iPod saves lives

[Lilred]

iPod Saves Lost Touristsby Kraig Becker Dec 29th 2008 @ 12:01PM

Two men, one a skier the other a snowboarder, were lost in the Swiss Alps earlier this week after leaving marked runs at the ski resort of Savognin. They faced a long, cold night outdoors, but were later rescued by an eagle-eyed SAR team who spotted them from the air thanks to the faint glow of the screen of an iPod.

According to this story over at Gizmodo, the men attempted to call for help using their cell phone, but the battery died, forcing search and rescue teams to comb the mountain looking for them. With temperatures dropping down to -15º C (5º F), the situation could have become very serious as the night wore on, but thanks to their handy MP3 player, the two Frenchmen were able to signal the passing helicopter. In the end, they suffered only minor hypothermia, and were probably back on the slopes, skiing out of bounds, again the next day.

My iPod has become part of my essential travel gear over the past few years. It's saved me on many long flights, and has proven to be worth every penny time and time again. I never considered it to truly be survival gear for the backcountry however. Apple should sign these guys up for a commercial with a tagline that simply says: "iPod: It Saves Lives!"

[daibutsu]

Maybe if they brought along a spare battery for the phone rather than an I-pod they could have called off an expensive helicopter ride that they probably got for free.

[sherrill]

That, and staying in the marked areas. S&R folks will tell you this is their biggest headache with skiers/snowboarders.

[brooklynkayak]

IPods also cause the loss of lives.
I know many cases.
One was a jogger wearing an IPod that didn't hear the car coming that ran over her.
Another was the subway commuter right in front of me that got splattered by the train when he hung his head over the platform as the train came into the station. If he hadn't been wearing his headphones, he would have heard the train coming.

I wonder about this on the trail? Maybe you wouldn't hear the oncoming danger as it approaches, a rattle snake rattle, falling rocks, a rusttle in the trees, ...

[Frosty]

IPods also cause the loss of lives.
I know many cases.
One was a jogger wearing an IPod that didn't hear the car coming that ran over her.
Another was the subway commuter right in front of me that got splattered by the train when he hung his head over the platform as the train came into the station. If he hadn't been wearing his headphones, he would have heard the train coming.

I wonder about this on the trail? Maybe you wouldn't hear the oncoming danger as it approaches, a rattle snake rattle, falling rocks, a rusttle in the trees, ...

For real. Between Springer and Blood Mountain in March 2006 I counted at least 14 bodies on the side of the trail. I don't know how they died but they all had their ear buds still in place.

[Lilred]

For real. Between Springer and Blood Mountain in March 2006 I counted at least 14 bodies on the side of the trail. I don't know how they died but they all had their ear buds still in place.

LOLOL Wow, post something about how a gadget can save a life and y'all jump on these folks over what they should or should not have done. Lighten up. How many people carry an extra battery for their cell phone? I bet no one.

[Sly]

IPods also cause the loss of lives.
I know many cases.
One was a jogger wearing an IPod that didn't hear the car coming that ran over her.
Another was the subway commuter right in front of me that got splattered by the train when he hung his head over the platform as the train came into the station. If he hadn't been wearing his headphones, he would have heard the train coming.
.

Sounds like BS to me. People do get run over without having an Ipod. I've used an MP3 player and could hear outside noises fine, including rattlesnakes.

[Sly]

LOLOL Wow, post something about how a gadget can save a life and y'all jump on these folks over what they should or should not have done. Lighten up. How many people carry an extra battery for their cell phone? I bet no one.

I think Frosty was being facetious.

[HikerRanky]

That's a very interesting story there LilRed.... good job there!

As far as Ipod deaths go, I'm sure that it has happened.... As I am sure that there are daydreaming deaths, drunks walking in front of something bigger than themselves, mad people, and people just in a hurry that don't pay attention to their surroundings... Just goes to show us that technology is both good and bad.

Randy

[Spider]

Try a flashlight? Maybe an orange vest? In my opinion, the outdoors has no place for an iPod.

