This is the dramatic moment a helicopter pilot rescues an injured hiker - by sticking the chopper's nose into a snow covered mountain.

Rescue workers flew to the mountain in the Haute Savoie region in France on January 2 after climber Bruno Tauziet dislocated his knee.

The treacherous conditions prevented the aircraft from landing, so they were forced into an impressive manoeuvre called 'skate support'.

Video taken by one of the hiking group shows how a large spear attached to the front of helicopter pierces the mountainside, allowing the rescue workers to park safely and pick up the victim.

Bruno's friend, Nicolas Derely, said: ''There was a 1,000 metre vertical drop on the mountain, cloudy conditions and very hard snow. There were six of us in the group.

''Bruno was exhausted and could not perform all of the steps correctly. I tried to patiently talk him through all of the manoeuvres over the mountain pass.

''But he slipped and screamed in brutal pain. He was facing the slope with the leg twisted at the knee. I unhooked him, and he yelled that he had dislocated his knee.

''He was unable to stand and screamed in pain. There were strong winds, so I covered him with my jacket.

''Miraculously, there were four bars on my phone signal so I called for help.''

Helicopter pilot Jean-Francois Martin, 46, performed the rescue at an altitude of 2,200 metres

He said: ''The mountain weather is extremely changeable and that can prohibit us from intervention if we arrived a few minutes later.

''The choice was made by the team to do a 'skate support' so as to be as fast as p