iPhone Saved Skier's Life After Avalanche Buried Him for Hours in the Snow
It all came down to an iPhone.
That’s according to the family of Michael Harris, a skier who, at Stevens Pass, Washington, got trapped in the aftermath of an avalanche for four hours last week.
Speaking with Fox 13Seattle, his wife, Penny, said that she had the urge to check her husband’s location through the “Find My iPhone” feature. The Apple program shows the location of devices and, if you like, family and friends.
“You get a feeling something’s just not right," Penny told the outlet. "I followed my intuition, saw his location, checked it a couple times, and saw it wasn’t moving."
Keep reading for more.
The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.
SEASTOCK/Getty Images
Harris had been skiing in the Big Chief Bowl area of Stevens Pass, a place he visited many times before, when the avalanche hit. He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket when his wife called him, but he couldn’t move under the snow.
Penny notified ski patrol and drove up to Stevens Pass to wait. Lauren, Harris’ daughter, shared her side of the story in a GoFundMe post.
“I woke up to several SOS texts and calls from family members. What stood out to me was the frantic voicemail my mom left me saying she needed me to get ahold of her immediately,” she wrote.
Her mom told her that her dad was missing. Lauren’s heart sank, and she felt like she was going to vomit. But using his iPhone’s location, Stevens Pass ski patrol was able to find Harris.
Stevens Pass
Lauren wrote that he had hypothermia and suffered a contusion of his lung, pneumonia, injuries to his kidneys, and a right tibial plateau fracture. He had reportedly survived the avalanche for "four hours", according to Lauren.
“It is a true miracle that he survived and didn’t sustain life-altering or life-threatening injuries. I have been thanking God since the incident that he is still here with us,” she wrote.
Miracle, indeed. According to the Utah Avalanche Center, 93 percent of avalanche victims survive if they’re pulled from the snow within the first 15 minutes. But as time passes, survival rates drop quickly. After two hours pass, almost no one survives.
In another GoFundMe update, Penny wrote that Harris had undergone a “tibial plateau fracture repair that included a bone graft, some screws, and plates.”
She added that at the hospital, Harris had become “quite the celebrity” and earned the nickname “miracle avalanche man.”
Harris’ family started the GoFundMe to help cover medical costs and additional bills. So far, it’s raised almost $30,000.
“Thank you to all of the friends and family that have reached out, sending their thoughts, love, and prayers,” Lauren wrote. “We see you, we hear you, and we love you all so much.”