Skiing the Kungsleden - Days 26 to 29 - Vietas to Salka

I have split the final 7 days of our journey into two blogs as covering 7 days in one blog could be a little excessive. So here’s days 26 to 29. A lot happened. Enjoy.

Fresh snow! Looks lovely but was sticky.

Day 26 - Vietas to Tent spot before lake Dievssajárvri

21.47 km - Time: 8 hrs 43 mins - Moving average: 3.1 kmph - Ascent: 454 m - Descent: 433 m - Arrival time: 16.34 hrs 

Total distance travelled: 374.4 km - Weather: plus temperatures, around +2°C, Heavy snow. - Snow conditions: Terrible for first 3 hours. Improved once we reached the lake.

Day 26 - Not All Snow is Good Snow 

We left Vietas in the first decent snowfall we had since arriving in Sweden.

We were very excited. New, fresh, lovely snow. All for us…

Oh dear!

I looked at the thermometer. Two degrees centigrade. Sticky snow was not just on the ground but falling from the sky too. It wasn’t long before we were reduced to walking in old ski scooter tracks as skiing was really not working.

Fortunately, as we climbed higher the temperature dropped and the snow improved and after a couple of hours we were able to put our skis back on.

Rough translation: Danger Thin Ice!

We ate up the kilometres (but not the miles, for they are longer, we only nibbled at those) along a marked route this time at the edge of the lake due to dangerous ice and found our best camp spot yet, on the bank of an unfrozen river. No need to spend an hour digging a platform for the tent in rotten snow and no need to melt snow for water with access to the river. Deep joy. Very happy campers. 

An idyllic spot to camp

Day 27 - Tent spot before lake Dievssajárvri to Teusajaurestugorna

13.99 km - Time: 6 hrs 23 mins - Moving average: 3.0 kmph - Ascent: 192 m - Descent: 176 m - Arrival time: 13.57 hrs 

Total distance travelled: 388.39 km - Weather: Around -5°c. Cold wind. Clear skies - Snow Conditions: Good. 

Day 27 - An Early Bath

The previous day had been a long tough one ( no change there then) and we looked forward to a mere 14 kilometres to the Teusajaure mountain cabin. It started well enough. Very cold with high head winds and a fair bit of climbing, but beautiful blue skies and incredible views.  

Kårsatjåkka, 1,703 meters. Looking very Himalayan

Eventually we dropped down to the large lake that would lead us the final 9 km to the hut. Easy peasy. Unmarked and with barely visible ski scooter tracks we just went straight down the centre.

This was the right thing to do. That’s the way the vague ski scooter tracks went. So stick with them and all will be well. But I decided that I was cleverer than that (I really wasn’t) I was pretty sure I could see the cabin in the distance (It turned out to be a large boulder). I could therefore (or so I thought) see a shortcut between the bank of the lake and a small island that the ski scooters seemed to be missing (it turned out that that was because they didn’t want to die). So, off I set. On a course with destiny and an early bath.

All the signs were there. A narrow gap of less than 30 meters between the bank and the small island. Small patches of open water at either side. I have no idea why I thought this was a good idea. Tired, complacent, stupid? All of the above? Suddenly, very suddenly, the ice below my right ski broke under my weight and I went through. I had no time to think but remember immediately shifting my weight to my left ski which immediately broke through the thin ice too. I fell sideways onto the leads of my pulk. Both legs in the frigid water. I should have been terrified that my weight would break the ice and I would go completely in, but there was no time to be afraid only time to react. The ice hadn’t broken where I now lay. I was okay. For now. Pulky’s leads that I had fallen on were possibly helping spread my weight. Mrs P was thankfully not too close behind and I shouted to her to go left and get onto the island. As soon as she was there she removed her skis and started getting her pulk ready should she need to push it out to help me (the pulks are like small boats and will float if not loaded too heavily). By that time I had extricated my legs from the water and was dragging myself sideways, pushing with my skis to get away from the ‘me’ shaped hole in the ice, dragging Pulky sideways with me. ‘What shall I do?’ Shouted Mrs P. I honestly nearly said, ‘Take a photo. It will look great on the blog.’ But I was convinced the ice beneath me would give way any minute so thought better of it. Besides, she was doing all she could and had prepared herself already in case I did go through again.

Long story short, I didn’t die. I didn’t go through the ice completely and do a Rasputin impersonation. I got away with just wet legs from the knee down. My good boots, gaiters and wool socks meant that my feet were not too wet or too cold. We carefully got back onto the ski scooter tracks and continued our journey down the centre of the lake. Chastened.

The drag marks, skis, me, elbows, pulk, away from the ‘me’ shaped hole in the ice.

We made it to the hut without further event and briefly analysed the incident and our reactions. It was a foolish error of judgment in an obviously dangerous spot. The ice between small islands, particularly at the edge of a lake, often means shallower and therefore warmer water. This means thinner, quicker thawing ice. I got away with it. My advice? DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME! Or anywhere for that matter. When the British Royal Marines practice falling through the ice they get a safety rope, a handshake and a tot of rum. I got bugger all.

