The results of an autopsy have confirmed that Lasalle resident Marie-Josee Fortin died of hypothermia, after spending more than a week stranded with her husband in the rugged mountains of eastern British Columbia.

Fortin, 44, was on a ski getaway with her husband, Gilles Blackburn. They got lost on Feb.15 while skiing out of bounds at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, in Golden, B.C.

Blackburn, 51, was rescued on Tuesday after spending nine days in the wilderness.

Fortin is believed to have died two days before her husband was spotted and picked up by Search and Rescue crews.

Survival tools

The commander of a volunteer search and rescue service told CTV Montreal's Caroline van Vlaardingen that Fortin shouldn't have died the way she did.

Claude Fregeau, of Qu�bec Secours Search and Rescue, said a small basic survival kit consisting of a lighter or matches, a compass, a whistle and a reflective blanket may have changed the tragic outcome of the couple's ski trip.

"It's so small that you could put this in a pocket," he said.

Fregeau also said if the couple had left a note on the dashboard of their car before heading out to ski, it could have potentially alerted someone to their disappearance sooner.

He added that a small portable satellite tracking device, which can be rented by the day, could have also made a difference.

"It gives your exact position and it's received by satellites that transmit this position back," said Fregeau.

Fregeau said Blackburn made a smart move when he marked an SOS in the snow - a clear signal that he needed help. He doesn't understand why the RCMP didn't immediately respond to the distress signal.

"Everyone, especially from the RCMP, should know these things," he said.

"Entirely preventable death"

A Montreal emergency room physician said Fortin's death was the result of a "perfect storm" of bad decisions.

"It's an entirely preventable death. That's what's so horrible about this," said Dr. Mitch Shulman, who works at the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Shulman said hypothermia sets in at different times according to each person and their their circumstances.

"It really depends on how good your energy stores are, how much you're exerting yourself, how protected you are ... so many things have to go wrong for you to die that way."