Lost skiers fought off wolves to stay alive: brother

[CHIMO]

Source: CBC News

A Montreal couple lost in the B.C. backcountry had to fight off wolves, eat leaves, and build shelters to stay alive as they waited nearly 10 days to be rescued, the brother of the man who survived told CBC News.

Marie-Josée Fortin, 44, died before help arrived on Feb. 24. Her husband, Gilles Blackburn, 51, was treated for frostbite and exposure and released from hospital Wednesday, just 24 hours after flagging down the helicopter that rescued him.

The couple got lost while skiing out of bounds at the Kicking Horse Resort near Golden on Feb. 15.

Yvon Blackburn told CBC News his brother had gone to B.C. with his wife for a romantic Valentine's getaway and ended up lost in the snowy mountains with no food or shelter. He said at one point his brother had to fight off wolves with his skis in order to survive.


Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/02/26/rescue.html

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RCMP admit failure to search for missing skiers was mistake
Last Updated: Thursday, February 26, 2009 | 12:37 PM PT

[mikelgb]

1. why do I immediately suspect foul play?

[luvspeas]

3. I suspect bad judgement

They never would have gotten lost if they had stayed where they were supposed to. No matter where I have been in the entire world, people just can't seem to keep on a path. I've seen people get stung, fall, get lost, slide, get stuck on ledges, provoke animals and destroy sensitive natural areas just because they can't seem to follow the rules and have to "go see what's over there."

[Aviation Pro]

6. Oh, they were aware of the rules....

...every off trail, off piste area I've ever skiied comes with a warning that states, "you are responsible for your own actions if you choose to ski here."

But that's what free will is all about.

[KT2000]

9. You are not kidding

had the pleasure of touring an island where the majority of sea birds of Puget Sound nest.We had a wood walkway we were instructed to stay on because there could have been ground nesters. Sure enough a lady just had to stand OFF the wood walkway. At least she got yelled at by the Fish & Wildlife man.

[uppityperson]

37. Protection Island?

that is very neat that you were allowed on there, if that was where you went, as usually boats aren't allowed to land.

Glad she got scolded.

[KT2000]

42. Yes - was a volunteer

at the Dungeness Spit. All the volunteers were treated to a trip there.

[uppityperson]

44. That would be really fun. I've only been around it in a scout boat yrs back.

Do we know each other? There is a female DUer from over that way, we met at a function in PT several yrs back. I don't think you are she but can't remember her username here either.

[KT2000]

48. We have not met

in person but we have communicated on DU before.
We went to Protection Island at the end of summer. Since the birds have differing nesting times, they reuse each other's nests. I have to tell you - it is full of bird poo - seeing it from a scout boat may be the best way.

[uppityperson]

63. Thanks, my memory for names is quite short these days.

Volunteering on Sequim Spit sounds like a good thing to do too.

[DS1]

41. beats the shit out of me

why DO you immediately suspect foul play?

[wordpix]

56. I found the kids' not hearing from parents for 9 days, & not reporting it odd

Parents go on vacation Feb. 14 - kids report them MIA when they don't return 9 days later. If I were away from my kids, I'd call them when I got to the vacation place, and then keep in touch throughout. Especially when one of the kids is 17 y.o.---a minor.

[LisaL]

58. Why, indeed?

I fail to see any reason as to why you'd suspect foul play.

[dysfunctional press]

65. for the same reason i did, perhaps?

i'm a cynical fuck with little regard for human nature.

[mikelgb]

2. dupe

[xchrom]

4. IF this can be proven -- it would be an extemely rare

occurrance of wolves 'attacking' humans.

it's one of those things that rarely occurs.

[Scout]

5. i have doubts about that too

i'm just glad that the wolves weren't killed

[Raine]

67. Same here

that part I don't believe at all.

[ladywnch]

19. I'm wondering if they were trying to get to the corpse and he was

fighting them off for that rather than trying to attack him

[Svafa]

24. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the wolf aspect

of the story was an embellishment. However it is not unheard of for wolves to attack humans. Predatory attacks have happened when prey is scarce. Also, wolves that are injured or sick (especially with illnesses like rabies) have also been known to attack humans. So it is possible, but very unlikely.

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/pubs/techpubs/research_pdfs/techb13p1.pdf

It's much more likely that these people just wanted to spice up their story.

[Abacus]

45. Yes, the man lost his wife and threw in the bit about the wolves just for kicks.

:eyes:

[tabasco]

49. You think that's impossible?

You must not keep up with the news.

The fucker probably murdered his wife.

[LisaL]

59. What news? You got no clue.

[Doremus]

60. And an even more rare occurrence would be a lone man fending off attacking wolves with nothing more

than snow skiis.

Sounds more like a movie plot than reality. :shrug:

[Tashca]

7. I call BS on the Wolf story

Yes....it makes for an exciting story, but I don't for one second believe these people were threatened by wolves....
That would be highly unusual...

