The tragedy that befell Gilles Blackburn and his wife during a disastrous backcountry ski venture in the B.C. Interior was their own fault, according to those implicated in a lawsuit launched by Mr. Blackburn and his two children.
This was a foregone conclusion. Mr.Blackburn made a poor choice and it cost his wife's life. I would probably attempt to lay blame on anyone else too. They went into the backcountry with 2 granola bars, no communication, no plan and didn't tell anyone. Sure, they carved an s.o.s in the snow --- and then promptly left the area to get even more lost. Anyone out there planning to hike, canoe or ski back country, this is what you don't do.
Plus this story is misleading. Authorities did not 'ignore' the sos in the snow. They landed a helicopter right on top of it but the couple were nowhere to be seen.
The statement refers to: the couple's “deliberate choice” to ski outside marked ski runs, their failure to notify anyone of their plans, their lack of proper clothing, equipment and means of contacting others, and their decision to stray from the SOS signs “so that they could be rescued in a timely manner.”
Yep. Don't do that.