 Poster: A snowHead
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A couple who skied out-of-bounds at the Canadian resort of Kicking Horse, British Columbia - leaving a clear SOS signal in the snow which was spotted twice by helicopters - have been recovered after 9 days lost. The 51-year-old man survived, but his 44-year-old wife died.
It appears that the rescuers initially believed that a false alarm or prank was involved, because no indication of a disappearance existed. It was not until they failed to return home to Montreal that the 9-day ordeal was revealed.
This report from The Gazette, Montreal
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| The couple had nothing with them but skiing equipment and two granola bars when they got lost, the RCMP said Wednesday. |
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 26-02-09 1:59; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tragic.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Not surprisingly, this story is turning up extraordinary information about the survival of Gilles Blackburn (51) - who used expert survival skills and had to evade wolves at night. The couple were celebrating Valentine's and therefore the death of his wife Marie-Josée Fortin (44) - who died before help arrived on Feb. 24 - is particularly poignant.
Mr Blackburn's brother Yvon has now spoken about the couple's ordeal:
This report from CBC News
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Gilles, an avid hunter, went into survival mode ... "He knew how to sleep under the snow, cut wood, said he'd cut branches. The cold never got to them."
Blackburn said the couple ate leaves and snow to survive, and said his brother was more afraid of wolves than the temperature. |
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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reading that news report
that really is tragic
and the fcuk ups with the rules etc
awful
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
| One aspect, which is probably unfair to raise (I've never notified anyone) is whether the couple notified others of their plans. But it seems it was just a bit of casual off-piste skiing, rather than anything more elaborate. |
People forget that the mountains are dangerous places. How somebody with apparently plenty of experience could venture into the unknown with (presumably - otherwise they would not have got lost) no map/compass, only a couple of granola bars etc. etc. etc.
Clearly he didn't have suitable experience. Tragic story, etc. etc., but very foolish of him.
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An autopsy result on the woman who died - Marie-Josée Fortin - has confirmed the cause of her death as hypothermia. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have come in for renewed criticism for not acting on the couple's SOS signals.
This report from CTV.ca
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The commander of a volunteer search and rescue service told CTV Montreal's Caroline van Vlaardingen that Fortin shouldn't have died the way she did.
Claude Fregeau, of Québec Secours Search and Rescue, said a small basic survival kit consisting of a lighter or matches, a compass, a whistle and a reflective blanket may have changed the tragic outcome of the couple's ski trip.
"It's so small that you could put this in a pocket," he said. |
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