– There was a thud in the snow cover, and shooting cracks. Then we realized that there was an avalanche danger, so we turned back. That’s what Nikolai Schirmer from Tromsø says. He is a professional skier and film producer, and travels a lot on snowy mountains. He is known, among other things, from the series “Exposed” on news. Although he is able to assess avalanche danger himself, Schirmer believes that Varsom.no’s avalanche warning is a fantastic tool for safe travel in the mountains. Varsom is the official avalanche warning in Norway and is made by NVE in collaboration with the Norwegian Road Administration and the Meteorological Institute. The snow has fallen over Troms and Finnmark in the last week. There have also been several avalanches this weekend. But the avalanche warning does not begin with daily warnings before 1 December as long as the avalanche danger is not high (danger level 4), even if the snow comes earlier and avalanches can be triggered. Want earlier notifications Torleif Svendsen is an avalanche instructor for DNT and has tour companions with him on the mountain. He believes that the notification start on 1 December is too late. – We want the notification to have started on 1 November at the latest. When we get a winter like now, where we can start skiing from October onwards, and the snow comes, we definitely wish we had it, says Svendsen. For the avalanche instructor, the winter season is already underway. Then it would have helped a lot to have avalanche warnings. Svendsen believes that the avalanche warning is the most important tool we have for understanding the risk of avalanches. Svendsen travels a lot in the mountains himself. Photo: Trond Idrupsen No resources to expand – With the resources we have today, we have made it a priority to warn from 1 December, because by then the danger of landslides is mostly underway across the country. That’s what Rune Engeset, head of section for NVE, Norway’s Directorate of Water Resources and Energy, says. He is responsible for the avalanche warning. Section manager in NVE, Rune Engeset, would consider starting earlier with avalanche warnings, if he had more resources. Photo: Norway’s watercourses and energy directorate Engeset points out that there will be a warning from 20 October, but only when there is danger level 4. It happened this week, when NVE sent out a red danger warning about avalanches in five regions on Wednesday. Daily notifications, regardless of the degree of danger, come on 1 December and continue until May. – With the funds we have, this is the most important period in terms of accidents, says Engeset. Could consider local adaptations With better resources, Engeset could consider starting earlier with daily avalanche warnings in some areas. – Some years it is in Sunnmøre or Northwest Norway where it “bangs” early. Other times it is in Troms, he says. If the snow season starts before the avalanche warning’s daily warnings, the observers at NVE must adapt. – They must have some predictability and they must be available. So there is something about practically making it happen. But there are certainly solutions for that. Feels a personal responsibility Before the warning comes into force on 1 December, Nikolai Schirmer feels that he should contribute himself by informing about areas that are prone to landslides. – I feel a greater responsibility there, he says. Schirmer regularly shares with friends and on social media if he has seen danger signs. He also boasts of the culture of sharing in the ski community to share observations about the danger of avalanches. Schirmer himself shares his observations of snow conditions when he is out skiing. Photo: Privat Nevertheless, he would like the notifications from Varsom to come as long as there are skiers. – It is easier and more organized with the avalanche warning. Seven tips to avoid avalanches 1. Read the avalanche warning for your area. Find out what the different degrees of danger and avalanche problems mean for you when traveling in avalanche terrain. Also read the text “landslide problem” for each warning. It gives more information than just the number. 2. Plan your trip at home. Plan your trip according to weather and snow conditions, and the tour group’s level of experience and knowledge. At the start of the trip, you must also assess whether local snow conditions are different from what you expected. Make a new assessment if the answer is yes. 3. Pay attention to the danger signs of avalanches that nature gives you: fresh avalanches, cracks in the snow surface, drifting from the snow cover under stress. 4. Have good traffic routines. If you have to walk in an avalanche-prone area, do it one at a time or keep a good distance from each other. Stop or wait only in places where you cannot trigger an avalanche, and where you cannot be caught by an avalanche from above. The main rule is to avoid driving in avalanche terrain, i.e. terrain that is steeper than 30 degrees. 5. Be able to recognize avalanche-prone terrain. Where can landslides occur, and how far can landslides go? 6. Always makes well-thought-out road choices. Ask yourself the question “why can I travel here”? 7. Bring the right equipment. When driving in the vicinity of avalanche terrain, you must always have a transmitter or receiver on your body, as well as a search stand, shovel and first aid equipment in your rucksack. Practice using the equipment before you go on a trip. Source: Red Cross. Several ways to obtain information about avalanche danger Both Schirmer and Svendsen share tips on how you can find out whether an area is prone to avalanches, without using Varsom’s service. The first thing you can do is check whether you are going on a trip in an avalanche terrain. Landslide terrain: Red shows detachment areas, and yellow and green show outlet areas. Illustration: NVE – There are many places you can go now, no matter how great the avalanche danger is, as there is no avalanche terrain, says Schirmer. In avalanche terrain, avalanches can break loose wherever there is snow and 30 degrees or steeper. On the website regobs.no you can register where avalanches have been observed and attach photos. Photo: regobs.no / regobs.no Svendsen says he himself diligently uses the website regobs.no. There is a page where you can enter landslide observations, so that anyone can see where landslides have occurred. Nikolai is living his dream as a freelancer and filmmaker. But on the first ski day of the season, the unthinkable happens.
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Many avalanches already – believes varsom.no must start earlier – news Troms and Finnmark
