Thoughts on the avalanche
Thank you so much to the rescue crew and UNN staff. Photo: Mariana Esteves
I want to write in my own words about the avalanche that happened in Malangan on 27th March, because I think it’s important to share, and encourage open discussions on these difficult topics. The article is published already in Norwegian for NordLys, but here is the text in English for those without access.
Firstly, I just want to say that I have so much appreciation for the support I have felt from the community since the accident. The rescue team and hospital staff were amazing, and I have complete respect for their work. I will always be grateful for the efforts of everyone involved in this accident; the ski team that helped out initially, the mountain rescue team, emergency services, UNN staff, friends, family and Tromsø community all played a part in helping the affected people deal with this terrible situation.
Before the avalanche:
As others have pointed out, the decision to go to that location on that day did not feel like a reckless one. I appreciate the honest perspectives from other experienced skiers who admit that they too had considered that location on the same day, and the support from others who are encouraging judgement-free sharing of our story so that we and others are able to learn from the experience. We were 5 competent backcountry skiers/splitboarders, with years of experience using all the fantastic tools available to safely plan backcountry trips including Varsom, RegObs, NorgesKart, YR, etc. My personal assessment on our way up the mountain was that the snow was stable, and comments were made within the group that also reflected this feeling. At sea level and heading up the mountain, the wind was minimal. At least from my perspective I did not see any warning signs until we were almost at the top, when the wind picked up suddenly and started to blow snow from the sides, and loose snow began to flow down the slope from above.
In the avalanche:
The initial wave of snow flowing down became more intense, and I could hear the thudding sounds of the flowing snow become louder just seconds before I was taken. I did not realize the extent of the danger until I was already being carried down the mountain. Everything just happens so fast.
I felt completely helpless being carried by the snow. It felt like I was drowning, and my nose and mouth was completely crammed with snow. Every few seconds I was able to thrash around enough to take a short gasp of air, but I was only breathing in as much as I could through a mouthful of snow. I managed several times to get my hands up to my face and clear the snow from my mouth with my hands, but I would then just be buried again or hit with more snow.
I kept alternating between travelling head-first to feet-first, then buried by snow to carried on the surface. I couldn’t see anything except the direction of the light, I think because my eyes kept being filled with snow.
The whole time I was aware of the fact that I was surrounded by steep rocks on either side, and kept expecting to feel the impact of being smashed against the rocks at any point. My main concern was trying to remain feet-first so that my legs would take the full force of any impact. I tried to use my feet to slow myself down by dragging them a bit, but it didn’t work and I would end up upside down again.
After the avalanche:
Eventually the avalanche slowed down, and luckily, I was not buried deeply in the snow and got myself out. I couldn’t see anything for some time afterwards, again just able to distinguish between light and dark. Eventually I was able to see, and while I started looking around and orienting myself I called my partner to ask if she could call mountain rescue. I did this out of instinct, thinking that I did not have time to call them myself and describe where I was, etc, because I had to search for the others. I spat out blood a few times too, maybe I bit my tongue while in the avalanche. My backpack main pocket was completely open, and my splitboard had been ripped off, and gear spread out all down the mountain. I was completely filled with adrenaline, and did not realize until later that I was also quite injured. The exact order of events is difficult to remember with any certainty, but I just try my best to describe them.
I saw two people, and shouted towards them, although I think my voice was weak because of the snow down my throat. I could see that at least two were responsive, and I asked them to turn their avalanche transceivers into search mode, and wave their arms if they were ok. I started to walk down and across the debris searching for a signal. I found a signal, and followed it. At some point I got my shovel and probe out, and I noticed that I struggled to put the probe together because my right shoulder was not working properly.
I eventually just saw the other person and made my way towards him. He was not buried, but was partially covered and laying head-first down slope, so I pulled him out of the snow and spun him so that he was not upside down. I saw that he was having difficulty breathing, so I put my fingers into his mouth and tried to get the snow out and clear the airways, he bit down on my finger several times as I tried this. I placed him at an angle where he was able to breathe, rubbed his back and assured him that we would get out of this and he was going to be ok.
At this point I had only seen 3 people, and I was sure that the fourth person was fully buried in the snow somewhere. I made the decision to keep on searching for the fourth person. As I made my way towards the end of the avalanche debris I did not find another signal, and it turns out that the fifth person was not buried, but was much further back up the mountain after not being carried as far by the avalanche. I saw another group of people heading towards us, and I shouted to them that we need help. At this point I was losing my ability to control my body, and I started to stumble a bit and was not able to support myself. I think I was beginning to get a bit confused too, because I kept shouting to them that we need help and I could not understand if they had realised, despite them marching their way towards us as fast as they could. The first of the other group got to me, I can’t remember what we said, but I think I told them to head up to the most injured team member. They gave me a reflective blanket and I wrapped myself in that to stay warm, and I grabbed my shovel to sit on. By this time, I couldn’t support my body weight with either my legs or arms. I started to shake uncontrollably and felt the cold. At this point the other ski team fully took over the rescue, and were able to provide help to the other members of the group, and assist in the rescue operation.
It is thanks to the amazing work of UNN staff that myself and the rest of the group are in the best condition we can be given the circumstances.
When the most serious cases were taken by the helicopter, the other team came back down to me, placed a wind shelter around me and used their body heat to keep me warm. I was still shaking uncontrollably, and the pain in my right shoulder, left wrist, left ankle and right thigh was getting worse. I couldn’t stand up or support myself. The helicopter eventually came to collect me and I was taken to the hospital. The rescue team did such a wonderful job getting everyone to safety, and I am in awe of the trauma team and medical staff at the hospital, and the dedication it takes to train for and deal with these complex accidents and take care of each affected person.
It is hard to express fully how grateful I am. Thank you.
I will recover from my physical injuries. I am still trying to deal with the trauma of the incident, questioning if I did the right thing, wondering if I did enough, if I could have done more, feeling shame for not realizing the danger sooner. I guess that it’s common to feel such things after this sort of accident.
I again want to thank everyone for their support. It means the world. I am so proud to be a member of this community.
- Calvin -