Swedish backcountry skiing in Storulvån

2021 was an off year for me when it comes to skiing. I lost my father in late 2020, and at the beginning of 2021 my attention drifted to dealing with my father’s estate as well as emotionally dealing with loss. Skiing was not in the cards for the first time in almost 20 years. 2021 had not been faring much better until a few friends invited me for a backcountry ski touring and camping trip in Northern Sweden.

At first, I was quite hesitant, given the fact that the temperatures in Northern Sweden can easily get into the -20’s in early February. That and the fact that I hadn’t winter camped since the 90s and I had long ago shed my winter gear. As we discussed the topic more, I learned we would be camping a short distance from a nearby mountain lodge which could serve as refuge if I suddenly couldn’t handle the extreme cold. Little by little the idea grew on me and the next thing I knew I was booking tickets on the overnight train to Åre.

Before embarking on a trip like this, I needed to make sure that I had the gear and equipment to survive in what could be both extreme cold as well as high winds and heavy snowfall. In addition, I would need to carry my gear from home, on trains, on buses and out into the wild. Coming off of a season of bikepacking, I at first imagined this to be an easy task. It was not long before I realized that adding in all of the extra requirements needed for both the cold and the travel would mean rethinking my approach as a simple backpack would not suffice for such an endeavour. Luckily one of my friends had an extra pulka and could bring it to the train with him.

A pulka is a sled with a harness that allows you to transport your gear across winter backcountry terrain. It is an incredibly efficient way of carrying gear.

Having sourced a way to carry my gear, I bought cold weather clothing and a new sleeping bag that could handle extreme temperatures. Given that I had AT(alpine touring) skis, I had the mountain skiing covered but we still had to carry out gear long distances in the flats. I covered this part by renting snowshoes, but I was jealous all week of my friends' setups that included backcountry touring skis with skins and steel edges. Basically a combination of alpine touring skis and cross country skis. The last piece of the puzzle for me was a tent. I looked through my inventory of tents(more on that another time) and decided to go with our 3 season bikepacking tent. A bit of a gamble but I knew I had the lodge as well as the option of crashing in one of my friend’s huge Hillebrand setups if needed. With the gear checklist complete, all I had to do was wait for the trip to begin.

We moved to Stockholm from the US in 2012. This was supposed to be a one year move, so part of that decision was not to get a car and travel solely by public transportation. This means that almost every trip requires us to carry our equipment on public transportation to get to our destination. This trip would be no different and I dutifully loaded my huge North Face duffel on my back, threw my fully loaded avalanche backpack on one shoulder, carried my ski bag on my other shoulder and set off up the street for the train station.

I met my friends at Stockholm central station and helped them unload their cars with huge amounts of gear. I almost felt a bit unprepared as I looked at all the equipment they had. We loaded the gear onto our pulkas and dragged them scraping across the concrete to meet our night time sleeping coach. Somehow we managed to find space on the train for all our gear and settled into our sleeping car for the night.

Before long it was morning and the high drifts of snow were peeking out the windows of the train. Snow! I was so excited at the thought of being back on skis and enjoying winter as it should be enjoyed. Finally the train arrived at our destination and we rolled out of the car with our voluminous gear, only this time the skids slid quietly on the snow covered platform. It was a short wait before we loaded our gear onto a bus that took us out into the desolate landscape that would be our home for the next few days. Arriving at the station, I was immediately impressed with the beautiful mountain lodge that stood before me and a little less stressed about sleeping in the wild, knowing that this could be my refuge.

We left our alpine ski gear at the lodge (I was VERY happy knowing that I would not have to put on my terribly difficult ski boots in the ice cold) and set off to find a camp spot for the next few days. We eventually settled onto a nice and somewhat protected area that was still within at least a manageable walk from the station\mountain hut.

After setting up camp we went back for our gear, booted up and started skinning up the largest of the nearby mountains, Getryggen . It was a brisk February day with full sun and as we got up to the higher areas we were met with the full force of the wind. The northern winds were strong and in our faces but they made me feel completely alive. It was such an amazing feeling to be back in the mountains, and back on skis again. After a steep and icy final pitch, we arrived at the top and started the process of stripping the skins and heading downhill. This was my first trip on my DPS skis and they worked great on the uphill, super light and comfortable to tour in. The feeling on the downhill was a bit foreign at first, after a year off, but soon things felt familiar and the smile was ear to ear. As always, the down went by too fast, as did the sun. We ended the day back at the hut where we paid a small fee to use the showers and the Sauna as well as a special room to dry our ski gear(yes we were spoiled). The Sauna was large and comfortable with a beautiful view looking out into the mountains. We enjoyed a tasty meal at the hut before heading back to camp. Our first day ended with a nice whiskey in the well dug out tent “living room” that Christoph had set up for hospitality. What a start to our trip!

The first night’s sleep was great, though a little cold on my ground side. I later learned at the end of the week that I had only blown up only one of the two sides of my air mattress, and that I was not utilizing the full insulation of the ground pad. I solved this by borrowing a foam pad and my nights were spent in warm bliss ( except when I had to leave to pee in the middle of the night).

For the second day we loaded up the pulkas and headed out to a different range, traversing the valley for 1.5 hours before parking the pulkas and heading uphill. We took several runs before settling in for lunch, where we dug out a snow kitchen and cooked a belly warming lunch. A few more runs in the brisk wind were enough to call it a day and head back to camp.

Day 3 was a beautiful Nordic ski dragging the pulka through a frozen river valley where we arrived at the back side of Getryggen and parked in a large snow drift. Though the snow was typical windswept styrofoam, we were able to find a few small areas with untouched powder that made the climbs worth it. Again, we dug out a comfortable snow kitchen where we had a terrific lunch followed by amazingly tasty blueberry soup.

Our last day was another climb to the top of the main mountain where we skied back down via a different route in the non stop winds before having a quick lunch and packing for the return trip home.

A few beers in the train's meal car, a full night's sleep, and before I knew it we were back in Stockholm, where I was saying goodbye to my friends and dragging my bags home. What an adventure! So amazing to be back on skis, and I can only thank my friends for the terrific company and inviting me to go in the first place.