Chicago College Student Survives 2 Days Lost in the Swiss Alps
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ewastudio/iStock/Thinkstock(BERN, Switzerland) — A college student from Chicago who was lost for two days in the Swiss Alps described his rescue after getting lost in a snowstorm.
Mark Doose said he fell about 114 feet into a ravine while trying to follow ski lift supports down a mountain.
In an interview with Eurovision, Doose said he made some quick decisions once he knew he was lost.
“In my head, I said if I stop moving then I might not start moving,” he said. “That was the main thing – to stay moving.”
Over the next two days, Doose built a snow cave, waded through an ice cold river three times, and climbed out of the ravine.
Doose yelled for five hours for help and – two days after he lost his way – he was found by a passer-by.
“When they first answered me that was just incredible,” Doose said. “To have someone responding after not talking to anyone and having anyone hearing me for almost two and a half days – so that was definitely pretty emotional.”
Rescue crews airlifted Doose off the Alps on Sunday. He was transported to a hospital in the Bernese Alps with mild hypothermia.
Christian Reber – the man responsible for the rescue team – said in French, “It was not only his good physical condition but also his mental strengths which helped him out to survive.”
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