Billings, MT – As Montana braces for the first snow of the season, especially along I-90, forecasters are warning that early winter weather could make mountain passes slick and travel dangerous through the weekend. But imagine being trapped inside your car for two months, surviving only on handfuls of snow.
According to the Daily Mail, a 44-year-old Swedish man was discovered in February 2012 after surviving roughly 60 days snowed-in inside his car near the town of Umea in northern Sweden. Authorities said his vehicle became buried after a snowstorm on December 19, and he lived on snow alone as temperatures plunged to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts called his survival “extraordinary.” Some believe his body entered a hibernation-like state, slowing his metabolism, while others credited the “igloo effect” of the snow-covered car, which trapped enough warmth to keep him alive.
When rescuers found him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books nearby. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he suffered from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but miraculously survived.
With early snow already dusting Montana before Thanksgiving, state emergency officials urge drivers to pack winter survival kits with blankets, food, and water in their vehicles. As the Treasure State settles into another harsh winter season, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-90 for two months like he did?
