Seattle, WA – As Washington welcomes the first snows of the season, especially along I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, drivers are being warned to prepare for treacherous travel through the Cascades. 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 car became buried after a snowstorm on December 19, and he lived on snow alone as temperatures plunged to -30°C (-22°F).
Experts described his survival as “astonishing.” Some suggested 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 reached him, he was emaciated and barely conscious, wrapped in a sleeping bag with only cigarettes and comic books beside him. Doctors at Umea University Hospital confirmed he was suffering from severe hypothermia and malnourishment—but somehow survived.
With early snow hitting before Thanksgiving, Washington State Patrol and emergency managers are urging drivers to carry winter survival kits with blankets, food, and water when traveling over passes or rural routes. As the Evergreen State enters another cold and wet season, one chilling question remains: Could you survive stuck on I-90 for two months like he did?
