This is the dramatic moment an extreme skier uses his parachute to fly over an avalanche to avoid being knocked off a cliff . Ugo Gerola captured the action on his helmet camera as he was hurtling down a slope on the Aiguille du Midi in the French Alps . At first , the 23-year-old glides over the powder white snow , occasionally using his parachute to take off and land metres away . Then , out of nowhere , an avalanche comes into shot and nearly sweeps him over the edge of the mountain . Extreme skier Ugo Gerola is seen on his helmet camera hurtling down a slope in the French Alps moments before an avalanche sweeps across his path , nearly knocking him over the face of the 4,000m mountain . Danger : Out of nowhere , the avalanche comes into shot from his left as he races down the slope . Averting disaster : Mr Gerola uses his parachute to lift several feet in the air to dodge the avalanche 's path . The extreme skier sails over the path of the avalanche as it sweeps out of view . But Mr Gerola uses his parachute to dodge its path and watches as the powder , ice and rocks drop hundreds of feet below him while he floats in the clear blue skies . He said : ' I was so lucky escaping the avalanche . I only just saw it at the last moment . 'Fortunately from my experience of skiing I knew where to go . 'Once I was safely away from the cliff face , it was amazing to watch the snow falling below my feet . 'In that moment I felt incredibly small . ' As Mr Gerola looks behind him , the avalanche can been seen tumbling over the edge of the cliff . He watches as the powder , ice and rocks drop hundreds of feet below while he floats in the clear blue skies . He said : 'Once I was safely away from the cliff face , it was amazing to watch the snow falling below my feet ' Mr Gerola has been freeriding for six years and works as a ski instructor throughout the winter months . Freeriding , or speed flying as it is also known , involves skiing off off-piste , often with a winged parachute , much like paragliding . Sometimes referred to as 'off-piste ' , there is a much higher possibility of there being avalanches as the snow is less stable . Mr Gerola said : 'When I showed my friends the video , they were amazed . 'Some of them say I 'm crazy because of the dangers of freeriding but it just makes me feel alive . ' I have been practicing for many years now so the risk of my rides is always carefully calculated . '
Ugo Gerola , 23 , captured near-miss on helmet camera in the French Alps . Used parachute to dodge avalanche as it sweeps into shot and over cliff . Score: 6