British climber 'swims' his way out of Mont Blanc avalanche

Sign up for a free trial of News Direct's animated news graphics at http://newsdirect.nma.com.tw/Reuters.aspx A young British climber is lucky to be alive after surviving an avalanche on the Graian Alps by 'swimming' to stay above the ice. Alastair Swinton and companions Ben Tibbetts and Misha Gopaul, all in their thirties, were descending the Italian side of Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, when the avalanche struck. Swinton was knocked down when a large sheet of snow and ice gave way. He managed to avoid being buried by flattening his body and using swimming strokes over the rushing snow. The climber incredibly plunged 700 meters down the mountain suffering only scratches. Out of reach of mountain rescue teams, he was then picked up by a helicopter. Italian police said the man was incredible lucky, as he was not carrying safety equipment.