A deadly avalanche in Nepal on Sunday killed at least nine people, but from that tragic accident comes a truly inspiring story.

Canadian adventurer Greg Hill, who was in Nepal, free-skiing, is known to have achieved some incredible things in his life. Notably he has climbed and skied 2m feet in a year and planted over a million trees.

But it's Hill's actions this weekend that make him a hero. He was on Mount Manaslu at 4am, in the pitch black, when the avalanche hit: a massive crash of snow, ice and debris an estimated 700m wide that swept the mountaineers and their camps 300m down the mountain. (One adventurer later described the scene as "a war zone".)

Hill survived the avalanche and then climbed back up the mountain to rescue famous free-skier Glen Plake from a crevasse and help save several others. That's heroic stuff.

Here's a video of Hill relaxing on an normal afternoon:

Sources: CBC, AP, Daily Mail, Vancouver Sun, Vanity Fair, EpicTV