Atle Husby, the father of three, always made sure that the children had fun with him in the yellow pointed house on Svalbard. If there were northern lights in one of the neighboring valleys to Longyearbyen, he was not slow to bring the children along on snowmobiles to watch. It didn’t matter if it was a normal weekday. They got night songs with a twist. Playing the ukulele and with the glasses on, even going to bed became fun. This has stuck in the memory of the siblings Bendik (20), Mali (18) and Rasmus (16) Adamiak-Husby. But now it is eight years since they last saw their father. – There are so many nice things to look back on now that he is no longer in our lives, says Mali. Rasmus and Mali have many good memories of their dad. But it’s getting harder to remember him. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news It is a quiet Saturday morning in December 2015. The wind has died down after a violent snowstorm the night before. Then there is a crash in the mountains behind Atle’s yellow pointed house. It will change the lives of many in Svalbard. Not least for the group of siblings, who do not yet know how important the memories they have made with dad are going to be. The lives of Mali and her siblings were suddenly changed one December day eight years ago. Although dad Atle Husby lost his life in the avalanche in Longyearbyen, Svalbard is an important part of the siblings’ lives. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news The unique care For many years, Svalbard was home. Mali now lives in Ås outside Oslo with her mother, little brother Rasmus and bonus dad. Big brother Bendik serves in the Armed Forces. Mali is in her final year of specialist studies at upper secondary school. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Father of three children, teacher and cultural personality Atle Husby was well liked in Svalbard society. – The other children came to me and said I was so lucky to have him as a father, because he was so nice and funny all the time. I remember being very proud that he was my father, says Mali. In the yellow pointed house at the foot of Sukkertoppen in Svalbard, you could constantly hear Atle playing one of his many instruments. Alone, with the children or with friends. There was a lot of musical joy in dad Atle Husby’s tip house. Big brother Bendik played the piano one last time when they got to visit the landslide area. Photo: Private He asked if the neighbors needed help shoveling snow. If you were snowed in, there was free space on Atle’s sofa. – I woke up many times to find there was an extra man on the sofa, Rasmus recalls and laughs a little. In the last week before Christmas, Mali and the brothers are with mum, who lives a short distance away. In a few days they are going back to dad’s to celebrate Christmas. But a storm is brewing. The storm that has been forecast will be the worst in 30 years. The day before the landslide, the inhabitants prepared for a hurricane-force storm on Svalbard. Photo: Ronny Brunvoll Something is happening on the mountainside With its 371 metres, Sukkertoppen towers behind the characteristic pointed houses in Longyearbyen. The mountain is steep, and is used as a hiking destination, for tobogganing and activity days. But this evening, most people stay inside. Only the hardiest venture outdoors to feel the forces of nature. Meter-high piles lie in the streets. Roofs blow off buildings, and the city’s nightclubs have to close because of the storm. There are several clear signs of the violent storm, but no one notices what is happening on the mountain side. The storm forms a large snowdrift on the slope of the mountain. At Atle, five friends have gathered for a festive team. Eventually it is time to go home. Atle offers them to spend the night since the weather is so bad outside, but everyone wants to go home to themselves. The following morning, the storm has subsided. The snowdrifts have grown and cover both house windows and doors. The time is 10.23 on December 19 when it happens. A 200-metre-wide snowflake breaks loose on the mountainside and 5,000 tonnes of snow slides into the building with tremendous force. Enormous masses of snow thunder down the rock face and towards the spiers. Eleven houses are taken by the landslide. One of the hardest hit houses is the yellow house of Mali’s father. It will be a life and death battle in the snow masses. The landslide caused great destruction. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB Three hours The flock of siblings does not yet know that there has been a landslide in Longyearbyen. Inside Atle’s house, furniture, clothes, children’s toys and Christmas presents are thrown around, broken and buried in snow. A car and some snowmobiles will eventually also appear on the first floor. The yellow tip housing is unrecognizable. The outer wall that stood against the mountain is broken. Where there was furniture, there is only snow and broken furniture. Around 100 people are involved in the search in the avalanche area. Most of them are neighbors and friends who have heard what has happened and want to contribute. Friends, neighbors and relief crews quickly started looking for people in the landslide. Photo: NTB The search team has just unearthed two little girls who lived in one of the neighboring houses. Now they start the search for Atle. At my mother’s home, in a house closer to Nybyen, the children have got up. Unaware of what has happened. – When I woke up, my mother was running back and forth and received a few phone calls. I was really just looking forward to Christmas and was happy that it was finally school-free, recalls Rasmus. Mali was only ten years old, but remembers a strange atmosphere. It is as if they know something is wrong, but they are too young to understand the seriousness of what has happened. The mother of Mali, Bendik and Rasmus tries to shield the children from the news. They get to have friends over, play games and watch the iPad. But eventually they hear that there has been a landslide from Sukkertoppen. Three hours after the avalanche starts from the mountain behind the father’s house, the search team finds Atle deep in the snow under the house. – Then we finally learn that dad did not survive. Then we had a visit from the priest, with whom we are also quite good friends. He was with us for a while, says Bendik. They hear that Atle was probably sleeping when the landslide happened. The children can come to the hospital to see him. In the church, friends and acquaintances gather to remember Atle. He was a member of the male choir Great Norwegian Male Choir. Now the choir must sing in the memorial service – without their permanent second bass. – Then I realized for the first time how lucky I was, and how many people were happy for my father, when so many people turned up to show that they were sad with us, says Rasmus. Rasmus was eight years old when dad Atle died in the avalanche on Svalbard. