This week it became clear that the Swedish reality program “Berget” was to let 15 unknown Swedes climb Stetind in Narvik municipality on Swedish TV4. In 2002, the mountain was voted Norway’s national mountain by Nitimen’s listeners. Later it became clear that the mayor of Tysfjord had spent 19,000 municipal kroner on calling cards to increase the mountain’s chances of winning. And Stetind was well known long before that. As early as 1937, the philosopher and mountaineer Peter Wessel Zapffe wrote in the Norwegian Tourist Association’s yearbook that Stetind was “an anvil where the gods can hammer”. Map of Stetind, a mountain that rises 1392 meters above sea level. In 2002, Stetind was named Norway’s national mountain. In 2013, news wrote that Stetind had not succeeded in becoming the tourist magnet many thought it would become. But now Norway’s national mountain has become a favorite target for reality filming. This summer, both Finland, Sweden and the Netherlands recorded reality shows on the mountain. In Norway, this autumn TV 2 will broadcast the program “Voktaren: The mountain gives – the mountain takes”. After the tragic incident of the Swedish reality show, TV 2 has chosen to simply call its program “Vokteren”. – It was natural to remove the “tagline” from our title out of consideration for the tragic death during the Swedish production, says TV 2’s press manager, Jan-Petter Dahl to VG. – Many people are afraid of heights Nordland tour company guides tourists in the mountains. Daily leader, Ivar Sandland, says that the trip up to Stetind is a demanding trip where you have to climb. – Stetind is a heavy and long walk with a lot of elevation gain. You start at the fjord and walk a long uphill to 1300 meters above sea level. Climbing Steigtind is breezy. Even seasoned climbers can feel the fear of heights, according to Ivar Sandland in Nordland turselskap. He adds that the trip is both airy and exposed. – Many people are afraid of heights. There have never been any serious fall accidents on Stetind, but in several other northern Norwegian mountains there have been fatal accidents this summer. Can cause wear and tear – Reality TV has hundreds of thousands of viewers, and there are always some of them who want to go to places that are shown on TV. That’s what the daily manager of DNT Narvik, Jon Sommerseth, says. He believes that the TV recordings can make more people spend more time in nature, and that mountain peaks like this one become training targets and strong nature experiences. But Sommerseth is also worried that the increased attention could lead to wear and tear on nature. Photo: Private – Stetind is iconic. People all over Europe have begun to discover the mountain. It is teeming with climbers and everything in nature has its own pain limit, he says. According to Sommerseth, Stetind has seen a many-fold increase in the number of visitors over the past five to ten years. There can be too much litter, footpaths and climbers’ remains in the rock face. Death early in the recording On Wednesday this week, it became known that one of the participants, a man in his 50s, died during the Swedish reality recording. The police told news yesterday that the cause of death was cardiac arrest. The Norwegian police will nevertheless investigate the incident. The program Berget on Swedish TV4 began recording this week. The recording has now stopped as a result of the accident. Photo: Facsimile / TV4 The participants had to climb the 1392 meter high mountain in 14 days. Now it is uncertain whether the recording of the program will be stopped or allowed to continue after the incident. – Our focus is now to take care of relatives, participants and employees. Everything else will have to wait, says Karin Nyman, HR and communications director at TV4 to news. There have never been any serious falls or fatalities at Stetind, even though the last part of the stretch is challenging. Photo: Roger Knutsen / Lofoten.com Programmer, artist and rapper Petter Alexis Askergren said before the recording that there was a large amount of money to win in the programme. After the incident, he wrote the following on Instagram: – I’m shocked! It feels unreal. My thoughts go out to the relatives. – As painful as if they were to lose someone at home. Participants in the TVNorge program 71 degrees North – Norway’s toughest celebrity has previously climbed the mountain. Among others, celebrity stylist Erlend Elias Bragstad was in the program in 2016. He comes from Kjøpsvik and sees the majestic mountain from the kitchen window in his childhood home. Former reality participant in 71 degrees north, Erlend Elias Bragstad, says he felt safe even on airy stretches of the recording in 2016. Photo: Hanna Johre / news The stylist thinks the experience has been tough for the Swedish participants. – You come in a bubble and become very close to each other. I think that everyone else who is there probably feels as bad as if they were to lose someone close to them at home. Bragstad says that as a reality participant he felt very well looked after by the security team when he was in airy terrain in Norwegian reality. Photo: Allan Sande / DNT If it is decided that the Swedish reality contestants will still climb the national mountain, Sommerseth says in DNT that it is absolutely crucial that they have people with climbing skills or a mountain guide with them. – You can’t just go up on your own if you don’t have climbing skills, he says and adds: – Some people don’t have insight into their own limitations. Anyone can’t come up Stetind. Mountain guide Sandland says that the Norwegian programs that have been there in the past have provided their own guides. He expects Swedish TV to do the recording in a responsible way and that the device behind is safe. – It is presented as if the participants are climbing the mountain themselves, but there are professionals who are behind it and can help them and look after them in these productions. – I am not afraid that this creates a signal effect, says the tour guide. news has asked Swedish TV4 questions about the security of their recording, and how they selected their participants, but has not received an answer to these questions. Published 15.08.2024, at 17.41 Updated 15.08.2024, at 17.45
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Reality programs from many countries in Europe record TV on Norway’s national mountain – news Nordland
