An avalanche at Trollfjordvatnet in Hadsel municipality in early March involved a group of 13 people. Police, volunteers, and rescue helicopters were alerted to the incident.
Hanna Hughes from New Zealand was one of the 13 people caught in the avalanche. She was carried 200 meters down the mountainside by the avalanche and later transported by helicopter to Nordlandssykehuset in Bodø. Hughes suffered a broken ankle and a torn cruciate ligament from the incident.
SeilNorge, which organizes ski tours for Norwegian and foreign ski enthusiasts, states that avalanche transceivers are required on their tours. Everyone in the group had avalanche transceivers with them, and they were actively used in the search for the two people under the snow. On that Wednesday, SeilNorge's guides had taken 10 tourists on a tour. The daily manager has previously said that the guides are certified and have a lot of experience with avalanche assessments.
There was significant avalanche danger that day. Hanna Hughes did not check the avalanche warning herself because she thought the guides had control over it since it was an organized tour. Hughes saw that several avalanches had occurred in the mountain on the way in. She asked the guides several times if it was safe to continue the tour, and according to Hughes, they answered yes.
SeilNorge is sorry that Hughes experienced this on a tour organized by them. The company states that they have followed up with those involved since the accident and will continue to do so. The guides explained in a debrief the day after the accident why they did not share Hughes' concerns.
Hanna Hughes is angry that the decision was made for her and that they were put in danger and exposed to risk they had not consented to. She regrets that she did not insist more.
According to SeilNorge, visible avalanches are common in the mountainsides of Trollfjorden and elsewhere in steep mountain terrain. The company organizes tours in such areas, and this incident has highlighted ongoing safety discussions.