Avalanche researcher Audun Hedland at CARE, an avalanche competence center associated with the University of Tromsø (UiT), fears a massive accident could take dozens of lives in northern Norway.
– When there are as many people in the Norwegian mountains as there are now, the day someone is unlucky we will have a very big accident. Hetland tells NRK.
In March this year, a foreigner fell to his death on Mount Lincoln in Nord-Droms. Every year, two to four people die in the mountains in Lincolnfjorden. According to NRK.
Not ready
Hedland, an avalanche researcher at UiT, believes that the lack of avalanches in northern Norway that have caught so many at the same time is just luck.
– Imagine you are 100 people traveling on the same mountainside when a huge landslide occurs. And then you have a major accident, for which we as a society have no preparation, Hedland says.
He mentions photos taken in Lincoln this winter and last winter.
– Discomfort: Hansen describes the sight of tourists on snow shovels as unpleasant. Photo: Private
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– Very embarrassing
These photos were taken by Fred Hansen, chairman of the Troms and Lincoln Red Cross Avalanche Committee.
Both show Rørnestinden in Lyngen.
In the picture above, you can see several people standing on top of a snow shovel at the top of the mountain. The picture was taken last winter.
– They stand in the open, and walking around becomes very difficult. It is several hundred meters straight down. Hanson tells Talkblade that scenes like this are very unpleasant.
Landslide last year: This side of the mountain had a massive landslide last year. It is not clear whether the tourists in the photo are aware of it or not. Photo: Private
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This is fear
The second picture was taken in winter. It shows how three hiking companions make their way to the top of the mountain. It's unclear whether they knew that the entire mountain they were walking on had been loosened by a massive avalanche last year.
– This is the result of large groups in the mountains. A lot of people travel here in Lyngsalps in March and April, and quite a bit in May, Hanson says.
He shares avalanche researcher Hedland's concern.
– Big and busy mountain sides with loose big accidents, fear. We want people to spread out the traffic, pay attention to each other in the avalanche terrain, and act smart, says Hansen.
– But the majority are competent and make good assessments, he adds.
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