People play in the snow at a park in Stockholm, capital of Sweden, on Jan. 16, 2021. (Photo by Wei Xuechao/Xinhua)

A Norwegian who tried to ski around his country's virus quarantine system by skiing back from Sweden had to be rescued after bad weather thwarted his expedition, emergency services said Monday.

"He wanted to return to Norway to get hold of some documents, and then go back into Sweden, where he has a construction project on the go," a rescue worker told AFP. "But to avoid the quarantine, he decided to cross the border over the mountains," said  Ronning from Tydal, a villager near the border with Sweden.

In all, it would have been a 40-kilometer journey over difficult terrain. But the adventurer, who is in his 50s, ran into bad weather after 25 kilometers of his trek Saturday.

A local reindeer breeder rescued him, handing him over to two fishermen at a nearby lake, who looked after him until rescue services arrived.

"He was soaked through and was cold," as well as being annoyed and unapologetic, said the rescue worker.

AFP