[bertman]

12. I love wolves, have read many, many books about them, seen the movies, seen the

documentaries, but I still cannot believe that a top-line predator like a wolf (wolfpack) will not attack humans who appear helpless or defenseless. After all, we are just meat on the hoof if we cannot protect ourselves. And wolves are extremely efficient hunters.

As for the undocumented attacks, I have always suspected that wolves learned hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago not to attack groups of humans because humans were usually well-armed and could inflict casualties on the wolf or pack. On the other hand, singles or pairs of people in the wilderness with no means to fend off an attack would likely become food and very little would be left by the wolves or other scavengers once the wolves were done.

And, by the way, only survivors report attacks.

[Lost in CT]

40. Shhh... wolves are harmless they are like cute cuddly bears. nt

[ozone_man]

16. My BS trigger went off too.

They really don't want anything to do with humans.

[LostinVA]

31. Me too -- this isn't the USS Indianapolis and sharks -- MAJOR BS!

[MrsBrady]

52. wolves normally don't bother humans

however wolves are cunning.

and if they are hungry and you are either injured or an easy target or both...
you could be dinner.

Yes, they are wonderful awesome creatures.
They are hunters.
That doesn't make them bad. It just makes them a wild animal looking out for dinner.

Seems to me that man is lucky to be alive.

[wordpix]

55. there are wolves there - this being the Can. Rockies - & they're hungry in winter

The group was not attacked; story is they could be heard close at night. I think it's believable.

[ronnie624]

61. Below the article is this correction:

Corrections and Clarifications

* The lost skiers did not actually use skis to fight off wolves, as originally reported. However, the man who survived, Gilles Blackburn, was more frightened of wolves than anything else while lost and cut the basket off the bottom of his ski pole so he could defend himself if the wolves approached too closely, his brother said. Wolves came "very close" to the skiers, according to his brother, Yvon Blackburn.

[Tashca]

66. Now that I can believe.....nt

[Raine]

68. That set off my BS meter

immediately, I just don't believe that part of it at all. x(

[MichaelHarris]

8. Bear Gyylls would have eaten the wolves

and then make hackey sacks out of their nut bags.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

15. Bear Grylls : charlatan

He would have spent the night in a ski lodge.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS317&q=bear+grylls+fake+&btnG=Search

[Lucky Luciano]

22. I would be disappointed if that is true!

I love watching his show because I love adventure travel in places that are hard to get to - it is what I live for....bummed out that the recession forces me to watch rather than do...though I did go to Patagonia in December - LOVED IT! Even if he is a fraud, he is not a complete fraud and it is a very fun show to watch.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

27. The unfortunate part about it is

he could probably survive just fine anyway. I get the impression he is probably an expert in bushcraft and has the skills to survive in most any situation. I lose respect for him because in his show, he tries to make it look like he's relying on his survival skills when all too often, he's not.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1282245/les_stroud_vs_bear_grylls_who_is_the.html?cat=39

[LostinVA]

32. He is totally legit, ie he knows what he's doing

I don't care if he sleeps in hotels. He was a real special forces guy, youngest Briton to climb Everest, etc.

[Brucie Kibbutz]

34. Real special forces guy.

Real dishonest guy.

[geek tragedy]

47. But, he needlessly kills wildlife wherever he goes.

He has a thing for killing snakes--rattlesnakes, puff adders, boa constrictors.

Not because he needs to eat them to survive, but rather to shock and awe the audience.

Should be illegal.

[MichaelHarris]

36. LOL

I thought I had read that somewhere. Ski lodge or not though, I saw homey drink pee from a snake skin. In a lodge or in the desert that's hard core.

[Tempest]

39. Are you sure that's what really happened?

From the article cited above:

They included scenes where Grylls apparently killed a snake and ate it (the snake was found dead by the side of the road), cooked a dead badger (actually a steak inside a badger skin), and freed himself when his parachute tangled in a tree (he was pulled up into the tree and wore a safety harness).

The guy's a major fraud.

[MichaelHarris]

57. man you de-heroed him for me

I've always respected a guy who would drink his own piss.

[Buns_of_Fire]

43. Bear Grylls eats ANYTHING!

I'm a Survivorman <Les Stroud> fan, myself. Gotta love a guy who once damned near burnt up his own shelter.

[Politicalboi]

10. With all the technology we have

How come they haven't come up with a way to put locator's in ski equipment or a watch so if you do get lost they know where you are. Or if there's an avalanche they can at least find your body quicker. Even for back packers who get lost in the woods could be found sooner. When you use your cell phone they know where your at so there must be a way to do it.

[truthisfreedom]

13. Unfortunately, locating someone with a cell phone requires towers. Here's what you are looking for:

If you're out of cell range, there's no possibility of triangulation using a cell... however, check this out:

http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emerbcns.html

[Politicalboi]

23. Yes that's what I mean

They could put them in area's people go for skiing and camping and wilderness camping. A lot cheaper in the long run than spending days looking for someone when everyday matters in these cases.

