A 36-year-old Swiss man survived falling into a crevasse while snowboarding at the Mount Titlis ski area in the canton of Obwalden over the weekend.

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The victim, from Solothurn, fell about 25 metres when a “bridge” of snow gave way on an un-groomed slope at the resort shortly after noon on Saturday, cantonal police said.

Another snowboarder alerted Titlis Rescue officials who initiated an operation to extricate the victim.

Members of Alpine Rescue Switzerland from Engelberg, cantonal police officers and the Rega rescue service were also involved.

A Rega helicopter and one from Heli Gothard helped with the rescue, which took three and a half hours, police said.

The snowboarder, who was only slightly injured from the fall, was flown by Rega to a hospital for treatment, police added.

A total of 19 people were involved in the rescue.

Titlis, already famous for its revolving cable car, made international news recently when it opened the world's highest suspension bridge.

The narrow foot bridge, at an elevation of around 3,020 metres, has also been billed as the planet's scariest, strung more than 450 metres above a glacier.

Titlis is advertised as the highest-elevation glacier ski and snowboarding area in Switzerland.

The snowboarding accident, highlights the risks of using glacier pistes.

It occurred a day after heavy snowfall in the region caused five traffic accidents and blocked several roads.