A large-scale search operation on Hovden in southern Norway successfully located two missing skiers late Saturday night. The men, both in their fifties and from Agder county, were found in good condition at the Sloaros tourist cabin. They had run out of battery power and couldn’t communicate their location, according to Frode Vang, the operation leader, speaking to Fædrelandsvennen.
The search began after police received an alert from the men’s family just after 6 p.m. The skiers were last seen around 11 a.m. near Mjåvatn, north of Hovden. Family members had tracked their position through a mobile app earlier in the day but lost contact afterward. Three snowmobile teams were dispatched and ultimately found the pair at the cabin northwest of Hovden.
Multiple rescue groups joined the effort, including Norwegian Search and Rescue Dogs, the Red Cross, Bykle Mountain Rescue, Norsk Fjellhjelp, police dog units, drones, and the SAR Queen rescue helicopter from Sola. Benjamin Flåten, the on-site response leader, praised the volunteers, calling it a “formidable effort” despite freezing temperatures of minus 17 degrees Celsius. The men were transported down from the cabin after being located.