Swedish Pelle Ramstedt (27) from Sweden lives in Bodø, where he studies biology. On Sunday he was on a trip to Nordre Nattmålstuva in Valnesfjord in Fauske municipality, together with a friend.
The purpose of the trip was to climb Eitråskardtinden, but it was too late, and they had to turn around.
– Then the snow collapsed
Ramstedt tells Dagbladet that the two drove down a flat terrain with a slope of about 30 degrees, but that they spotted a steeper part that tempted them to try.
The party was relatively short and the friends felt safe to stand down.
– We drove down once and it went well. It was fun, so I would do it again. My friend stood on the floor to film, while I got up again, he says.
In the second lap, Ramstedt decided to drive a little more to the left than the first time.
– I slowed down a bit, just before the drop. Then the snow collapsed, the Swede says.
– This saves lives
Fell into cavities
Ramstedt fell, according to what he estimates, four to five meters into a cave, and he slipped another five meters under the snow masses.
He explains that the first time they had driven over a “snow bridge”, where there was a stream, and that it was this one that now collapsed when he tried for the second time. The friends had not seen traces of the snow bridge, or the crack in the ice, the first round.
– I was worried that the snow over would end up on me. I got stuck and water ran down me. At first I thought I was in an avalanche, but then I realized that only I was moving. Everything around stood still, Ramstedt says.
Luckily he got a call from his friend, who stood and watched it all, and assured him that everything was fine. Shortly afterwards, he called again and said that he had made contact with someone who was above the crack. They brought with them both ropes and ice axes.
Lost buddy: – Pretty damn
The snowboarder threw up snowballs so that it would be easy for the others to see where he was.
Warns
After a while, Ramstedt succeeded in finding stable ice he could stand on. With the help of the ice ax, he got rid of unstable ice, and with a rope he eventually got up. He estimates he was in the cave for about 30 minutes.
Now he warns others.
– You must have an overview of the weather conditions and the terrain. You must know where streams flow, what danger warnings are valid and feel free to talk to someone who knows the local area in advance. I did not do it, and had to pay, says the experienced snowboarder, but emphasizes that he is by no means an expert.
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