Arviat man vows to hunt again after surviving 5-day blizzard, losing both hands to frostbite

Arviat hunter Ernie Eetak survived five days in a blizzard, on the edge of death, and had both hands amputated due to severe frostbite, but that won't stop him from hunting for his community.

"I died for five days and came back to life," said Eetak from his hospital bed in Winnipeg. 

On Dec. 3, Eetak, an experienced hunter, set out alone by snowmobile to hunt caribou about 30 kilometres from town. 

His snowmobile broke down, but he quickly replaced the spark plugs and got it running again.

"I saw the lights of Arviat," he said.

His luck was fleeting — his snowmobile stopped working again. 

He tried to pull start for an hour but the machine wouldn't go. 

On foot, he began the long walk back to town in the darkness.

He could hear open water, and took a long rest near a large rock.

A wolverine woke him up, and he grabbed his hunting gear and followed his footpath back to his snowmobile.

Eetak was wearing all traditional clothing, which he said saved his life. 

That night, it was around -28 C on the tundra. Temperatures hovered between -25 and -30 for the whole week. 

"It was really nice weather and dark and snowy," he said.

But then, the wind kicked up.