[DukeT]

29. Or.....people that do outdoor activities

like skiing, hiking, rock/mountain climbing . . . could be responsible and get one for themselves. I still have an ERIB which was one of the ones I used as a LRRP in Vietnam in 1970. It hasn't worked for years - I kept it as a souvenir. There were guys who kept ears . . . well, I won't go into that.

Anyway, why can't people be responsible and think about providing for one's own safety just in case "something goes wrong?" Every once in a while there is some turkey that goes out on the Atlantic, many miles off-shore (I am in SoFla). . .in a boat without any emergency provisions and "forget" to check to see if the radio worked before heading out the inlet. They end up floating in the Gulfstream towards the Carolinas (if they have some emergency and no one spots them).

I suppose that we could post a Coast Guard unit at every inlet and stop and check every boat to see if they have emergency provisions, ERIBS, do a radio check, etc. NOT!

He was lucky to survive after being almost fatally stupid.

[kenichol]

11. Wolf Proof?

Here in new Mexico, where the Mexican Gray Wolf has been reintroduced, the ranchers fear for their lives and the lives of their children. Such is their fear that, even though the wolf is protected, they shoot them at any opportunity. British Colombian skiers go unarmed into the wilderness and yet were not eaten...

[Scout]

14. the ranchers fear is irrational, and driven by hatred and greed

ranching ... the only business where it's legal to kill your competition.

[razors edge]

17. Tell that to Saddam,

JFK, Diem, Bhutto, or most of the people on this list.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinated_people

Government is the largest business in the world. And they get to say what is and isn't legal.

[Scout]

18. WTF? n/t

[razors edge]

20. Your claim about ranchers

being the only business where you can kill the competition legally is not exactly true.

Governments kill their competition all the time.

Farmers kill weeds, etc, WTF yourself.

[uppityperson]

38. thank you for clarifying as it seemed an odd segue to me also.

I was ready to reply "wtf" also.

[tanngrisnir3]

21. Hey, do you have any turnips? I just forgot all my algebra.

[razors edge]

25. Got some radishes,

their good for calculus.

[tanngrisnir3]

26. Try beets for grammar ;-)

[razors edge]

28. Will I be getting a ticket Officer,

or just a warning?

[Kali]

30. So how many would that be?

Any opportunity, eh?

Ever hear of the Holders in AZ?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

33. There has never been a case of a healthy wolf attacking a human

I call BS on this.

[Muttocracy]

35. Algonquin Park in Canada has had several

although some of the wolves may not have been completely wild or may have acclimated to human activity in the area.

http://www.wolf.org/wolves/learn/intermed/inter_human/algonquin.asp

I also remember some incidents in India where wolves live right among people in an agricultural area.

But overall, it's still very rare.

[Swede]

50. There was a guy eaten by wolves in this province not that long ago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenton_Joel_Carnegie_wolf_attack

[ronnie624]

62. Corrections and Clarifications:

* The lost skiers did not actually use skis to fight off wolves, as originally reported. However, the man who survived, Gilles Blackburn, was more frightened of wolves than anything else while lost and cut the basket off the bottom of his ski pole so he could defend himself if the wolves approached too closely, his brother said. Wolves came "very close" to the skiers, according to his brother, Yvon Blackburn.

[Abacus]

46. "List of fatal wolf attacks"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_wolf_attacks#List_of_fatal_wolf_attacks

[Prometheus Bound]

64. "Woodcutter, 55, male" -- sounds like Little Red Riding Hood gone wrong

60 children???? "All the children were taken from settlements primarily during March to August between 17.00 and 19.00 hrs."

Thanks for the list.

[CHIMO]

51. B.C.'s search and rescue system defended by official

An official with B.C.'s Provincial Emergency Program is defending the province's volunteer search and rescue teams after a Montreal woman died while she and her husband were lost in the wilderness near Golden.

Both the RCMP and the local search and rescue team have been under fire because a search for the couple was never organized, despite two reports of SOS signs stamped in the snow.

Steve Bachop, director of management services and programs at PEP, the emergency management agency, told CBC News that search and rescue teams can only be dispatched by the RCMP or other agencies

"In B.C., ground and inland water searches are the jurisdiction of the local department or agency that had jurisdiction and in this case it was the RCMP," he said.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/02/27/bc-pep-officials-defend-search-rescue.html

So be warned. The Government of BC has no control over its police force.

[Swede]

53. Lost skier died of hypothermia.

Hypothermia has been confirmed as the cause of death of a Quebec woman who died after she and her husband were lost for nine days in B.C.'s interior.

Coroners service spokesman Jeff Dolan says an autopsy was completed on Marie-Josee Fortin, 44, Friday afternoon.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/594499

[wordpix]

54. my daughter almost died snowboarding out of bounds in Canadian Rockies

Stupid to do that. If an accident happens, the ski patrol just might not come by. Daughter is lucky to be alive after an accident out of bounds.