Moving on…

Day 28 - Teusajaurestugorna to Singistugorna

22.81 km - Time: 10 hrs 27 mins - Moving average: 3.4 kmph - Ascent: 577 m - Descent: 354 m - Arrival time: 17.34 hrs 

Total distance travelled: 411.2 km - Weather: temperatures, around -5°C - Snow conditions: Good to great

Day 28 - The Only Way is Up

After the harrowing previous day we were looking forward to a hopefully easier journey to the Singi hut but the first 2 hours showed us that this was unlikely to be the case. It took us that length of time to cover just 2.4 kilometres.

The track went straight up from the hut. Totally unskiable, even with skins. In places, crampons and an axe would’ve been more appropriate. It was too steep for Mrs P, who at a mere 56kg was unable to shift her 20kg pulk in the steepest sections (most of it) so I had to do relays. Nearly 250 metres of ‘up.’ Twice! Such fun.

And today’s workout comes courtesy of that happy couple, gravity and ice.

The rest of that day was just long. Though the snow conditions had definitely improved and ski scooter activity diminished considerably as we were approaching a large national park where their use is severely restricted.

We finally arrived at the Singi hut at 17.50hrs after almost ten-and-a-half hours. At least we would get a bed. You are guaranteed a bed if you have pre-booked and arrive before 18.00 hrs.

The lovely hut warden, Satish. Originally from the UK.

The lovely hut warden, Satish. Originally from the UK - but you knew that already right? - Greeted us in the nicest possible way, then broke the bad news to us. We would have to sleep in the drying room. What! But…

There had been some problems with the online booking system, which we knew about, and they had inadvertently overbooked by some 40%, which we didn’t. It was a very nice drying room he assured us. We would be sharing the cabin, but thankfully not the drying room, with a group of 21 British people on a charity snow shoe hike.

All turned out well. The drying room had been cleared of drying and there was just us in it. The British group turned out to be marvellous and we made some lovely new friends. Do check out their work. https://www.facebook.com/ExpeditionLimitless2023/ 

https://www.instagram.com/expeditionlimitless?igsh=emlxOW9qdzhxdDEx

A very bad photo of the very lovely people from Expedition Limitless. None of whom could tell the time (see below)

Day 29 - Singistugorna to Salkastugorna

11.16 km - Time: 4 hrs 26 mins - Moving average: 3.8 kmph - Ascent: 176 m - Descent: 46 m - Arrival time: 12.15 hrs 

Total distance travelled: 422.36 km - Weather: temperatures, around -12°C -  Snow conditions: Excellent 

Day 29 - What time is it? 

‘Twas the night before an early start and all through the hut not a creature was stirring, not even a muppet…

But that was soon to change.

The problem with smart watches is that they are just too clever for their own good. Out of 23 English people in the hut only two, Mrs P and I, had ‘real’ watches. Why is this relevant? I hear you ask. Well, it was that night of the year when the clocks change. They go forward an hour. So, before bed, Mrs P and I changed our ‘real’ watches to the new time.

The problem was, so did all 21 of the smartwatch owners. It turns out that this was not the right decision and their collective and individual watches were unimpressed. Each watch went about correcting this error in its own very individual way. They were having an early start, 05.00hrs, or 5am in old money. At 04.00hrs, according to my ‘real’ and correctly adjusted watch (and technically 03.00hrs before the clock change) the people from Expedition Limitless all started stirring. Not so quiet whisperings and clattering could be heard from the adjacent communal kitchen. Then loud laughing and the occasional, now pointless, shushing. Bits of conversation could be heard.

‘What time is it’

‘It’s 5 am’

‘My watch says 6’

‘Mine says 7’ (loud laughing)

Shush!

After half an hour of this we gave up trying to sleep through it all and got up. Not one of the 21 people had the correct time and with no phone signal, they had no way of checking. As we entered the kitchen area they were making a video for their documentary about the time cock up. Maybe the camera knew what time it was? Nope! Hey ho. A very early start would be good for us on what was set to be a short day of only 11 kilometres.

Us leaving the Singi cabins - VERY early

And what a day. A gentle climb on good snow to a mountain col took us into a new valley system. Here snow plastered mountains lined up on the east side of the valley as though on a production line. Each at a slightly different geological stage in its creation.

Slartibartfast* was here

A very gentle ascent on beautiful snow through stunning landscape. Bliss

An early finish. Midday at the Salka cabins. Thankfully not overbooked.

Dear Lord, give me a sign… oh, thanks.

Mrs P slept most of the afternoon and I chatted to three lovely young Germans who, it turned out, we would see again often over the next few days. They too were heading for Abisko.

Of us and the German group only two will make it. Who will it be? Will it be us? Will we make it to Abisko? Well, dear reader. If you want to know the answer you will just have to sign up for the next (hopefully shorter) blog (or you could just look on instagram, or Facebook, where I have already given the game away.

*A Magrathean designer of planets -From the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy