A skier allegedly buried by an inbounds avalanche at Stevens Pass Ski Resort in Washington was rescued after four hours beneath the snow, with his family crediting Apple’s Find My iPhone feature for directing ski patrol to his exact location.
According to a GoFundMe campaign started by the victim’s daughter, Lauren Harris, the man was at Stevens Pass alone on a powder day. Harris wrote that she was awakened by a wave of emergency texts and calls from family members, followed by a voicemail from her mother saying her father was missing.
Her mother had noticed that her father’s location on Find My iPhone had not moved for three hours and was attempting to drive up to the mountain after being unable to reach ski patrol directly. Harris was able to contact dispatch and provide identifying information, while her mother headed to the resort to show ski patrol the GPS coordinates on her phone. According to the campaign, patrol was waiting and ready when her mother arrived and moved quickly to locate the skier.
Ski patrol and EMS personnel confirmed that the man had been struck by an avalanche within the resort’s inbounds terrain and had been buried under the snow for four hours. He was found hypothermic, with a body temperature in the high 70s to very low 80s degrees Fahrenheit. Medical crews administered warm IV fluids on scene before transporting him to the emergency room, where a full trauma response was activated.
Imaging and labs revealed that the skier sustained a contusion of the lung, pneumonia, kidney injuries, and a right tibial plateau fracture. He is currently hospitalized having undergone surgery to his leg on Sunday, March 1st. His orthopedic provider has indicated a recovery window of approximately 14 to 16 weeks if the healing process goes well.
“I also went to give a big huge thank you to Stevens Pass ski patrol, EMS personnel, the nurses, doctors, PAs, RTs and all the hospital staff that have been all hands on deck to help aid my dad to get where he is now and help him on his way to recovery.” – Lauren Harris
The family has launched a GoFundMe to help offset medical costs and ongoing expenses, noting that her father is the household’s sole provider and is currently between jobs. The fundraiser can be found here.
