A 72-year-old Hawaii skier suffered two broken legs, then survived a night in the frigid mountains of New Zealand by fighting to stay awake and exercising his arms to avoid hypothermia, a New Zealand newspaper reports.
Kamehameha Heights resident Toby Kravet, president of the Hawaii Ski Club, "lives for skiing," his friend Geof Chu told the Star-Advertiser. "He goes every year to New Zealand. This is a yearly ritual for him."
While skiing alone Sunday at Treble Cone resort, South Island’s largest slopes, Kravet got lost, and police expressed "grave concerns" when he missed his bus back to Queenstown, The Press reported online Monday at stuff.co.nz.
A helicopter search using night-vision equipment failed to find Kravet that night, and the search resumed at daybreak Monday.
With the aid of a helicopter, volunteers found Kravet at 8:20 a.m. well outside the ski boundary, in the Gottleibs Saddle area of Wanaka.
According to the newspaper, Kravet got onto a chairlift at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
"When he got off to the top, the visibility was so poor he turned left instead of right and ended up ‘just traversing’ well outside the ski area boundary," The Press said.
He skied into a snowdrift, where he broke his legs. The Press reported the breaks are believed to be in his lower legs, and Kravet spent the night in that spot in below-freezing temperatures.
The Press reported that a bus driver alerted authorities that Kravet was a no-show when the resort closed at 4:30 p.m.
Chu, who snowboards while Kravet skis, describes him as an avid but conservative skier.
He goes to Utah for six weeks every winter, but that’s not enough for him, Chu said.
"He can’t get his fill skiing in the winter, so he goes to New Zealand, where summer is winter in the Southern Hemisphere," he said. "He’s like the Energizer bunny."
Typically, Kravet is on the lift at 8:30 a.m. and is one of the last to come down the mountain, Chu said.
ANITA Hodges, a member of the 120-member Hawaii Ski Club, said she saw Kravet the day before he left on his two-week trip.
"He was so excited," she said. "This was his 17th year of going skiing in New Zealand. He goes by himself, even though I tell him, ‘Don’t do it.’"
Hodges said Kravet is also an avid runner and hiker. "He’s a real hardy person," she said.
Kravet has served as president of the ski club for four or five years, Hodges said.
"He’s a great skier and he’s lots of fun," she said. "There are lots of Toby stories we wouldn’t repeat or have published."
Chu said he hopes Kravet will be able to join the club on its rip to Canada in January.
"It’s a while yet," he said. "I’m sure he’ll recover."
