A man has explained how his phone saved his life after he fell 15ft into a crevasse while he was snowboarding off-piste.
Tim Blakey had been alone snowboarding in Switzerland when the ground gave way beneath him and he fell.
"Somehow I managed to land on a snow bridge," he said as he appeared on Good Morning Britain today. "It was the same size as my board.
"For the first few moments I tried to call out for help... it was after four or five minutes that I realised that no one was coming."
Speaking to hosts Kate Garraway and Adil Ray, he said that he had an "intermittent 3G connection" and the battery on his phone was on just 3%.
After attempting to message a friend, he remembered a 'five-click function' on his phone.
"I remember hearing about this five-click function, which will automatically dial emergency services," he said. "It was so efficient - it didn't go via the UK, just went straight to Switzerland. Spoke to the emergency services in Switzerland. The telephone operator was very helpful, obviously..."
Kate interjected: "So they picked up and spoke to you?"
"They picked up and spoke to me," he said.
Getting out his phone, Tim demonstrated how to do it on your phone using the power button.
He clicked it five times and the phone asked whether emergency help is needed.
A rescue volunteer, Michael Schwarz, had been at the ski resort of Saas-Fee when he received an emergency call, which gave Tim's location.
Michael led the rescue team and got a helicopter to take them to the spot near where Tim had fallen.
Tim also recalled seeing cracks in the ice as it had been a warm day, fearing that he didn't have much time until he fell again.
Thankfully, 45 minutes after Michael received the call, Tim was rescued and on his way to hospital.
The only injuries he sustained were an injured ligament to an ankle.
Speaking on Instagram, he said: "A week ago to this very minute my appreciation for life changed dramatically. Michael and his team quite literally saved my life. I am still clueless as to how I will ever repay him and the Swiss rescue services.
"Seventeen years snowboarding and the majority of those times spending a lot of the time solo and off-piste. Never solo again.
"The last thank you is to Apple [and] their side button five click to emergency services – especially great when your screen is constantly being dripped on."
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV
