11-year-olds stranded on the mountain – wanted a kebab when rescue came

It is a nice and sunny Easter day in April 2019 at Stordal in Møre og Romsdal. The 11-year-old friends Andreas Dulin and Andreas Høyberg set out on a mountain trip up the Sunnmør Alps.

The nature- and hiking-loving boys are told by their parents not to go too far up the mountain. But the guys enjoy walking, so they move up and up until they are 1000 meters above sea level.

Melted snow turns to ice

As day turns to evening, the temperature drops. The snow, which has melted during the sunny day, now freezes to ice and makes walking very demanding – especially for two 11-year-olds.

The boys understand that they have to get down from the mountain before it gets even colder. But the path they took to get up is now covered in ice and too dangerous to go down. They therefore choose an alternative route down from the Sunnmør Alps.

But there is ice no matter which way they go, so they have to stop their descent. It is too slippery and too steep, and the evening darkness makes the terrain unclear.

– Andreas has explained that they felt danger when they started to slide down the steep mountain side, says Thomas Dulin, Andreas Dulin’s father.

– They had both lost their grip on their shoes. They felt a little anxious about how they were going to get down without help.

Fortunately, Andreas and Andreas have a walkie-talkie with them which they use to notify their parents.

The parents consider picking them up themselves, but quickly realize that they face the same problem as the children: It is too steep, slippery and dark.

They call the emergency services instead.

The rescue operation

The rescue helicopter from 330 Squadron moves out. They first fly to Ørsta to collect extra help from Norwegian Alpine Rescue Groups (NARG), an organization with volunteers who are experts in rescuing people who have become stuck on mountains.

It is cold in the mountains. The wind is at 6.5 meters per second, and the scale is on the minus side. The boys sit with their backs to each other to keep warm.

– As time passed and it became dark and cold, Andreas thought about how long it would take before they were rescued. We were constantly in contact with the boys, but we also didn’t know how long it would possibly take, says Pål Høyberg, Andreas Høyberg’s father.

Three hours after the boys notified their parents, the helicopter arrives. Despite the fact that it is dark, the helicopter finds them quickly, thanks to a headlamp the boys have brought.

But the helicopter can’t land where the guys are. They must first study the terrain they are in, and then land somewhere else to prepare a rescue plan. While they are making the plan, the helicopter is also emptied of unnecessary equipment and personnel, so that the helicopter becomes lighter and can hover more stably.

– Andreas and Andreas were frustrated that they were not picked up straight away. They were a little disheartened as the helicopter left the scene to land and plan. So at this point they became very impatient, says Thomas Dulin.

After the rescue plan is laid out, the helicopter sets course for Andreas and Andreas. The helicopter barely lands – with one wheel on the ground – and the volunteers from NARG jump out onto the mountain, approximately 150 meters above where the boys are.

The NARG gang climb down to where the boys are stranded. They have brought a couple of winter jackets for the boys, who were wearing only hoodies. After the 11-year-olds are secured in cables, they are hoisted up to the helicopter.

Wanted kebabs

The boys have one wish when they finally come down safely from the mountain: Kebabs for supper.

– It was something they talked about up in the mountains. They had been away from the cabin for over six hours and were quite hungry. So when they were asked by the rescue team up in the mountains if they were hungry, there was a wish for a kebab for the evening, says dad Pål Høyberg.

– But the fast food was closed so late at night, so there were gyros at the cabin for dinner instead. It was approved by the guys.

The following day was of the calm variety.

– The next day was a quiet day to get to the hooks again. But the rest of Easter was almost as normal, with trips to the ski slopes and Easter treats at the cabin. It took some time before the boys wanted to tell about everything that had happened, says Pål Høyberg.

Today, both boys are doing well, and neither of them has had any lasting injuries, either physically or psychologically.

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