Norwegian hiker whose body was found in northern Manitoba drowned, says family

WINNIPEG – The family of a Norwegian hiker whose body was recovered over the weekend from the shores of the Hayes River in northern Manitoba says an autopsy shows the man drowned.

Steffen Skjottelvik, 29, was on a cross-continental journey of the Canadian wilderness when he set out on foot with his two dogs from Fort Severn, Ont., to York Factory, Man., last month. 

He was expected to arrive in York Factory on Aug. 15 but never made it. 

Police had said Skjottelvik may have tried to cross the swift-moving Hayes River and got swept up.

Ground and air searchers found his body on Sunday near York Factory, and it was sent to Winnipeg for an autopsy.

Family spokesperson Christian Dyresen said police told Skjottelvik’s relatives in Norway on Tuesday that the autopsy was complete and that he had drowned.

“They are in grief and in deep, deep despair (over) the fact that they lost their oldest son,” Dyresen said in a phone interview from Norway. 

“They also feel relieved of the fact that (Skjottelvik) was actually at his most happy state of mind when he passed away.”

Manitoba RCMP did not have an update to provide on the autopsy or cause of death. 

Skjottelvik was the oldest of three children and grew up on a family farm surrounded by water and forests in a rural area outside of Oslo, said Dyresen. 

He was inspired to do the trip after a well-known television personality in Norway completed a similar expedition. 

Dyresen said Skjottelvik came to Canada after watching Norwegian adventurer Lars Monsen complete a multi-year hike through northern Canada. 

A Facebook group created to track Skjottelvik’s travels says he planned on trekking from James Bay all the way to Alaska.

Dyresen said the family had many conversations with Skjottelvik over the course of his travels about his love of the Canadian wilderness and the risks that came with it, including death.

“He asked them to not grieve for a long time, but to remember him as a guy who chased his dream and lived his life in the best possible way that he could imagine,” said Dyresen. 

Skjottelvik documented his adventures by writing and taking videos and photographs. The family hopes to release these in the future. 

Dyresen said the family is preparing to travel to Canada this week to bring him home and meet some of the people who took care of him before he disappeared and who searched for him.

Locals from several First Nations communities in northern Ontario and Manitoba fundraised to help pay for search efforts, including renting a helicopter to patrol the area by air. 

Officers and locals canvassed the area with drones, boats and helicopters due to the hazardous conditions and potential encounters with wildlife.

Dyresen said Skjottelvik’s family plans to meet with his girlfriend, who is from Peawanuck, Ont., an isolated Cree community about 200 kilometres southeast of Fort Severn. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 26, 2025.