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news 25 people were inside the houses that were taken by the landslide. Atle Husby (42) and Nikoline (2) lost their lives. Back to Longyearbyen this Saturday eight years ago. The situation is still dramatic. The landslide experts fear that it could slide from the mountain in several places. In the afternoon, 170 people are told that they must evacuate. Now it’s time to take what memories they can with them. The hunt for memories Mali and the family only have a few minutes to pack. – I brought a puzzle with pictures of myself and my family on it. And a photo album and my teddy bears, says Mali. Mali with the puzzle she took with her when they were evacuated just hours after her dad lost his life. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news She forgets to bring clothes, but gets to borrow everything she needs from good friends. Afterwards, it has to be cleaned up. At a warehouse in the city, people can collect belongings found in the landslide area. Mali and the brothers found the Christmas calendar Atle had arranged for them. Their Christmas presents had also survived the avalanche. It also had a small Lego set and a pack of fake nails and earrings made. Later, the siblings are allowed to enter the avalanche site, and all the way to dad’s house. – It was a very surreal feeling to walk around there. They had cleared away most of it, so almost only our house was left there, says Mali. Atle’s piano was damaged in the landslide, but Bendik managed to get some notes out of it when they visited the landslide area. Photo: Privat At the same time, she thinks it was nice to see the area before it was cleared away. Rasmus thinks it was disgusting to see his home destroyed. – It was so strange to see the house I had lived in suddenly standing completely awry. The wall was gone and I could see right into my room. Only half the room was standing, and the bed and furniture had split in two, he says. In the middle of all the brokenness stands the piano, just as intact. It doesn’t work as it should, but big brother Bendik sits down to play. The sound of “Dovregubbens hall” gently comes out of the piano. Right next door, the excavators are clearing away what was once their home. Bendik plays on his father’s piano in what was once their home in Svalbard. Natta, papa There is nothing left of the yellow house where Mali, Rasmus and Bendik lived with papa. At the back of the mountain, where eleven houses were taken by the landslide, there is now a large embankment. Eight years later, all that remains are the memories. Memories of life on Svalbard, and memories of dad. But they are getting weaker. – You forget, even if you don’t want to. You notice that it becomes difficult to remember just how he looked and how he spoke, says Mali. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news But in their house on Ås there are several physical memories of dad Atle. A friend of the mother sewed three large pillows from Atle’s trousers. Under the stairs are the instruments that were not crushed by the masses of snow. Three ukuleles, two mandolins and a guitar. Furniture that survived the landslide has made it to the mainland. The cushions are sewn from dad’s trousers. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news The instruments that survived the landslide are well taken care of. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news The puzzle was important for Mali to take with them when they were evacuated, just hours after the father was taken by the landslide. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news For Mali, it is important to have traces of dad in his home. – I think about dad very often. Then it’s very nice to have some memories that mean that I indirectly have him with me all the time, she says. Two pictures hang in her room. One of her and dad, and one with just dad. – I have an evening routine every night where I say good night to dad. I think that’s nice, because then I think about him every day, says Mali. Mali has realized that losing her dad as a ten-year-old has affected her more than she thought. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Mali notices that losing her father has affected her more than she has let herself believe. – When you get older and don’t have that fatherly role in your life, you lack a person to lean on and find security in, she says. The siblings appreciate their bonus dad who has been a safe father figure in their lives. Still, a father is missing. – Sometimes I think “imagine if dad was still alive”. It can be a bit difficult at times, says Mali. Mali has realized that losing her dad as a ten-year-old has affected her more than she thought. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Eight years later, new memories still appear for her to take care of. Recently, Mali found an old iPod that she had when she was a child. – There were a lot of videos I haven’t seen before. So now we have downloaded videos from when I was 5-6 years old with my dad and lots of singing and fun. It was very nice, she says. Father Atle often took the children on spontaneous trips. Photo: Privat A winter’s day in Svalbard when the children were small. Photo: Privat Mali helps dad with the lawn mowing. Atle and the children look at pictures they have taken together. Photo: Private Although life was drastically changed that December day in Svalbard, the island has a special place in their hearts. – It may be a bit strange because of all the terrible things that have happened there, but I still love Svalbard. It’s my favorite place. I love nature, and I love what you can do there. It’s strange that I also say this, but I think it’s the safest place in the world, says Rasmus.
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Atle Husby died in an avalanche on Svalbard in 2015 – Troms and Finnmark
