British actor Julian Sands has spoken about the “spooky” and “chilling” things he had found while mountain climbing, months before he died in a hiking accident.
The 65-year-old was first reported missing in mid-January after failing to return from a hike in the Mount Baldy area of California.
Soon afterwards, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office began conducting a full-scale search of the Baldy Bowl trail, a highly popular hiking route that stretches over four miles and reaches heights of 3,000 feet.
However, searches proved to be unsuccessful due to California’s poor weather conditions – which saw efforts hampered due to avalanche threats.
Sands was confirmed to have died after local hikers found some remains on June 24, which were later positively identified as him.
Mere months before his death, the actor – who was known for starring in films including Ocean’s Thirteen, Arachnophobia, and Room With A View – spoke candidly about his fears while hiking in an interview with the Radio Times.
“I’ve found spooky things on mountains,” he told the outlet in 2022, via Sky News. “When you know you’re in a place where many people have lost their lives, whether it be on the Eiger or in the Andes, you may be confronted with human remains and that can be chilling.”
He continued: “It’s not necessarily supernatural, it’s possibly all too natural – what I would call hypernatural. You’re in the presence of big nature and big nature is revealing itself in all its power. It can take us over a threshold of hypersensitivity into a realm of natural forces.”
Later during the same interview, Sands admitted that he had often started climbing alone due to the fact that his hiking buddies were ageing, and also because the mountains were “unstable.”
He explained: “If you don’t really have the desire, the focus for climbing a route, if you’re not absolutely committed, it becomes much more dangerous and it’s a much more deflating experience. Finding folk whose company I enjoy in such stressful and intimate conditions is not easy.”
Prior his remains being discovered, Sands’ family released a statement saying they were “deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian,” per Deadline.
The father-of-three’s body was finally found five months after he disappeared, with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department releasing a statement that read: “The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood.
“The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands,” the statement concluded.
Sands leaves behind three children – son Henry from his first marriage to journalist Sarah Harvey, and daughters Imogen and Natalya with his second wife Evgenia Citkowitz, the New York Post detailed.
Sands’ death is still currently under investigation.
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