A skier’s life was miraculously saved in Washington State after he was trapped under an avalanche for several hours, thanks to his wife’s intuition and a handy smartphone app. The incident unfolded when Michael Harris found himself engulfed in an avalanche while skiing at Big Chief Bowl in Stevens Pass.
As Harris recounted to FOX13 Seattle, his skis became wedged between two slabs, leaving him powerless against the avalanche’s force. In a stroke of luck, he managed to avoid colliding with a boulder and slid into a snow hole, which allowed him to remain upright despite being completely buried beneath the snow.
“The sensation was being encased in cement,” Harris described, reflecting on the harrowing experience.
His survival is owed largely to his wife, Penny, whose concern grew when her calls to him went unanswered. She was instrumental in his rescue, guided by her instincts and the assistance of the Find My iPhone app, which helped pinpoint his location.
Harris explained that although he could hear his phone ringing, the densely packed snow restricted his movements, making it impossible for him to reach his Apple Watch or the iPhone tucked away in his jacket pocket.
At some point, he said, his wife Penny called him, but the compact snow made it impossible for him to move his hands to access his Apple Watch or the iPhone in his jacket pocket.
“I’m a religious guy. I said God, I’m in trouble, I don’t know if anyone is going to know where I’m at, but I can’t get out of this on my own,” he said.
Michael Harris said he was caught in an avalanche while skiing Big Chief Bowl at Stevens Pass in Washington state last week. (Harris Family)
When he failed to answer, Penny Harris felt the urge to check his location through the Find My iPhone app, she told the outlet.
“You get a feeling something’s just not right,” she said. “I followed my intuition, saw his location, checked it a couple times and saw it wasn’t moving.”
Penny Harris said she then called the ski patrol and drove to Stevens Pass. Rescuers used the location tracked by the app to find Harris buried beneath several feet of snow.
Michael Harris suffered multiple injuries and underwent surgery. His family says he is recovering. (Harris Family)
Harris was rushed to a hospital for hypothermia, pneumonia, a contusion to his lung, injuries to his kidneys and a right tibial plateau fracture, his family said in a post on GoFundMe created to help with the medical bills.
He underwent surgery and is making a smooth recovery, becoming known around the hospital as “the miracle avalanche man,” his family said.
Harris credits his wife and the phone app for saving his life.
“I was inches away from the thing that could save my life, but I just couldn’t get there. And yet because she knew how to use ‘Find My iPhone’, I’m here today,” he told FOX13.
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