Terrifying moment former SAS sniper is caught in Everest avalanche during record summit attempt

He's a product of one of the most elite military units in the world, who has been trained to 'operate and thrive' in some of the most hostile conditions on the planet.

So, when Anthony 'Staz' Stazicker watched on as a terrifying avalanche came crashing down towards him while navigating Mount Everest's deadly Khumbu Icefall, he was strangely calm.

The 41-year-old was part of a team of vets tasked with making the summit in rapid time, and he was not going to return to the UK without success.

"We're not your average kind of climber or punter," the former sharp shooter said of his 'Mission Everest' crew, which consisted of hardened high-altitude mountaineer and pilot Major Garth Miller, 51, Veterans Minister and former Royal Marines officer Colonel Alistair Carns, 45, and former SAS operative Kevin Godlington, 49.

Although he emerged from it looking a bit like a 'yeti', the former SAS sniper handled the avalanche like a pro (Supplied)

The lads couldn't exactly afford to take a beat anyway, as they were on a mission to set a new world record by getting from London to Nepal, reaching the summit of Everest, and heading back home again in just seven days.

Scaling Everest at breakneck speed isn't for the fainthearted, though, as Staz told LADbible that the mentally and physically exhausting expedition could easily cost you your life.

This sunk in for the former SAS: Who Dares Wins star as he traversed the fearsome Khumbu Icefall, a tricky stretch situated just above Base Camp that has been the site of dozens of fatalities.

Staz, 41, has a decade of decorated service with the British Special Forces under his belt (Social media)

In Staz's words, the shifting glacier is 'very, very dangerous' - which is probably saying a lot, coming from a former chief sniper instructor and demolitions expert, who served in the SAS for a decade.

The father-of-three told LADbible: "Just shy of Camp One, maybe a couple of hours out from there, we got hit by a f***ing avalanche. Not ideal."

And thanks to the group's cameraman, Sandro, this heart-stopping moment was captured on film.

Take a look at the extraordinary footage here:

The military men were attached to a fixed line when they first began to sense the snow slipping, meaning that even if they wanted to run for their lives, they couldn't go anywhere in a rush.

"We just hear a huge crack to our left - and we can hear them happening around the mountain - but we heard this huge crack," Staz said. "And we're like, 'F**k'. We looked up, and there it was.

"Right in our path, this huge avalanche just sliding down the mountain towards us.

"And at that point, you do the obvious - look the other way. Where can I run? I can't run. There's a big crevasse, I'm attached to the line and it's going to hit us in about 20 seconds.

"So we have to take a knee and try and brace onto the rope."

The Khumbu Icefall is a notoriously tricky thoroughfare situated 5,000ft up Mount Everest (Getty)

Staz recalled how he and his crew all instinctively 'hit the deck', before adding in jest: "It was probably our military background coming in. I was trying to dig a hole with my chin to get into the snow."

"It lasted about 30 to 40 seconds," the ThruDark boss said of being swallowed by the unstoppable wall of snow and ice. "It feels like you're in a wave, like the ocean coming over you.

"We can still breathe. It's just about trying to remain calm. Generally, what happens is people get buried - and at that point it’s very, very difficult to find your way out of that.

"But thankfully, it just passed straight through and over us. We all sort of stood up after you hear us all sort of laughing and we all just look like yetis. So yeah, it was kind of cool…"

The Mission Everest crew completed the fastest ascent of the mammoth mountain in history (Supplied)

In footage shot moments after the avalanche hit, in true SAS-style, Staz told the camera: "We managed to get caught up in a small avalanche.

"Thankfully, it just passed straight through us and over us - covered us - but yeah, we're quite lucky. Live to fight another day. Fortune favours the brave."

Staz and his elite SAS squad summited Mount Everest on the morning of 21 May before landing back in London on 23 May.

They reached the peak of the nearly 30,000ft mountain in just four days and 18 hours, about seven weeks faster than the average climber.

The incredible feat was down to months of relentless training, endless nights of kipping in a hypoxic tent, and a quick trip to Germany to inhale some Xenon gas, which meant they were tailored to the altitude before they even arrived.