Malangen skredulykke (27.03.2022)

Here I want to write about my personal experience from the avalanche accident I was involved with on the 27th of March 2022 in Malangen. I will try to write down my thoughts as I lived them, and leave afterthoughts and facts that I did not know by that moment for all the other discussions. For that reason, it might be worth noting beforehand that even though I mention "buried members of the group", none was fully buried in this avalanche: that is the assumption one must make when one is not able to locate all the party members.

I am also extremely grateful for the rescue team and the medical staff, who acted quickly and efficiently. I really cannot put into words how much I appreciate their work.

27th March 2022.

The original plan for the day was to do a new summit in Lyngen, but for weather considerations, we decided to do a couloir in Malangen, closer by. This is a rather popular couloir as its size and big walls on both sides are quite majestic. We are a group of five, and start walking at about 9:20. We quickly change to walking with skis on the backpack and the conditions seem quite stable as the couloir is mostly icy due to the warm weather the previous weeks. Within a few vertical meters to the top of the couloir, we notice more wind and more accumulated snow. At this point, I am in a middle position within the group and a few seconds later the snow hits from above. I think we are only going to glide down a few meters where the couloir is icy and lacking new snow. Soon I realize I am falling fast. This is serious. We fall down approximately 600 vertical meters. Sometimes I am under the snow, I can only see darkness and I cannot breathe, other times I am over the snow. I go down legs first, heads first. No control whatsoever. My priority at this point is to somehow try to keep myself over the snow and not be buried, but it doesn't seem I can do much to control it.

Eventually, it stops. I can see light, I am not buried. It takes me a while to orient myself. I am aware of the severity of the situation. I try to find out where the others are. I can see two people below me. Can I help? I see my leg. That's broken, I cannot help. I realize that I will only be able to get out of here with the help of a rescue team. I hope someone else is in a better state than me and can call the rescue. I see one of us coming from above. He can walk, he must have called the emergencies. He is probably trying to help those who are buried. I try to signal somehow that I am fine and turn my avy device into search mode. I know that it will take a while to be rescued. I don't feel pain but I am starting to feel cold. I take my down jacket and my emergency blanket. I can only wait now. I see one of the two guys below me has walked some meters but now he has stopped. Suddenly I am taken by some more snow coming from above and slide down a few more meters. It is painful. I continue waiting. There is a different team of skiers coming from below. They will be able to help us. As they arrive at my position they offer me an extra jacket and I ask them to continue up to look for the missing member. I am very cold. Eventually, I hear the sound of a helicopter. They are here! Some rescuers and a rescue dog come down to the snow to the location of the three other members of our group further down below me. A policeman comes up to where I am and puts his warm jacket and himself around me. That helps a lot, but I am still very cold. I tremble aggressively. Suddenly, I don't tremble at all. Then I start trembling again... The helicopter takes two of my companions and leaves. A second rescuer comes to my location with a rescue bag, which is going to be used to lift me up to a second helicopter. He places down the bag and places my leg in its correct position in order to have me in the bag. We are lifted towards the helicopter. After two or three minutes I am inside the helicopter. They take my gloves off and give me painkillers. I would continue trembling due to the cold for some hours.
We arrive at the hospital and it takes very little time to take me to the surgery room, where my leg is fixed. I wake up by night the same day with a long recovery period in front of me.