Skier rescued after night in blizzard

SEATTLE, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A man who was stranded by a blizzard while skiing at Olympic National Park in Washington survived the night by building a cave out of snow.

Randy Kraxberger, 53, used his cell phone to report his situation to park rangers Saturday afternoon before heavy winds and snow blocked his signal on Hurricane Hill, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Monday.

Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said teams of rescuers searched until midnight Saturday for the missing skier. Kraxberger said he waited out the night in a snow cave he created and emerged in the morning to find a cell phone signal.

Kraxberger was able to connect with rescuers Sunday morning and provided them with details of his location, the Post-Intelligencer said. Maynes said rescuers found Kraxberger at 1 p.m. Sunday and found him to be cold and hungry but in good physical condition.