A March storm drips snow from the sky. The whole of Sördalen hums when the wind is channeled and gathers its forces from far away from the great fells of northern Sweden directly into this huge Norwegian valley. The owner of the farmhouse tells a story about a Sámi man who was herding reindeer in the highlands that open up beyond the edges of the valley. The weather was the same that day. The snow was blowing and visibility was poor. With the help of the snowmobile, the reindeer were quickly reached, but suddenly the sled began to flow towards the edge of the highlands. As the pace picked up, the man dug the knife out of his sheath, jumped off the back of the sled and slammed Mora with all his might into the azure ice. The snowmobile continued its journey, plunging 700 meters down Skredbekken – the largest icefall in northern Norway. The man survived, but Sördalen's guard had once again shown his strength. Chills ran down my spine as I turned my gaze to the giant sprawling on the eastern edge of the valley.
Norwegian omelette.
We had climbed 300 meters of Skredbekken in just over an hour. I made sure in the snow and watched Juha's steady progress on the first vertical section. The group had been scared by the avalanches, but the fields on the gentle snow sections had been as stable as they could ever be. The feeling was on the roof and there were months of winter climbing from Senja to Alta and back.
On paper, Skredbekken is nothing short of amazing. Vitonen's ice Seven hundred meters with a short approach. Not to mention any scary or poorly secured winter mix far from civilization. The day was basically crap for both of us. My main concern was whether I remembered to take a magnesium tab or two in the morning in case of calf cramps.
Conrad Anker has climbed a few meters of ice in his life. The work week at the Arctic Ice Festival brought a lot of new acquaintances.
Climbing clinics at festivals. The first day off after a week was fatal.
Minna Riihimäki doubles the sunny pekken.
Tonni from Kuru on the island of Andorja.
Juha had climbed forty meters when the ice started to change from perfect to layered. I was clearly off the climbing line with chunks of ice crunching to my left.
At some point, Juha's plait came off from being hit by a pick or an iron. It plunged straight down until it changed direction when it hit a bulge. I saw and knew that now I had to try to dodge, but I was anchored by a rope with not much room to move. I decided to jump back, but a flake the size of my head, about 5 cm in diameter, hit my left arm like a guillotine.
In ice climbing, you always get small pieces on your legs, shoulders and helmet, but you usually get away with bruises. That's what I thought it would be like now. I shook my hand until I peeked under the glove. "Juha, I must go down".
I realized quite suddenly that I had broken my wrist or one of the bones in my hand. Juha landed on the stand to use the ice auger and slings. Helicopter rescue was considered, but I found that I could land well enough with one hand. Painkillers were not included, but either my pain threshold is high or my hand was not touched too much.
The seven rappels went quite smoothly thanks to Juha's quick action. There was no major drama involved in the situation, but both worked calmly in their respective tasks. Me now mainly as a patient being passed on the stands.
Under the fall, Juha was left reeling and I ran back to the car in a dead heat without skis. The check was significantly easier than Juhalla, who carried everything down with skis for days.
I was able to take a taxi from the Setermoen health center to the hospital in Narvik for an X-ray and a preliminary cast. The end result of several days of insurance adjustment was a flight to Finland for surgery, where the completely broken ulna received a titanium plate and five screws.
The Norwegians' X-ray showed that now all the bones were not aligned.
When I woke up from the anesthesia, my mind was mainly about the car left in Salangen, with which I had to pick up Ella from Inari home. The pandemic exploded and day by day the states closed down. How the car finally ended up in Finland is another story.
Take a lesson
In retrospect, it's good to learn and think about what could have been done better. The only direct mistakes were leaving the painkiller in the car, but many things to consider became even clearer.
- Always make the stand as far away from the climber's line as possible. I like to go to the cave, if possible. Of course, falling pieces of ice can change direction from the bulges, but at least the risk of being hit is minimized.
- Even on an easy line it can hurt. Actually, always and wherever, no matter how well you do things. Be prepared and practice rescue techniques. Many times, in the right situation, they also have to be applied, but it's good to have the basics.
- The insurances should be in order. This time too, the bill would have been quite large without appropriate insurance.
- Move in the mountains and climb. These situations don't happen on the plains, but you also can't fully prepare for them by reading books and rehearsing rope techniques on Rollers. Especially the spiritual side. You will quickly forget what you have learned if the environment already feels scary.
Rock mania
The rehabilitation of the hand went without any major pain. Six weeks after the surgery, I climbed alaseiska träd and after ten weeks I climbed 7c+ sport. Antti Liukkonen suspected that something other than anesthetic had been injected into the vein during anesthesia.
Blood Pulls East, 7c+ turned pale 10 weeks after surgery. Photo: Pyry Karjalainen.
A big thank you goes to the hand surgeon Mikko Skutnabb, who has also operated on many athletes. Without a cast, I managed to move my elbow, wrist and fingers throughout the ossification process, as well as exercise a little stress, which eventually helped the ossification. Apparently there is an old school and a new school when it comes to treatment. Many suspected that I would break my hand again. Well, let the spring quilt list speak for itself.
Congratulations to Juha for reliable and safe operation. The textile duo's climbing career has had several pounding moments, but with calmness and climbing/situational wisdom, we have and will always survive them.
Also thanks to Ella for always positive thinking and cheers during rehabilitation!
For once, it was great to enjoy domestic rock climbing without traveling anywhere. Of course, all future plans and work patterns were moved by the year, but while following the snappy granite routes, worries and sorrows were forgotten.
Our new family members Haave and Nukka also brought their own sparkle to spring and summer. Husky sisters at their best! The girls have already had time to knock on twenty different rocks and go on excursions wherever and whenever.
The rise of pandemania. Kuus-aalainen grade 7a.
A good jam routine is rehabilitative.
Dream and Fluffy!
Even in Olhava, we enjoyed climbing gems less often. Otosen's Trikoo-Nissen was beaten by Last Dinosaurus, which is one of the most amazing routes in Olhava!
Kauri in Polar Fuck's top. Mini route with Haukkavuori standards, but guaranteed quality.
Chris Novichok's crucifixion. The sport I opened a couple of years ago has had a gratifying rise this past spring.
Repeat climb to Perttu Ollila's Come Back to Crack route. The short 7c+ got cold relatively easily. Photo by Henna Paalanen.
Newcomers deep in the archipelago. Teil's ascent.
From the hit of the summer. DWS going on the Son of the Beach route. Aleksi climbs.
Plunging into deep waters.
It's difficult to say what the next year's climbs will look like, but I would think that the travel restrictions outside of Europe will remain for a long time. Challenges, even big ones, can be found without flying beyond the oceans. Sure, many of us have a passion for the world's great mountains, but now the most important thing is to live one day at a time and stay healthy! And there is still nothing to complain about in Finnish climbing either.