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It was only hours ago that Remi Grinius, 30, was found on the slopes of the Jotunheimen Mountains, frozen and exhausted, when he received TV 2 at his home Sunday night.
– I considered that the chances of survival were nil. He had no food or water. I prayed all night to get back to my normal life, says Grinius.
Disappeared on the way down
On Saturday morning, comrades Remi Grinius, Henrik and Victor set out on a journey to scale Norway’s highest mountain, Galdhøpiggen. For Grinius it was his first hike up the mountain.
READY TO WALK: Remi Grinius (30) and his friend Victor were safe before starting the journey up the highest mountain in Norway. Photo: Private
When they reached the top, Grinius descended in advance.
– I was frozen in my fingers and I started to get very cold, and Victor struggled with something on his legs, so I tried to reach a group in front of me. Henrik is a professional, so Victor was safe with him, he says.
But when the tour group arrived at the Spiterstulen tourist hut, it turned out that the 30-year-old had never returned home after the day trip.
They decided to notify the emergency services. His friend Victor says he did not allow himself to be afraid.
– I tried to do what I had to do and I didn’t want to waste time being afraid. We did not want to take his clothes and shoes home to his wife and two young children, Victor tells TV 2.
– The tent was like a gift
Shortly before 10 pm on Saturday night, the Innlandet Police District announced that they had launched a major search operation for Remi Grinius.
ON THE TOUR: Remi, Henrik, and Victor went on a trip Saturday morning. Photo: Private
At that time there was snow on the mountains and the grade started to show negative grades. The exploration conditions were very demanding.
Police searched by helicopter from the air and Norwegian Red Cross teams and rescue dogs scoured the mountainous terrain.
The search yielded no results and the search teams felt compelled to seek refuge in the mountains for a few hours during the night, as the weather was very demanding.
– These are very challenging conditions and the wind is so strong that you can barely stand up. It’s a total storm, operations manager Haagen Løvseth said Sunday morning.
At the same time, Grinius used all his strength to try to keep warm. Suddenly he came across an abandoned store. He went in and found a sleeping bag.
– Without that tent, I would have froze. I had to dig under the snow. The tent was like a gift. During the night I tried to build up some heat in my body to try to escape the weather the next morning, says the 30-year-old.
Was saved
When the sun rose, the search resumed. The police and the Red Cross put more resources into the search.
A rescue helicopter was also called to the site, but the weather conditions were too demanding for it to search the top.
Only at 9 o’clock did the search finally return results. Later, a rescue helicopter managed to fly to a GPS position that was recorded by Remis mobile at the Main Rescue Center.
Three-year-old girl on an inflatable unicorn rescued from the sea
– I was convinced they couldn’t land in that weather, but I had hope, says Grinius.
The rescue helicopter contacted Remi and took him to safety.
– It was such violent emotions. I cried and it was completely out of my mind. They saved my life. I am very grateful to everyone who contributed, he says.
At Spiterstulen, his comrades welcomed him. They didn’t expect Remi to be successful.
Grinius admits that he was not well dressed enough to spend a day on the mountain. Extreme weather changes came as a shock to Lithuania. Now he comes with tips for others who want to try their luck in the Norwegian mountains.
– If you see that the weather is extreme, you have to turn around. We learned it the hard way, says Grinius.
