Climber frees himself from grizzly jaws of death

Greg Boswell relaxes with a Grumpy Bear beer as he recovers. Photo / Supplied

A Scottish climber has been seriously injured in a "terrifying" attack by a grizzly bear in Canada.

Greg Boswell, from Cupar in Fife, and friend Nick Bullock were scaling an ascent called Dirty Love on the 993m Mount Wilson in the Canadian Rockies at the weekend when the bear attacked.

Writing on his blog, Bullock, from Llanberis, Gwynedd, north Wales, described how Boswell had to "prise apart" the "monster" bear's jaw to free himself from its grip.

He said: "Greg ran out of sight and the carnivorous freight train passed me, snorting and growling and bounding, dusting me with spindrift - it looked at me for a second, and for a second I thought this is it, but in that second the bear had spotted Greg had fallen.

"It bit straight though his brand new boot as if it were a carpet slipper. It lunged once more and crunched into his shin, placing a paw on his other leg before lifting him off the ground. He grabbed the bear's mouth and prised apart the jaws, pushing, and screaming ... Nick, Nick, help, it's got me."

Bullock said he ran to help his friend, who then escaped and fled "screaming and shouting" from the animal. They both managed to hide in the surrounding forest, where they waited to "ambush" the bear if it returned.

After spending a number of hours in freezing temperatures, the pair found the route down the mountain and made it to the town of Banff, Alberta, where they were treated at a local hospital.

Boswell required surgery on the bite injuries sustained in the attack. He posted a status update on Facebook thanking his friend for his help.

He said: "It was just as terrifying for him as it was for me. I literally owe my life to Nick. I was in shock after the incident and didn't know what to do. Nick got me out of there and drove me to the hospital.

"I probably would have died of hypothermia or blood loss if he hadn't kept me going."