This is the dramatic moment friends rescued a young woman skier buried upside down in an avalanche.

Footage shows two men digging the hapless skier free from the snowy mass after she was swept off a slope by the snowslide at the Priiskovy resort in Khakasia, Russia.

The lads, standing on waist-deep snow, can be seen using shovels and their hands to remove the accumulated powder on November 13.

Moments later, they pulled the woman out after freeing her head and upper body.

She did not sustain any serious injuries but expressed that she was terrified while trapped under the avalanche.

Local media reported that heavy snowfall has hit Priiskovy for several days, with a month's worth of snow falling overnight in places.

Snowdrifts have reached up to one metre (3.2 ft) high, and cars near homes have been buried up to their roofs. Consequently, the snow has become increasingly heavy on the slopes.

Across Khakasia, strong snowfalls continue with gusty winds of up to 22 metres per second (72 ft per second).