Kiwi’s life saved by his phone
Snowboarder dodges death after falling into crevasse in Swiss Alps
ANew Zealander who plummeted almost 5m down a hidden crevasse while snowboarding alone off-piste has revealed how his iPhone — with just 3 per cent battery power — saved his life.
Tim Blakey, 41, was snowboarding in the Swiss Alps near Zermatt last month when he fell through a metrewide crevasse.
His fall was only stopped when he landed on a fragile snow bridge.
Blakey realised his phone’s SOS function would alert emergency services and give his location.
Apple’s recent-model iPhone allows users to send an SOS by pressing the power button five times in quick succession.
Users then get an eight-second countdown asking whether they want to continue with the call.
Unless they cancel the call, it will contact the local emergency number.
Any emergency contacts in the user’s phone will then be sent a text message giving the caller’s location.
Blakey had to move “very, very carefully” to get his battery booster out of his backpack so his phone would stay on long enough for rescuers to find him.
“It was 20 minutes before I got hold of the emergency services and they told me not to move,” he told the Daily Mail.
Blakey’s SOS call was received at the ski resort of Saas-Fee and rescue volunteer Michael Schwarzl assembled a rescue team and organised a helicopter to get to the stricken snowboarder.
Just 45 minutes later, Blakey had been pulled from the crevasse and was on his way to hospital.
He had a minor ankle injury but was otherwise unscathed. The London-based physio and trainer shared his survival story on Instagram this week.
“My appreciation for life changed dramatically,” he said.
“This past week has been a wave of emotions and introspection and I’ve not really known what to do with this experience.
“Michael and his team quite literally saved my life. I am still clueless as to how I will ever repay him and Swiss Rescue services. But I assure you I am working on it.”
Blakey posted a photo of himself and his rescuer after the ordeal.
He said the first step to thanking the team was “bringing awareness to the amazing job these guys do on the mountain” and “awareness to others to not be as careless as I was”.
“Seventeen years snowboarding, and the majority of those times spending a lot of the time solo and off-piste,” he said.
“Never solo again. No matter how experienced you think you are, it is no joke.
“I was lured into a false sense of security, which also led me to be very blase about researching the areas I snowboard.”
Blakey also thanked Apple for the SOS function on its phones.
“And to the [internet] service provider for giving me 3G connection and 3 per cent battery 5m below the ice.
“The alternative to this has been keeping me up at night, to say the least.”
Schwarzl, who has been a mountain rescuer for 25 years, spoke to the Daily Mail about the rescue.
“He was very lucky to have phone signal.
“Three days later, I attended a similar rescue nearby, but the person fell 100ft and died.”