A young adventurer who documented his travels on YouTube died in a freak snowstorm in the Swedish desert 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.
The night before he was caught in a devastating snowstorm and told his grandmother in a tragic final message: “It’s snowing a lot here.” But don’t worry, I’ll survive, you know?
Storm also sent a video to a friend showing how the heavy snow had filled his shoes and backpack, while the wind whipped his tent. “Tonight things are going to get worse. Jesus Christ,” he said in the video.
His friend reportedly warned him about the risks, but Storm didn’t seem concerned at the time. ‘He was like that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him scared,” his father, Bout, told Belgian media.
It’s unclear why he left his shelter, his mother Elisabeth Rademaker said, but the conditions may have left him no choice. “That night they uprooted trees,” he said. ‘Maybe his tent blew up too and he had no choice but to start walking.
“But it was -6°C and, because of the storm, it even felt like -18°C. “His feet and legs were frozen,” she said. “His hands were gone, he may have still had his hand warmers with him.”
Rademaker said her son had also broken his nose when he was found, suggesting 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 spending much of the year walking alone in the region.
The 22-year-old spent much of the year in the Swedish nature and loved the outdoors.
Storm was just a day’s walk from his car and heading home when he contacted emergency services late at night to tell them he was injured and needed help.
Authorities were unable to send help due to bad weather, and when they were finally able to deploy a helicopter to find him the next day, it was tragically too late.
The experienced explorer was found some distance from his tent and his backpack was almost empty, with only his sleeping back and his toothbrush inside.
Rescuers were unable to conduct a thorough search of the location where he was found after icy conditions isolated him.
His father has now promised to return there once the snow has melted in spring to look for his son’s belongings.
‘Your videos are an invaluable legacy for us. But now his camera is there, somewhere in the snow, filled with images of his last trip. I would like nothing more than to have it back,” he told Belgian news site 7sur7.
She said once the snow starts to melt in May, she will walk the trail from her son’s tent to the spot where he was found “in hopes of finding something of him.”
“Imagine if your 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 had trouble connecting with people. “He really liked being alone.
The experienced explorer was found some distance from his tent and his backpack was almost empty, with only his sleeping back and his toothbrush inside.
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 made him really happy. There he was able to choose his own path, literally and figuratively.’
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 to the movie Into the Wild.
The film, directed by Sean Penn, is based on the true story of a man who leaves the pressures of society behind and enters the Alaskan wilderness alone.
Tragically, he also died alone. “You have to be blind not to see the similarities,” Storm’s mother told reporters.
‘It’s not that we want to make Storm a hero. We just want them to remember it as it was: very calm waters and very deep soils.”