Marc Gisin was airlifted to hospital after a heavy crash during the men's FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup downhill at Val Gardena on Saturday.

The 30-year-old lost his footing ahead of a jump and landed hard on his side, with the blow appearing to knock him unconscious.

Gisin, who crashed in Kitzbuhel in January 2015 and sustained a concussion and a bleed on the brain, was treated on the snow before being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Bolzano.

"Marc is awake and his condition is stable. He was unconscious for a very long time," Gisin's sister Michelle, who is also an alpine skier, told Blick.

Reigning women's overall champion Mikaela Shiffrin and Alexis Pinturault wished Gisin well via social media.