A young adventurer who documented his travels on YouTube has died during a freak snowstorm in the Swedish wilderness after sending a heartbreaking final message to his grandmother.
Storm De Beul, 22, a nature lover who “enjoyed being alone”, was found dead in Lapland on October 30 after spending much of the year hiking alone in the remote Jokkmokk region.
He was caught in a devastating snowstorm the night before and told his grandmother in a tragic final message: ‘It’s snowing heavily here. But don’t worry, I’ll survive, you know.”
Storm also sent a video to a friend showing how the heavy snowfall had filled his shoes and backpack as the wind whipped through his tent. ‘It’s going to be worse tonight. Jesus Christ,” he said in the video.
His friend reportedly warned him about the risks, but Storm didn’t seem concerned at the time. ‘That’s how he was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him scared,” his father Bout told Belgian media.
It is unclear why he left his shelter, his mother Elisabeth Rademaker said, but the circumstances may have left him no choice. “Trees were uprooted that night,” she said. ‘Maybe his tent blew away too and he had no choice but to walk.
‘But it was -6C, and because of the storm it even felt like -18C. His feet and lower legs were frozen,” she said. “Not his hands, maybe he still had his hand warmers on him.”
Mrs Rademaker said her son also had his nose broken when he was found, indicating he had fallen. “He must have suffered for a long time and died alone,” the mother said. ‘I keep imagining his last moments. It devastates me.’
Storm De Beul, 22, was found dead in Lapland on October 30 after walking alone through the region for much of the year
The 22-year-old spent much of his year in the Swedish wilderness and loved the outdoors
Storm was just a day’s walk from his car and on his way home when he contacted emergency services late at night to tell them he had been injured and needed help.
Authorities were unable to send help due to bad weather, and when a helicopter was finally dispatched to find him the next day, it was tragically too late.
The seasoned explorer was found some distance from his tent with his backpack virtually empty, containing only his sleeping pad and toothbrush.
Rescuers were unable to extensively search the site where he was found after it was closed off by freezing temperatures.
His father has now vowed to return there once the spring snow has thawed to look for his son’s belongings.
‘His videos are an invaluable legacy for us. But now his camera is there, somewhere in the snow, full of images of his very last hike. “I would like nothing more than to get it back,” he told Belgian news site 7sur7.
He said that once the snow starts to thaw in May, he will walk the path from his son’s tent to the spot where he was found “in hopes of finding something of him.”
“Imagine if his camera and memory card were still there,” he said with a sigh. “I know the chances are slim, but I have to try.”
Paying tribute to his son, his father added: “Storm was someone who struggled to connect with people. He liked to be alone.
The seasoned explorer was found some distance from his tent with his backpack virtually empty, containing only his sleeping pad and toothbrush.
Storm had over 1,000 subscribers on his YouTube, @StormOutdoorsy, and regularly posted content of him camping in remote locations
‘Because he had a lot of money, he regularly went on adventures in nature. That really made him happy. There he could literally and figuratively choose his own path.’
Storm had over 1,000 subscribers on his YouTube, @StormOutdoorsy, and regularly posted content of him camping in remote locations.
His parents say the story of his life and death has strong parallels with the movie Into the Wild.
Directed by Sean Penn, the film is based on the true story of a man who leaves the pressures of society behind and ventures into the Alaskan wilderness alone.
Tragically, he also died alone. “You have to be blind not to see the similarities,” Storm’s mother told reporters.
“Not that we want to make Storm a hero. We just want it to be remembered as it was: very calm waters with very deep bottoms.”