[Lilred]

I think Frosty was being facetious.

I know he was Sly, that's what I was laughing about. It was the previous posters I was referring too. Frosty almost made me spew my coffee

[Sly]

Try a flashlight? Maybe an orange vest? In my opinion, the outdoors has no place for an iPod.

Of course, you're entitled to your own opinion but if you like hiking and you like music, it's a great combination.

Too frequently when people object to music on the trail, they have visions of the hiker listening 24/7, not being able to hear what's around them etc. It's not like that. Often, it's uncanny, and music fits in with the surroundings ideally.

[KG4FAM]

Try a flashlight? Maybe an orange vest? In my opinion, the outdoors has no place for an iPod.

no place for an iPod in a standard list like 10 essentials. Its nice to have some music, but I wouldn't be putting it in my pack thinking "this is for entertainment and when I have to signal for a rescue"

[snaplok]

There's no need to fear, Ipod is here.
Plus a lot of opinions on the evils of using one. I think if you're doing hazardous things like running in traffic or leaning over a train platform while wearing one, its kinda stupid to blame the device when things go wrong. Especially in a noisy city music players are usually your only escape. And I use noise isolation earphones that block out all sounds. I also walk the streets with them, either with one earpiece pulled out slightly or not in at all. Been doing that for the last 26 years or so.
But its kinda like saying cellphones are bad cause people don't use handsfree devices and they get into accidents. I see plenty of people talking away on them while driving which is illegal in NY, they do it anyway. So when they get into that accident, do you blame the phone or the idiot thinking the rules don't apply to them? I know, the phone made them do it.

[buckwheat]

... but thanks to their handy MP3 player, the two Frenchmen were able to signal the passing helicopter.

Someone want to explain to me how an MP3 player with a dead battery can be used to signal a passing helicopter?

I thought I'd seen fanboy-ism hit some peaks, but this one just summitted Everest.

[HikerRanky]

Someone want to explain to me how an MP3 player with a dead battery can be used to signal a passing helicopter?

I thought I'd seen fanboy-ism hit some peaks, but this one just summitted Everest.

If it is like mine, the case is aluminum, and the back is highly polished... It reflects very nicely....

[Tinker]

Someone want to explain to me how an MP3 player with a dead battery can be used to signal a passing helicopter?

I thought I'd seen fanboy-ism hit some peaks, but this one just summitted Everest.

The original post says that the cell phone battery was dead, and

The people in the helicopter saw the faint glow of the screen on the ipod.

[buckwheat]

The original post says that the cell phone battery was dead, and

The people in the helicopter saw the faint glow of the screen on the ipod.

Dude,

This is a piece of astroturf.

The cell-phone battery died, but in -15 degree temperatures, the battery in the iPod didn't die? It was strong enough for a helicopter, doing SAR work at night (huh?) to see it from altitude and rescue the guys?

And somehow, this is touted as the iPod saving lives?

Um ...

[Lilred]

Dude,

This is a piece of astroturf.

The cell-phone battery died, but in -15 degree temperatures, the battery in the iPod didn't die? It was strong enough for a helicopter, doing SAR work at night (huh?) to see it from altitude and rescue the guys?

And somehow, this is touted as the iPod saving lives?

Um ...

You don't think it's possible, that while they are using a cell phone to try and call help, the battery might have died? Or, maybe they left the cell phone on, and while it was searching for signal, the battery died? Happens a lot like that on the AT. And, if they hadn't been using the ipod, it would make sense that there was still battery power left. Just cause it's -15 degrees doesn't mean that the batteries are then rendered useless.

And if there is pitch blackness, as is often the case in the woods Yes, you'd be able to see the glow of a white light from the sky.

[Rockhound]

They should have rules! No hiking with Ipods, no hiking with dogs, no more than 4 people per group, no smoking, no drinking, no snoring, no fires, no guns, no knives more than 2 inches, no children, no adults over 65......on second thought, check that. Hike your own hike.