"I know it's a boring story," says Tom Murphy halfway through his tale of escaping death by the skin of his teeth.

I think Tom had mistaken my amazed silence for boredom. But in reality I was completely captivated by his story of survival.

Tom, a keen snowboarder from Sutton, had been riding his board alone in the French ski resort of Les Deux Alpes on February 28.

Conditions on the mountain were clear that day, unlike the rest of the week, which had seen some heavy storms.

The former Epsom and Ewell High School pupil had been an avid snowboarder since he had worked in America where he developed a passion for the sport.

But for some reason he found himself off the marked track, and instead of heading back, he decided to press on down the slope hoping he'd recognise where he was.

"I think if I regret anything it's that I should never have gone off alone. I shouldn't have carried on down not knowing where I would end up," explains Tom.

While on his way down the slope disaster struck and Tom found himself engulfed in an avalanche, tumbling over and over in a thick body of snow.

"I felt the snow fall away under my legs and then I was just being thrown over and over. I felt like I was in a tidal wave and I was engulfed in snow from head to toe. I was tumbling around like I was in a washing machine. It felt like I was drowning and every time I saw some blue sky, I would gulp for air. The whole thing must have taken about 20 or 30 seconds, but it seemed like longer.

"I thought this is it. I was going to be killed, or paralysed or have some broken bones. But when I eventually stopped falling I was OK, I hadn't broken anything."

By now Tom was soaked and had no idea where he was. Worried he was going to be trapped in freezing conditions on the 5,000ft mountain he decided to press on to see if he could reach help.

"I came across this drop. And I couldn't see how far down it reached."

"I sat on the ledge for ages. I knew that I had to keep going. But I didn't know how far down the drop would be. I kept coming up with all these crazy ideas, like taking off all my clothes and making a rope I could climb down.

"I sat on the ledge and I wrote some text messages to my family and friends. I didn't have any signal. I thought to myself I might end up paralysed but I had to do it."

Crossing his fingers Tom somehow found the courage to launch himself off the ledge. And for the second time that day his luck was in - he landed on a small section of snow.

"There were rocks all around. But I managed to land in this one patch of snow. If I'd fallen differently I'd have broken something."

Tom pressed on but againcame across another deep chasm. Fighting back his fear he risked his life and jumped.

But this time he wasn't so lucky. He survived the fall, landing on a small ledge, but he broke his coccyx.

Sitting in the bitter cold, Tom again turned to his mobile phone.

"All the time I was up there I wasn't thinking about money, or my job or anything, I just kept thinking about my family. About how I would never see them again and that was all I wanted to do.

"I wrote some text messages, I didn't have any signal, so I could save them on the phone."

After more agonising Tom closed his eyes and went to risk one more jump.

But as he moved forward the strap of his snowboard caught on a rock.

"I just saw it as a sign. I thought I'd survived an avalanche and two falls and something was telling me not to jump. I found out later that I was about 1,500 metres above sea level."

By this time it was getting dark, but Tom could make out a tiny road, and cars passing up and down it. In the hope of attracting one with the light from his mobile phone Tom began to wave it around. All of a sudden he saw he had a phone signal on a French network.

"I called my mate who had travelled to France with Tom. And at first he didn't believe me. He thought I was joking. I was getting so annoyed. It was only when he heard in my voice was crying telling him he knew I wasn't joking."

Thankfully Tom's school friend Elliott Garrett was able to get hold of French rescue services. Working out where Tom was from his description of the road a helicopter found him and plucked him off the mountain.

"I remember how loud the helicopter was, how it pushed me against the mountain. It was like something out of a film. He just picked me up and pulled me onto this winch. And then the helicopter bought back down to the road.

"I gave the man that rescued me this big hug. And then me and Elliott were stood there in the road crying. And Elliott is not an emotional guy - go on, put that in the paper."

Tom's now back at work. But he says the experience has left its mark.

"I'm finding it a bit difficult to concentrate on things. I keep daydreaming. I keep thinking back to the mountain."

Despite this, and a promise made to his dad, Tom still isn't ruling out snowboarding again.

"I did sort of tell my dad I would give it up, but I don't know. I probably won't do it this year. But I'm an adrenaline junkie. So maybe I'll be back."