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“I’m just happy to be alive”: Julie Abrahamsen speaks after her rescue
“After three rough days in the mountain, I have never been happier to be back in civilization and dear Whistler,” Julie Abrahamsen wrote on a Whistler Facebook page. “Thanks to my concerned dad, the best roomies, a good rescue staff, good doctors and all the friendly, caring, helping people/ seasoners of Whistler! Love you and take care out there.”
Whistler RCMP received a report that Abrahamsen was missing on Friday (Jan. 23) at mid-day. Her last known location had been uploading on the Glacier Express chairlift on Blackcomb Mountain around 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Ski patrol and Whistler Search and Rescue began scouring the area, but had to call the search off at nightfall.
The next morning, multiple search teams, dogs and a helicopter resumed the search in the nearby backcountry. Rescuers followed a track they spotted and found Abrahamsen around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday cold, but in good condition, at Wedge Creek. She was taken by helicopter to a Whistler medical clinic.
Brad Sills, WSAR manager, said rescuers were elated when they found her. “It was a very joyous moment,” he said. “These moments are big for us because we don’t get enough of them, quite simply. To find someone with a strong spirit who was able to endure the last three night’s weather, that’s a big win for all of us.”
He attributed the unusually warm weather and Abrahamsen’s strong will to her survival. “It’s not just three normal days, its three days of extremely inclement weather,” Sills said. “It’s a great survival story.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
