Interesting survival vid

fiskking · Mar 27, 2009

this vid reminds me of the two canadian skiers that wondered off the path and were stranded on a mountain(the wife passed away if I´m not mistaken). The father in the vid obviously had limited skills to combat their dire situation. So I ask you guys, what are some needed items/skills *you* would have brought to this particular situation.

p.s.-yes I understand that you never know when a situation like this can arise but I believe in the motto ¨hope for the best....prepare for the worst¨

[youtube]9Z_yADZmzAE&feature[/youtube]

[youtube]vSotXqPlOuc&feature[/youtube]

tonym · Mar 27, 2009

I think all of us are pretty good with are edc's and skills to be a lil better off. I know fire would have made their stay a lil more comfortable, even would have made signaling and rescue alot easier as well. For the amount of space a firesteel takes, it is worth having on your person anywhere!

Edit. Definately shelter skills would have helped. He was aware enough to know to insulate himself and son from the ground, but a quincee shelter would be something worth attempting IMO.

WILLIAM.M · Mar 27, 2009

Great videos--thanks for posting

Zaner01 · Mar 27, 2009

Great videos.

In my view, looking at examples of real-world incidents is far more valuable than any survival manual, so thanks for posting those. That is very similar to the recent incident you mentioned near Golden BC. In that case, the victims were on the mountain for 10 days, and the wife died of hypothermia on day 7.

One of the big takeaway lessons is that your gear and even all the skills you practice are less important than you might think. We like to make it seem more complicated than it is. Determination and common sense will take you a long way.

I always carry a lighter, and for any kind of backcountry trip I also carry a small kit that includes a firesteel, tinder, and a few lifeboat matches. I think it's obvious that a fire would have made a huge difference. My kit also includes a proper signal mirror.

A knife helps, too.

skammer · Mar 27, 2009

Zaner01 said:
Great videos.

One of the big takeaway lessons is that your gear and even all the skills you practice are less important than you might think. We like to make it seem more complicated than it is. Determination and common sense will take you a long way.

I disagree somewhat. I think its a blance of having skills to do your best sans equipment and on the otherhand having the common sense to bring gear that will make a real difference. Knowing how to use your equipment is essential and can not be gained any other way but through experience.

Determination will only get you so far as they found out with the wife. This is where gear and training come in. A fire, better signalling and shelter would have helped them. Using tools, its what separates us from the animals.

Skam

Zaner01 · Mar 27, 2009

skammer said:
Determination will only get you so far as they found out with the wife.

I didn't say "only determination counts."

I said our skills and gear are less important than we like to pretend.

Common sense counts for much, much more than, for example, knowing how to make cordage out of bulrushes. Real-world cases demonstrate that again, and again, and again. People with common sense and determination survive; people without it, die.

Rockywolf · Mar 27, 2009

Amazin story. I'm glad they made it. Easy for me to sit here and judge what I would or wouldn't have done, so I won't do any judging. I carry a lot more in my pockets just roaming around the suburbs, but that's a moot point.

Summitmonkee · Mar 27, 2009

Determination can absolutely get you a very long way. I've heard about countless instances where normal people get caught up in extreme survival situations with absolutely no prepared survival skills or gear and make it through. They may have done absolutely EVERYTHING wrong according to conventional wisdom, but they still press forward and make it out alive. Granted, it very much depends on the situation, but for the most part, determination plays a huge role in survival situations. The number one factor that influences whether a person in a survival situation lives or dies is "the will to live." If you don't have it, you ain't gonna make it.

However, there are always exceptions. Even though we've all heard stories of people pushing their limits, those limits still exist. There is only so much the human organism can endure before expiring. This is where training comes in. The goal of training is so that in an extreme instance you reach your limits over a much longer period of time by improving your situation as much as possible. Or, in a best-case scenario, you reach them not at all.

In any case, it doesn't matter how much training you have in conventional survival theory and practice. If you don't possess the will to live, and the situation is dire, you aren't going to make it.

skammer · Mar 28, 2009

Zaner01 said:
People with common sense and determination survive; people without it, die.

People with no common sense survive every day and people with some sense do not. Case in point personal PLB's. An idiot can carry one of these and get rescued.

My point is there is a kaos, murphy factor in play and chance favors the person with some sense and some gear its not cut and dry and its not fair but its the way it is.

Skam

Hawkings · Mar 28, 2009

Interesting vids.
How many here have kids ?
Could you walk away from your child leaving him alone in the wood and snow ?
I don't think I could do that.
I can't begin to phantom the mental strength it must have taken the farther to make that decision.
My wife, I think I would leave to look for help.
My kid...They would have found us dead together.

absolutindian · Mar 31, 2009

The following is a quote from the current US Army Survival Manual:

"It takes much more than the knowledge and skills to build shelters, get food, make fires, and travel without the aid of standard navigational devices to live successfully through a survival situation. Some people with little or no survival training have managed to survive life-threatening circumstances. Some people with survival training have not used their skills and died. A key ingredient in any survival situation is the mental attitude of the individual(s) involved. Having survival skills is important; having the will to survive is essential. Without a strong will to survive, acquired skills serve little purpose and invaluable knowledge goes to waste."