Tragedy struck when Federico Giubilato and a friend went skiing off-piste at Marchkopf, Austria, as an 820ft-wide avalanche left them buried under heaps of snow

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Federico Giubilato died after he was buried in an avalanche (Image: Jam Press)

A tourist has tragically died after being buried in an avalanche in Austria.

Federico Giubilato, who would have turned 42 yesterday, was trapped under the 820ft-wide avalanche on Saturday with his friend. His 36-year-old pal managed to break free with just a hand injury and alerted emergency services.

But despite best efforts of authorities, Federico, from Bassano del Grappa, in northern Italy, was declared dead. He and his mate had been skiing off-piste during a trip to Marchkopf, Austria when tragedy struck on Saturday afternoon, a horror which echoed a further avalanche elsewhere this month in which another man died.

Federico was an extreme sports enthusiast, with images posted on his social media showing the young man enjoying downhill mountain biking, surfing, climbing, and other pursuits. However, the engineer suffered a serious injury in 2019 and spent more than two years recovering.

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Federico loved nature and outdoor adventures(Image: Jam Press)

During Saturday’s ordeal, Federico and his friend were trapped under around 5.2ft (1.6m) of ice. The pal, who has not been named, miraculously broke free and alerted emergency services.

But the mountain rescue team arrived in two helicopters about half an hour later. It took a further 30 minutes to dig Federico out, it is understood. By this time, the university graduate had died.

Federico, who was a mechanical engineer, was particularly passionate about mountaineering. When, though, he hurt himself in an extreme sports accident in 2019, Federico wrote online: “Events sometimes happen with unimaginable speed: in a fraction of a second, you make a mistake, you realise your error, you try to correct it, you realise the attempt to correct it is futile, you hit the ground running, you feel your body no longer responding, the worst thoughts invade your brain, you’re back to square one.

“Time expands and contracts, demonstrating the relativity of its perception. The push comes from within, the desire to go back to doing what makes me feel alive. The push comes from the waves of affection from those around me.”

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The engineer was skiing off-piste when tragedy struck(Image: Jam Press)

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Tributes have been paid to Federico, who was from Italy

The tragedy in Marchkopf, which is near Hochfügen, part of the larger Zillertal ski region, follows another deadly avalanche. Kai Smart, 23, was caught in this disaster in Japan earlier this month. It left Kai in a coma, from which he sadly did not recover.

The man’s dad, John, posted on Instagram: “It is with immense sadness that we have to let you know that our kind, brave and beautiful son and brother Kai is no longer with us. We are beyond heartbroken and there are no words to describe the pain we are feeling losing him so young.

“Kai was a warrior, a mountain man, an explorer of the world, a lover of people of all walks of life, an inspiration to so many, an honour student, a passionate skier, surfer, dirt biker, climber, kitesurfer and so much more.”