Photo by Fosen Folket.
The original story went like this: “Snorre W. Ruch of Thorns and General Gribbsphiiser (Rune Røstad) of Slagmaur have been reported missing after a mountain hike near Tjønnstua. Searches are under way with the Red Cross, the fire service and the Civil Defence, but poor weather and thick fog are making the work difficult, reports Fosen Folket. Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident commander on (+47) 97 62 86 96.”
But it turned out to be a PR stunt in true Slagmaur fashion.
Why this is a PR stunt
All signs shows that this is nothing more than a PR stunt for Slagmaur. The reason is that the newspaper Fosen Folket is the original source for the disappearance. It’s a highly dubious site that was registered as recently as 2025-10-22 13:00:07 UTC. The news items on the site appear to be AI-generated. The oldest story is dated 13 September. All the images on the site are in Rune Røstad’s typical style, with strong contrast, unlike standard news photography. On the About page, the editor Eskil Engdal is a real journalist, but he works for Dagens Næringsliv. The other five “journalists” on the site do not seem to exist.
Also incident commander Rasmus S. Lein is a good friend of Rune Røstad and Slagmaur, and most likely not a incident commander at all.
So is this just a PR stunt from Slagmaur, or are they actually missing? All signs point to the former.
The original post that started it all:
You have to give credit for all the work Rune Røstad and Snorre W. Ruch put into the PR stunt: creating an entire website just for this one stunt, and even heading up into the mountains to stage it. That said, the stunt was clearly successful, as it spread widely online before people started taking a closer look at the site that first published the story.
The story from the newspaper:
Missing after a hike
Two days ago, Røstad wrote on his Facebook page that he and Ruch were heading for the mountains: “Face your demons! Packed and ready for a long boys’ trip and a night under the open sky in the forests of Varghiet with Snorre W. Ruch. We’ve got camera gear, some food and enough booze!” The family raised the alarm earlier today, and the Red Cross already has a patrol in the Tjønnstua area, where the missing men’s car was found unlocked. Darkness is approaching, and thick fog has been reported in the area. According to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, the fog is expected to lift, but a storm with an orange weather warning is on the way. Incident commander Rasmus Lein says there is no immediate cause for alarm so far, but the weather makes the situation more serious. Both men were well-dressed for a night outdoors, but perhaps not for the change in weather that is now coming.
Mobile tracking and route choice
Normally, missing people are tracked via mobile phone, but this case presents challenges as one of the men has no registered phone, while the other’s was found between the seats of the unlocked car at Tjønnstua. The men had said they planned to head towards Tussbotna, cross the water at Teksdalsdammen and spend the night there, before making their way up to Torsenget the next day to do photography work. The Red Cross is now following the planned route, which is estimated to take around seven hours and forty minutes on foot. Why the car is parked at Tjønnstua, however, remains a mystery.
Appeal for information
Hunters and anglers in the area are urged to get in touch if they have seen anything. The Civil Defence, together with volunteers from Åfjord municipality, is assisting in the search, which will continue through the night.
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