A free-falling drone nearly crashed into one of the world's best skiers in the middle of a race

Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher narrowly avoided what would have been a scary and somewhat surreal accident during the World Cup slalom in Italy when a drone came tumbling out of the sky and crashed into the mountain right as Hirscher flew past.

Here's video (via Nick Zaccardi):

Hirscher still managed to take second in the event, which is pretty good when you also have to stave off stray, out-of-control drones mid-race.

Hirscher seemed to take the near-decapitation lightly, posting an Instagram afterward with the caption, "Heavy air traffic in Italy":

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See the full video on YouTube:

Photos of the event and the drone crash aftermath: