A B.C. couple is lucky to be alive after a terrifying grizzly attack.

Peter Moody, 80, and his wife, 59-year-old Susan Bond, were hiking Sunday near Kimberley, B.C. when they startled the mother bear.

The animal became defensive of her nearby cubs, instantly attacking the woman.

That’s when her husband sprang into action; The Calgary Sun reports when he started hitting the bear with ski poles he’d been using as hiking sticks, the grizzly turned on him.

The couple played dead, which worked.  

They waited for about 15 minutes for the bear to leave the area and then stumbled with massive injuries to a nearby farm for help.

They were airlifted to Calgary and are recovering in hospital.