I've read about quite a few documented survival cases of shot down pilots during WWII landing without a parachute. Pretty much all of them had the same scenario

I've read about quite a few documented survival cases of shot down pilots during WWII landing without a parachute. Pretty much all of them had the same scenario: landing site was a steep slope covered in snow. Snow helped cushion the initial impact, and the rest of the kinetic energy was dissipated during the roll to the bottom of the slope.