Nendaz in Switzerland shows the thrill-seeker's tilt down the slope begin relatively sedately until he performed a powerful carve that apparently displaced a load-bearing deposit of snow.

Unable to do anything but hope for the best, the rider continues to slide down the now-moving mountain for a full 30 seconds on his behind.

Speed, it seems, saved him from an icy burial, as he manages to stay at the forefront of the wall of snow until it peters out on the flat, where he stylishly rights himself, barely panting.

The lucky escape came a few days after four snowboarders were killed in the French Alps after being caught in an avalanche.