MONTREAL - Two Montrealers who spent nine days lost in the British Columbia wilderness were worried about keeping nearby wolves at bay as they struggled to survive the frigid nights.

Searchers found Gilles Blackburn on a mountainside near the Kicking Horse ski resort Tuesday, more than a week after he skied out of bounds with his wife, Marie-Josee Fortin.

Fortin, 44, was dead by the time help arrived.

Gilles's brother, Yvon Blackburn, said she died overnight Sunday, two days before a helicopter located them. They had only two granola bars with them when they lost their way.

Yvon Blackburn, who spoke to his younger brother and the couple's two adult children on Wednesday, said the skiers were also worried about wolves that crept nearby in the night.

"My brother was only able to tell his children yesterday (Wednesday) morning that their mother was dead," Yvon Blackburn told The Canadian Press in a phone interview from Chicoutimi, Que.

"He couldn't do it (earlier). It also wasn't something easy to say, considering all his emotions from just coming out of the woods.

"Everyone is grieving."

Yvon Blackburn said they were elite skiers with a penchant for riding powder.

He said his brother is a former semi-professional skier who spent several years racing on the slopes of the Canadian Rockies.

The couple took the trip as a late gift for Gilles, who turned 50 in December. It was also supposed to be a romantic St. Valentine's Day getaway.

Yvon Blackburn said Fortin, a nurse, grew up in the Montreal area.

"She was a very nice person," he said.

Gilles was in a "critical state" for the first 10 to 12 hours after rescuers pulled him from the mountain, his brother said.

He had suffered frostbite on his left foot.

"There has not been an amputation yet, they're going to wait at least 15 days before making a decision because there is a chance it will heal," Yvon Blackburn said. "Will he lose a couple of toes? I don't know."

He said the couple's children first knew something was wrong when their parents failed to show up at the arrivals area at the airport.

"We thought they might have missed the flight," said Yvon Blackburn, who owns a sports store in Gilles's hometown of Chicoutimi.

"We're all in shock ... we didn't know they were lost for as long as they were."

Yvon Blackburn said it's too early to know who's at fault for the delay and the family is awaiting results of an RCMP investigation.

Locals spotted several SOS signs the couple had trampled into the back-country snow, at least one of which was reported to the RCMP.

But a search wasn't called until three days later.

"For sure, we believe there was a lack of communication," he said.

"Was there someone who didn't do their job? I don't know. I can't blame anyone, but I can say we've had very good collaboration with authorities."