It’s very rare to hear about Grizzly attacks this time of year but that’s exactly what happened to two ice climbers in the Mount Wilson area of Banff National Park this past weekend, when they reportedly confronted a bear on top of a cliff face.
From there, things got wild.
According to Nick Bullock’s blog post, the two were coming out of the area in the evening hours when Greg Boswell yelled behind him “Bear, aaaaaaargh.” Greg would eventually pass Nick and while passing, the bear glanced at Nick, to which he recalled, “for a second I thought this is it, this is really fucking it, but in that second the bear had spotted Greg had fallen.”
The bear proceeded to bite Greg twice, once in the foot and once on the shin. However, Greg reportedly used his hands to pry the bear’s jaw open. Meanwhile, Nick headed towards the bear ready to attack it with a ski pole. However, Greg’s efforts eventually resulted in the bear backing off and leaving Greg with a few serious puncture wounds in his leg.
Its always a good idea to have some of This Stuff
when heading into the backcountry.
After finding their stashed gear, the two had to utilize multiple rappels off a cliff face before they were able to walk to the road. They reached the parking lot at approximately 12:45 am. From there, Greg endured a two-hour ride to the Emergency Room in Banff.
Here is Greg Boswell’s Facebook Post About The Encounter
“OK. Crazy news from Canada! I’m going to put it bluntly, but would just like to let everyone know I’m ok, just a little shook up and sore! I got attacked by a Grizzly bear last night and lived to tell the tail, and to make the 3 hour descent and 2 hour drive to the hospital. All stitched up now and on the mend. It’s a long story and I can’t be bothered to write it down just now. So here is a pic of me at the hospital. Sorry if you a squeamish.”– Greg Boswell
Find Nick Bullock’s Entire Account Here: nickbullock-climber.co.uk
