Talk about being left out in the cold! Snowboarder Dominik Podolsky was rescued recently after becoming stranded on a mountain in Hochzillertal, Austria. The boarder had been taking in a day on the slopes when he took a ski lift that wasn't scheduled for a return trip - leaving the 22 year old suspended above the snowy wilderness for six full hours. And the key to his survival? Burning the contents of his wallet - including a wad of cash!
When most of us think of a day on the slopes, we imagine a day full of fun, excitement and general chilling out. We don't, however, imagine that we'll spend half the night there too! When Dominik Podolsky managed to miss signs stating that the ski lift was a one-way trip, he boarded it in the hopes that he could snowboard his way back down. Unfortunately the lift was switched off mid-journey - with the snowboarder still sitting on it. Sitting ten metres above the ground and with night time temperatures reaching -18C, Dominik had to think fast. It was too high to jump, and so he decided to try to signal for help.
Using a cigarette lighter, the 22 year old went through all the items in his wallet and set fire to them - finishing up with his final 120 Euros. Thanks to a lucky turn of chance, a group of ski lift cleaners spotted the small blaze and came to Mr Podolsky's rescue. But only after he'd been fending off hyperthermia for over six hours! The snowboarder had previously been in the military, where he had learned various survival techniques designed to fight cold conditions and stay alive. Thankfully he is now back home safe, sound, and (perhaps more importantly) warm!