Boulder kills teenager in freak roadway accident

A 15-year-old girl who was riding in a car in Norway’s mountainous county of Sogn og Fjordane was killed Friday when a huge boulder suddenly broke loose from the steep mountainside and crashed down on the car. The driver of the car, a BMW, escaped with only minor injuries. Police said the dramatic, freak accident [...]

Avalanche and rockslide danger rises

Geologists were putting out new warnings of avalanches and rockslides in mountainous areas this week, as the spring thaw creates more hazards. Nine persons were caught in an avalanche in Hemsedal on Thursday, while a key highway outside Bergen was deemed highly dangerous. The steep mountains bordering the stretch of the E16 highway between Dale [...]

Search crews recover body of third avalanche victim

UPDATED: Search crews aided by the Norwegian military have finally found the bodies of all three men caught in an avalanche on Senja during the Easter holiday week. More bad weather forced an end to the weekend search that resulted in the recovery of two bodies on Sunday. The search resumed on Monday and police [...]

Military joins search for avalanche victims

Norwegian soldiers, along with civil defense troops and the Red Cross, are joining the search for three men believed to have been buried under mounds of snow in an avalanche on Senja in northern Norway last week. Repeated efforts to locate the victims’ bodies have failed. The three men were out on a snowmobile trip [...]

Winter not over, more chills ahead

State meteorologists were warning on Tuesday that winter isn’t ready to release its icy grip, despite sunny skies in southern Norway and a calendar that reads “April.” Avalanche danger also remains extremely high in mountain areas, especially in the north, and the south may get more snow this weekend. The weather was looking deceptively spring-like [...]

Yet another avalanche hits Tromsø

Norway’s northern city of Tromsø, along with much of the northern region of the country, continued on Monday to be plagued by avalanches that have caused major emergencies throughout the Easter holiday week. Monday’s slide hit frighteningly close to home, in a residential area and close to a local school. The avalanche could be seen [...]

Picture perfect ‘påske’ holidays

Most of southern Norway basked in sunshine during the Easter holiday week known as “påske,” perfect for skiers who headed outdoors, but it was stormy in the north. State highway officials were forced to close many roads in Troms County, which also has been plagued by avalanches. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported that a fear of [...]

Three more caught in an avalanche

Yet another avalanche thundered down a mountainside on the large island of Senja south of Tromsø late Tuesday afternoon, just as three men were snowmobiling through the area. Two of them were brothers, all are believed to have been killed, and the community of Berg on Senja set up crisis teams while police issued more [...]

Avalanche danger dims sunny Easter

Norway’s traditional Easter skiing holidays in the mountains got off to a mostly sunny start, but the ongoing danger of avalanches hung over them like a dark cloud. Another man was killed during the weekend and a 12-year-old boy rushed to hospital after both were buried under mounds of snow in Tromsø and Sauda on [...]

Avalanche alarms at highest level

Fresh snowfall, wind and daring skiers in steep areas have set off avalanche alarms all over Norway, just before next week’s traditional Easter holidays in the mountains get underway. Nine persons were caught in avalanches around Norway during the weekend, and one of them was killed. “The warning level where we are now, grade three, [...]

Red Cross wants mandatory guides

Another serious accident involving tourists who go skiing in potentially hazardous mountain areas has set off new alarms among search and rescue experts. A Red Cross chapter in northern Norway is now calling for mandatory use of local guides and stricter reporting requirements. The call from the Red Cross in Nordland County comes a day [...]

More avalanche warnings posted

Avalanche experts warned of more dangerous conditions in the mountains over the weekend, following the death of a 32-year-old Swedish climber who was buried by snow and ice in Hemsedal on Thursday. Fresh snow on steep mountainsides in southern Norway simply isn’t stable. The weekend could have been “tragic, if folks aren’t careful,” Kjetil Brattlien [...]

Tourists blamed for deadly avalanche

A major avalanche that killed five Swiss and French ski tourists in northern Norway on Monday is being blamed mostly on the skiers themselves. Local authorities and mountaineers claim they didn’t use a local guide and ventured into a dangerous area where avalanche danger was extremely high. Norwegian media outlets were full of reports on [...]

Avalanche kills five skiers in Troms

A large avalanche thundered down a mountainside in northern Norway on Monday afternoon, burying six persons from Switzerland and France who were skiing at Djupvik in Kåfjord. One Swiss tourist was dug out alive and rushed to hospital in Tromsø, but five others in the group were killed. Four of the skiers buried by the [...]

Avalanche hits ski center

Around 20 emergency personnel with specially trained dogs were searching Wednesday afternoon for anyone who may have been caught in an avalanche at the Vangslia ski center in Oppdal, central Norway. One person was quickly dug out and found to be uninjured. Police said the skier had three companions but they were all safe as [...]

Next Page »