“Don’t worry, I will survive”: the last message from a 22-year-old Belgian YouTuber found dead in Lapland

CIt was to his grandmother that Storm sent one of his last messages on the night of October 29 to 30: “It’s snowing heavily here. But don’t worry, I’ll survive, you know.” But the young 22-year-old Belgian, originally from Grammont, will be surprised that night by a violent snowstorm while he is sleeping in a tent, in the middle of nature, in the heart of Swedish Lapland, reports 7sur7, relayed by our colleagues from The Voice of the North.

This introverted nature lover opened up to the world by sharing his adventures and the beauty of the landscapes he discovered on his YouTube channel @StormOutdoorsy where he is followed by thousands of subscribers. That night of October 29, he set up his tent in this region of Sweden but did not realize the danger he was in, even though a video of his camp sent to a friend a few hours earlier already showed his belongings covered in snow. .

Dantesque conditions

Around 2 a.m., snow still falls accompanied by a powerful blizzard. The Swedish emergency services will receive a message from the young Belgian adventurer telling them that he needs urgent medical help because he is injured. But the weather is so bad that no one can intervene and help him. When a helicopter manages to take off the next morning, they have difficulty locating the Belgian. They eventually find him but it is too late, Storm has died.

His parents were contacted in Belgium and tried to understand because their son was found far from the place where he had sent out a distress signal with very little belongings. According to his mother who testified to 7sur7, the temperature felt that night could have reached -18°C because of the violence of the storm. “His feet and lower legs were frozen […] And since he had broken his nose, it is possible that he fell too,” says his mother, moved.

Did he try to walk to his car? Did his tent fly away? For now, all avenues are being investigated and Storm’s body was only repatriated home 15 days after its discovery. His father drove to Sweden as soon as he heard the news but was unable to get to where his son was found because of the snow. He intends to return there as soon as possible to try to find Storm’s belongings, and, above all, his camera. “His videos are an invaluable legacy for us,” he confides.