Here Cameron Soelberg and his son Connor (15) take a selfie on top of Galdhøpiggen. Minutes later, Connor slides off the edge and disappears down the glacier.
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Connor and dad Cameron know they had pig luck when the trip to Galdhøpiggen on Saturday suddenly took a dramatic turn. Things could have gone much, much worse. Now they are just happy to be alive.
In this interview with VG, father and son tell about the drama on Norway’s roof when the 15-year-old slid down the steep mountain wall just before the top of Galdhøpiggen and further over Styggebreen with its dangerous cracks.
Cameron has four children. Connor is third in the herd. The year the children turn fifteen, the father invites them on a journey. He and Connor chose Scandinavia.
– We have roots here, says the American from the state of Utah.
Nice weather up
They started in Iceland, also there with a mountain hike. On Saturday, father and son went to Norway’s highest mountain. Both are mountaineers from their home state of Utah. They notice Norwegian families with small children who easily go up the same route.
Father and son were dressed in windproof garments and wore shoes with spikes. They did not have spikes, but the route to the top does not go over glaciers.
– It took us four hours to get up. It was sunny and nice weather almost all the way up.
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When they approach the top, it blows up and the snow whips against the two who are on their way to the cabin on top of Norway’s highest mountain. The snow is soft and easy to walk.
– We were at the top around 3 pm. There we ate and talked to people, says Cameron.
He and Connor start the trip down from Galdhøpiggen at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon. Then they are surprised by storms with dense fog, strong winds and snow drifts.
– We rounded the corner of the cabin on the way to the path and got a strong wind right in the face. It was snowing and suddenly we were in complete whiteout, says Cameron.
Terrified
Father and son struggle to find the T-marked path. The light is flat and they know that the path goes very close to the cliff. Now it is blowing so hard that they are afraid of being blown towards the cliff.
– We have taken a couple of steps when Connor says that we go on ice. The snow has melted and frozen to ice. The spikes on the shoes do not help. As soon as we move, we start to slip very fast, says Cameron.
–He is terrified that the wind will drive them towards the cliff edge.
– I’m in front of Connor and see some rocks. I manage to dig into the rocks and hold on. I grab Connor when he slips past me, but I can not reach him. He disappears into a white cloud and I can not see him, says Cameron.
He manages to break through the ice he is lying on and gets a foothold in softer snow. When the sun breaks through, he sees Connor 50-70 meters further down the slope. Father and son wave to each other and signal that they should move upwards towards the path and the red T’s.
– I wave, he waves back. We see the path and the rocks with T. We move upwards.
– He is gone
Father Cameron now believes that they will be able to get up on the path.
– But then I turn to look for Connor. He’s not right behind me. He is gone. Then I panicked, says Cameron.
–Connor, who turned fifteen a couple of weeks ago, is racing down the mountainside. He is lying on his back wearing a gray trousers and jacket. The speed is high. He slips with his legs first.
– It’s worst with my arms. They get the whole load, the pain is burning. I try to change position from side to side to save my arms a bit, says the 15-year-old.
Eventually he manages to get the backpack under him. It removes more of the pressure on the arms that the doctor in Otta later states that he has suffered friction injuries after the wild journey across the breeze.
The backpack slows down when Connor slides over Styggebreen, a glacier full of dangerous cracks. Finally, after a violent journey from 2468 meters above sea level and down towards Juvasshytta, he stops 627 meters lower.
– When I stop, I look around. I do not know what to do, whether to go up or down. I try to go up again, but keep slipping back. Then I try to get off the ice. I see a rocky part and walk towards it to get off the ice, Connor says.
–Large rescue operation
It is around 21 on Saturday night when the 15-year-old sees something that looks like a ski lift in the distance. He decides to go against it and try to find people. The mobile is left on the glacier. He will try to get in touch with his father.
– When I approach the ski lift, I see the houses around. Then I will be relieved, says Connor.
The boy is beaten, but most concerned with getting in touch with his father.
In the meantime, dad Cameron has come up to the cabin on Galdhøpiggen and notified. A major rescue operation has been launched.
– I prepared for the worst possible outcome.
But the action is quickly called off.
Connor has come to Juvasshytta where he can borrow a phone, and dad gets the message he has hardly dared to hope for.
– When I understood that he had been found and ok, I could hardly believe it, says Cameron.
– Melted inside
He continues:
– I heard his voice and melted inside. It was Connor and he was fine. It was not what I expected. They said he was checked and in good shape. He had no serious injuries, people were with him and he was safe. I almost collapsed, says a very relieved dad.
At home in Utah, mom Amanda and siblings Annabelle, Hayden and Charlotte.
– They did not know what had happened. I decided to wait until I had something to say about Connor. I was sitting in the cabin on Galdhøpiggen and was afraid that I would have to call home and tell them that Connor was dead. I thought about how to say it. Instead, I could send a message: “There has been an accident, but everything is ok with us.”, Says a relieved dad the next day.
He himself was picked up by two glacier guides who led him on the Styggebreen glacier. The same dangerous glacier that his son had slipped down a few hours earlier.
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