Helicopter rescue at Lysefjorden

Posted on by Hanna

I read an article in an outdoor magazine yesterday. They recommended a walk in the western part of Norway.
A very steep and dramatic part of the country I would say!

Pretty much anyone could do the walk, and if you did it in the summer months it should be okay they claimed.
It was, however, an advantage to have some experience with mountain walks.

This questionable recommendation made me think of the mistakes I made when I was heading for the mountains for the first time.
But I also thought about my sister’s neighbor. He had an accident a few months after my own.

Jens and Synnøve have family in Norway. They are often in Stavanger during the holidays, as they have close family ties. On these visits to Norway, Jens has spent part of the holidays with a friend where they hike in unknown terrain, bringing a tent and provisions. He is used to navigating using a map and compass. Everyone considers him to be an experienced hiker.

stavanger 34

The friend was prevented once, and Jens missed his mountain walk. He got a few days off from the family dinners and set off alone with his gear, map, and compass.
Jens wanted to hike in unmarked terrain along the Lysefjord to a self-service cabin to spend the night.

stavanger 38

He parks the car and starts his walk. It’s late summer, and the weather is very changeable. There is a full day’s walk to the hut, and it is well past noon before he decides to eat his lunch. Here he takes his time and enjoys the moment. When the food is eaten, he studies the map and plots a compass course.

After an hour and a half, he becomes unsure of his whereabouts. The fix points don’t match the landscape he’s in.

stavanger 37

I don’t know if it’s because he’s concentrating on the map, but suddenly he trips and falls several meters, landing on a small isolated ledge on the side of the mountain. His glasses are shattered in the fall. This implies that he can faintly sense the contours of the landscape and glimpse some water below him. Jens finds his phone, which is luckily undamaged. He contacts the Norwegian rescue service and tells them what has happened and where he is.

He then calls the family to inform them. Now he can only wait. It has started to rain a little and visibility is reduced. About half an hour has passed when he hears a helicopter. It gets closer and then disappears. He can hear it far away, and finally, there is complete silence. He waits for a while, but nothing more happens.

Jens contacts the rescue service again. They can’t find him. He isn’t at the coordinates where he says he is.

Jens provides information about the new compass course after lunch and his problems with locating himself later. Now he waits and hopes. It won’t be long before darkness falls. He considers whether to jump into the water below him and swim to shore, but his poor eyesight prevents him from entertaining that idea.

The phone’s battery is also about to die. It feels like a very, very long time before he can hear the helicopter again. The rescuers get closer and closer, finally spotting him down on the ledge. One of the rescuers is lowered down and secures the harness, but on the way up, he almost slips out of the harness and the action starts over again.

stavanger 33

It is an incredibly relieved Jens, who later reunites with his family in the evening. He is bruised after the fall, but hasn’t broken anything. Jens’s daughter has been on her way out into the mountains to look for her father after the phone call, but fortunately, the rest of the family has persuaded her to wait for the rescue service’s efforts, and it turned out to be a good idea. It was also a good thing Jens didn’t jump into the water. It would have killed him, he found out later.

The pictures are from the area where Jens was walking. We were on a walk in Hunnedalen once, and strolled around Lysefjorden. This is also where the tourist attraction Kjerag is located.

Jens doesn’t hike in the mountains anymore. I don’t know whether it is a promise to himself or to his family.

Experience is a good teacher, but he will send you some insanely expensive bills.
~ Minna Antrim

17 thoughts on “Helicopter rescue at Lysefjorden”

    • Thanks for your comment, Rabirius.
      My post is about respecting good rules when you are in the mountains.
      Never walk alone. When you walk alone one of the rules is violated, and it may have disastrous consequences.

      The Mountain Code:
      Be prepared. Be sufficiently fit and experienced for your intended trek.
      Leave word of your route. This can mean life or death in case a search is necessary.
      Be weatherwise. Check the weather forecasts, but don’t always trust reports of good weather. Good weather can turn bad in an instant.
      Be equipped for bad weather and frost, even on short walks. Always carry a backpack and proper mountain gear.
      Learn from the locals. Experienced local trekkers can inform you of safe routes, weather conditions and things to look out for.
      Use a map and compass. GPSes are handy too, but don’t rely on them. A flat battery and poor reception can cause problems.
      Don’t go solo. Being all alone in the mountains can be a magnificent experience, but in case of an accident it’s good to have someone who can give first aid or get help.
      Turn back in time; sensible retreat is no disgrace. If you are not sure if you can reach your destination because of weather or conditions, turn around! Others might have to risk their lives trying to rescue you. Also try to notify anyone that may have been expecting you.
      Conserve energy and build a snow shelter if necessary. Eat and drink frequently, and try not to work up a sweat. If you need to build a shelter, do so before you are exhausted.

      The pictures are old and do not justify the spectacular surroundings.

      Hanna

      PS Sorry about the long read answer🙂

      • Thank you very much for the English summery…
        …I will go to the mountains on my next vacation – so there are some helpful tips in there.

        Greetings,
        rabirius.

  2. Det kan ske så let. Det er en lærestreg for os alle til at være opmærksomme på alle tidspunkter. Min far faldt en gang og slog sig bevidstløs i bjergene. Han var iført uegnet støvler. Han blev reddet af helikopter.
    Cheers, Alen

    • Det er lidt uhyggeligt, det din far var ude for. Vi har talt om den slags ulykker, når vi balancerer rundt i løs ur.
      Det er næsten som med flysikkerhed. Ignorerer man flere regler på samme tid, stiger sandsynligheden med mange procent for at en meget alvorlig ulykke indtræder.
      Mens jeg skrev dette indlæg skete denne ulykke på Ben Nevis
      Som du skriver, Alen, vær opmærksom på alle tidspunkter!
      Nu er det snart forår, lad os nyde det og aldrig glemme ovenstående.
      All the best,
      Hanna

  3. Flotte bilder. og er glad for at det endte godt. Området rundt Lysefjorden er spennende å vandre i . Du nevner Kerag, – Prekestolen er et annet flott sted å besøke…
    Du nevner Ben Nevis. Det er et spennende sted å vandre i.
    Men, for å få gode opplevelser, prøv Galdhøpiggen en sommer. Spennende og enkel vandretur det!

    • Galdhøpiggen ser ud til at være et meget smukt fjeld. Jeg var inde på VisitJotunheimen.com, og se billeder og beskrivelser. Den anbefaling vil jeg huske, Hans!
      Mange hilsner
      Hanna

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