Kungsleden ski tour, a journey through snowbound wilderness.
The Kungsleden is a 450km trail system in the very North of Sweden. I guess in a way it’s a little like the Pennine Way just a little longer and in parts quite remote. In winter it becomes one of the worlds must do ski tours and although not especially hard it’s still a remote region some 200km north of the Artic Circle, so needs to be treated with a degree of respect.
I planned on doing it as part of a group tour, but birthdays and royal weddings got in the way so I knocked it back a year. In doing so it gave me a little extra time for planning and I decided on doing it solo. I’ve really enjoyed the planning part of it and although there is quite a bit of info online, you have to resist the temptation of visiting these places before you have even been. I know that I could pretty much “streetview” the whole of the trip, by typing in “Kungsleden winter” you can even watch videos of 5 Belgian guys doing it. It’s tricky these days not to overload on information, but just get enough to help you out and not make the same mistakes as other people have done.
My motivation for the trip was self sufficiency and the northern lights. The northern lights is easy, they are one of the great wonders of the world and the next few years should see a spike in activity, some say it won’t be better in the next 30 years. Self sufficiency is I guess just a way of getting away from it all, it’s a chance to use some gear and perhaps refocus on the important things. If nothing else it’s a chance to go somewhere nice and do something good.
Although I planned to go from hut to hut. I hoped to spend a couple of nights out in a snow hole. This meant some tough targets for pack weight, set against a quite long list of stuff that could have been redundant but safety dictates. sleeping bag, snow shovel, spot tracker, cooking gear, it’s all there and it’s a little over 10kg which I’m very happy with especially as there is 1.8kg of camera gear. The rest of the gear is pretty sparse, with perhaps one extravagance. A solar charger for my iphone and that is only as I am looking forward to listening to some great tunes and 12 days would mean a big pile of batteries.
Trip Overview
The journey starts in Abisko. From here you can hire skis if you don't have them and get on the trail. However, if the weather report is good then Abisko is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights, so consider staying the night.
Once on the Kungsleden Ski Tour you can take the following route. If you are making good time then consider getting up to the Kaitumjaure hut and back, or ski up Kebnekaise.
- Alesjaure
- Tjäktja Nallo
- Sälka
- Singi
- Kebnekaise Mt Station
- Nikkaloukta
Having a number of days spare so you don't have to push it if the weather is bad is a good idea.
Equipment
Cold weather clothing
Make sure to have your clothing choices are sorted. In a recent cold snap the mountain station at Nikkaloukta reached -41ºC. I can’t plan on it being this temperature just prepared. However I still wanted to get a few bits and pieces tested before I leave and this cold snap is ideal for that.
Cold Weather footwear
Although you will be using ski’s, cold weather footwear once at the huts is quite important as you will want to have warm toes whilst taking photo’s of the Northern Lights!
Camping Stove
There are some cooking facilities in the huts but having a lightweight option will enable you to have a brew during the day and that little extra safety if you get caught out.
Bivvy gear
Although almost certainly for emergency use only, I am very keen to make the most out of any kit that I take. So i’m pimping up a Hunka that i can use for sitting out watching the sky turn green.
Kungsleden Ski Touring Gear List
Stuff to wear
- Balance breathable waterproof jacket
- Short sleeve merino shirts x 2
- Long sleeve merino base layer shirts x 2
- Filoment hooded down jacket
- Griffon fleece
- Chilkoot Softshell Leggings
- Nautilus waterproof over trousers
- Merino thermal long johns
Head, hands and toes
- Baffin fleece-lined waterproof hat
- Thermal fleece gloves
- Waterproof gloves
- Overmitts
- Esker Merino Liner Socks x 2
- Talus heavy weight wool hiking socks x 2
Carrying it all
Sleeping equipment
- Pipedream 600 Sleeping bag
- EZ Sleeper foam camping mat
- Mason organic cotton sleeping bag liner
- Drift pillow
- Rifugio down hut slippers
Travel Equipment
Additions, extravagances and tips
Additions
Spot Tracker - It's a fancy backcountry GPS tracking device that has been tried and tested over many years. Your phone can already do what this does, this just does it better.
Extravagances
Sorel 1964s - I had coveted a pair of these for 20 years, Schuh were selling them for £60 and an excuse to buy them was all I needed. Other thermal boots are available!
Solar charger
We all rely on electronic gadgets these days so having an emergency recharging solution is a smart move. The Flare USB Solar Panel is designed to keep your devices charged in remote wilderness areas.
Practical Tips
There are lots of ways of saving money, but it’s best to plan ahead and be ready to buy stuff out of season. I bought my outer jacket for the trip almost a year ago at 50% off. There are lots of tips on how to reduce pack weight on BackpackingLight, but my advice is buy a smaller, lighter bag. At the time I already had a 60l podsac which I could of easily used, but ended up with a 50l Golite Jam. It weighed a kilo lighter and forced me to work harder at taking less stuff.
Weather
I was a little worried a few weeks before departure when it was reaching -40c in the mountains and would have meant a serious wardrobe rethink, but as long as it’s above -20c then everything should be fine. If you are hoping for clear skies the Aurora forecast is a resource to bookmark.