An American skier who survived 48 hours on the Swiss Alps says he is "lucky to have survived". 

A small bandage on his left hand is the only visible trace of the adventure of 19-year-old American student Mark Doose -- in Switzerland for a semester abroad.

He survived more than 48 hours in the Swiss Alps after he slipped into a ravine after a snowstorm suddenly hit the mountains. 

"I knew that I had to keep moving in order to stay warm and to keep from freezing," he said.

Although he had two phones with him, he had run out of battery power and was unable to call for help. The only food he had was a clementine. He hiked. He was forced to cross several ponds -- one of which was neck deep.

He finally reached a road -- and he called for help 

"The first time I heard people responding, I mean that was the first time I'd talked to anyone in over 48 hours, so it was just incredible to hear people respond and to just see three people were just hiking, maybe a hundred meters in front of me, and they heard me, and everything was great after that. (Reporter: Did you tell yourself that you were I saved at last?) Yeah, once I saw those people, I knew that I would get out of there, yeah."

He suffered from hypothermia and exhaustion. His rescuers says he is lucky to be alive.

At least 11 people have died in the past five days in the Swiss Alps.