US Teen Found In Alps - A 19-year-old from Chicago, who is attending university in Swizerland, got lost while skiing on Sunday and miraculously survived for 48 hours without any shelter or equipment on the freezing Swiss Alps, before he was rescued on Tuesday.
Mark Doose, a former boy scout, has revealed that he got lost on Sunday while skiing off-piste near the Les Diablerets resort in southern Swizerland.
He told the local press that he was following pylons of the chairlift to make his way to the bottom of the mountain when he was caught in a snow storm and eventually fell into a ravine after losing one of his skis.
"Once I was in the ravine, I pretty much knew that the only way I was going to get out at that point was to keep hiking down the ravine," Doose said.
While Vaud police say Doose was well prepared - as far as his clothing goes - the teenager reportedly lost his only means of communicating - his phone - in the ravine. Doose, who reportedly spent Monday night in an igloo he built, says he tried to stay warm by being active.
"I crossed through three small ponds," Doose reveals."The first one was up to my knees in water, and then the second one was to about my waist, the third one was to my neck."
Eventually, Doose reached the end of the ravine and met a waterfall. Luckily, he was able to climb out of the water. He says he heard dogs barking in the distance and spent hours yelling at the top of his voice; hoping that someone would hear and come to his rescue. Eventually, he was found and rescued.
A police statement said "The man was found conscious, in a state of hypothermia and exhaustion, and stuck waist-deep in the thick blanket of snow."
Besides just a few frostbites and sore muscles, Doose was reportedly fine. Nonetheless, he was transported via a helicopter to a medical facility for checkup.
The story of the US teen found in the Alps has made the headline in many local and international publications. Reports indicate that several people have died due to avalanches in Switzerland over the past week. Authorities have cautioned people against skiing off-piste.
