Vega stairs was at 13 Monday smashed by a rock slide. Eight people, including a guide, were on top of the mountain when the stairs collapsed. In addition, there were two walkers on the stairs themselves. Fortunately, no one was injured. But it was close. Meters from the rock slide Cathrine Hansen and Børre Hafredal from Skien in Telemark were only meters from being caught by the slide. They had just come down the stairs when they heard them rumbling above them. The couple describe the experience as unreal, but are still left with a good impression of Vega. Photo: Cathrine Hansen / Privat – I turned to see that my husband was a little further ahead and I thought I would just have to crouch down behind a large rock, says Hansen. She sought cover behind a large rock as rocks whizzed over her head. Cathrine Hansen and Børre Hafredal took a picture of themselves at the top of Ravnfloget shortly before the avalanche passed over them. Photo: Cathrine Hansen / Privat When it stopped raining, they could see back to where we had gone. There, the entire staircase was destroyed by a landslide. – For the two of us, it was a miracle. We had just come down the stairs which were completely demolished. We were just incredibly lucky. – Not our turn But the couple from Skien were not the only ones on the stairs this morning. At the top of the mountain stood Ole Arne Davidsen with a tour group of seven people from the USA whom he guided in the area. The group climbed the Via Ferrata on Vega and was going to take the stairs down. When the slide started, according to the guide, they were so far up that they didn’t hear it slide. – I didn’t realize what had happened until I saw that there were large stones lying on the stairs and through the stairs. Many tens of meters were smashed. Ole Arne Davidsen guided seven tourists past the landslide site shortly after the rockfall. Photo: Ole A. Davidsen / Private The guide says that a chill went down their spines when they saw the remains of the plating where they usually stand when they inform the tourists about the mountain tour. It was crushed to stickwood. The Vega stairs were a terrifying sight for the tourists when they came down from Ravnfloget on Vega. Photo: Cathrine Hansen / Privat – The tourists were probably a little frightened. We had to climb past the area that was destroyed, says the guide. Davidsen says that the stairs are frequently used by both tourists and permanent residents. It was therefore a miracle that no one was injured this time. – It wasn’t our turn this time, you might say. The Vegatrappa construction site is owned and operated by IL Vega. And they were also the ones who built the stairs on a voluntary basis. – It’s very boring, but I’m primarily happy that no one was there when the rocks fell, says Ronny Johansen, who is the head of IL Vega. The stairs were financed by tourists and permanent residents buying a step. On the step they had bought, they were given a brass sign with their name on it. These steps are now pegs. The stairs consist of 1,500 steps and are financed by tourists and permanent residents who have paid for steps in the stairs. Now several of the steps are stickwood. Photo: Ole A. Davidsen / Private – Many volunteer hours have gone into building the stairs. There is a sign warning of the risk of rock falls at the foot of the stairs. But the leader says that until now the warning has been most important in the spring. Then the rockslides tend to go in the area. Never before have they experienced rockfalls in late summer. The head of IL Vega says that they will rebuild the stairs up to Ravnfloget, which is 342 meters above sea level. Photo: Ole A. Davidsen / Privat Johansen thinks the rainy summer may be to blame. Now the stairs are closed, and will probably remain so for the rest of the year. But the manager has no doubt that they will rebuild it. – Many people use the Vegatrappa because you get a good view of the sea. We almost just have to try to get it fixed again. Previously, news made a video about the tourist attraction Vegatrappa.
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Steinras has destroyed parts of Vegatrappa – news Nordland
