Apetor

Biography

Tor Rathje Eckhoff (22 November 1964 – 27 November 2021), also known as Apetor (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈɑ̂ːpəˌtuːɾ]), was a Norwegian YouTuber known primarily for his videos where he drank vodka while performing activities on frozen waters, like ice skating, swimming in ice holes and diving. He died in 2021 after he fell through the ice of a lake west of Kongsberg, Norway, while recording a video. At the time of his death, he worked at a paint factory in Sandefjord Municipality run by the chemicals company Jotun.

His YouTube career lasted from 2006 until his death in 2021, though his channel first started gaining popularity in 2011. His videos, in which he remained mostly silent, were popular worldwide, especially in Poland. The ones he recorded during the winter were his most well-known, though also being controversial in nature due to their perceived danger—drinking alcohol before swimming near-naked in below-freezing temperatures—but some also characterised them as artistic for their presentation and content. Despite his success, he did not make a living out of his videos, creating them primarily for his own enjoyment.