Freuchen was buried by an avalanche and suffered severe frostbite on his foot. Remembering that natives use frozen dog feces to make tools, Freuchen quickly moved his own bowels, froze the feces, and crafted a chisel to dig his way out.
On the way back to camp, he was saved by Inuits who told him to bite off his frostbitten toes. He instead knocked them off with a hammer.