The Red Cross registered 66 injuries, 12 rescue requests, and one avalanche emergency on Wednesday. 1,200 volunteers are on standby at a total of 150 duty stations this holiday season.
So far this Easter, the Red Cross have had about half as many injuries and missions as at the same time last year’, said guard leader, Ole Gladsø, at the Red Cross’ information center at Gol.
However, there have been several serious accidents in the mountains this week.
On Tuesday night, a twelve year old girl died who had crashed into a tree on a slope at Sjusjøen ski resort the day before .
On Monday, a man in his 20s died while snowboarding at the Hemsedal resort.
On Wednesday, a 44-year-old woman was seriously injured in an accident on the alpine ski slopes of Gaustablikk in Telemark.
Despite increased staffing at Easter, the Red Cross only have a presence at a small number of ski resorts in Norway, which are mostly staffed by their own ski patrols.
‘The Red Cross generally recommends that everyone wears a helmet, pay attention to the slope, and choose trails in accordance to your skills’, said Ole Gladsø.
He pointed out that people skiing in the alpine facilities should both know, and follow the alpine rules good skiing sense, published by the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
