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That Time a Climber Fought Off a Grizzly Bear

Greg Boswell and Nick Bullock were attacked while climbing on Mount Wilson. Boswell fought the bear off

Photo by: Parks Canada of an unrelated bear

Back in November 2015, top alpinists Greg Boswell and Nick Bullock went to repeat a big mixed route on Mount Wilson in Jasper National Park when they were attacked by a grizzly bear. The incident made headlines around the world.

Boswell, then 24, was making his way through thick forest when the bear chased him down. Bullock said that he heard his friend scream “bear” and turned to see him being pursued across the snow.. Bulluck said the bear bit straight through Boswell’s brand new boot as if it were a slipper.

“It lunged once more and crunched into his shin, placing a paw on his other leg before lifting him off the ground,” said Bullock. “I’m not sure at this point what other people would do, but Boswell is Boswell and the bear just didn’t appreciate this. He grabbed the bear’s mouth and pried apart the jaws, pushing and screaming.”

Not long after the attack, Boswell said that Bullock “was a friend doing as much as he could in a crazy situation to keep his friend from dying. I probably would have died of hypothermia or blood loss if he hadn’t kept me going. I can’t thank Nick enough, even though I know I don’t have to. Cheers bro.” Watch them talk about the attack in a video below.

A Grizzly Encounter

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Lead photo: Parks Canada of an unrelated bear