It was Thursday evening that the drama unfolded in Sortland in Vesterålen. Just before the local alpine club was to organize the North Norwegian championship, and only a few days before the winter holidays began, there was a lot of activity on the slopes. Among them, several pedal machines ran in the facility. But when the driver of one pedal machine left the cab, it began to move forward. Both the driver and a witness tried to stop the machine, but quickly concluded that it was not possible. The pedal machine then began to run wild up in the facility, and collided with a lift mast. On Friday, it was clear that forces had been involved when the pedal machine collided with two of the lift masts connected to the alpine facility. Photo: Jens Andre M. Birkeland This was how the trip down the alpine hill was. At the same time, personnel at the bottom of the hill were notified, so that they could have the children on site evacuated – in case the pedal machine should run all the way down to the bottom of the hill. But it didn’t get that far, before another lift mast had an unpleasant encounter with the pedal machine. The machine then changed direction and drove up the hill, still without anyone behind the wheel. Finally, the journey continued out of the ski slope, and down a forest field. The journey ended in an encounter with several trees. After driving down two lift masts, the pedal machine ended its journey in the encounter with a couple of trees in a forest clearing. Photo: Jens Andre M. Birkeland Had to cancel championship Richard Johansen is chairman of Sortland alpine club. – The treadmill is the least of your worries. That no one was injured is the most important thing. Then we’d rather think that everything else can be fixed, he says to news. On Friday, the North Norwegian championship was scheduled to take place in the facility. But it was cancelled. – It was a thankless job to contact all the clubs the day before the championship and say that it has been cancelled, says the chairman. It was in the Sortland alpine club’s ski resort at Ånstadblåheia in Vesterålen that the pedal machine ran wild on Thursday evening. – There are around 200 disappointed alpinists, and probably just as many disappointed parents who had been looking forward to the weekend, but are not allowed to participate, he says. Now it’s about looking ahead for the club. – On Saturday, we gather the club’s young people and adults on the ground for barbecues, games and skating fun. We will give everyone back the positive experience we have in our facility, says Christian Nordheim. – Now we look up and look ahead. Work on installing a new lift will start immediately. The case dropped by the police The police opened a case after the incident. It has now been dropped, says police attorney Eva Kristin Varheim to news. – Nothing criminal has happened. This is a sad accident for those involved, she says. The police were quickly on the scene at the alpine slope after they were notified of the incident on Thursday evening. Photo: Jens André Mehammer Birkeland
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Here, the driverless pedal machine creates chaos on the alpine slope – news Nordland
