It is quite easy to praise courage in the mountains. To move forward despite the challenges such as the cold,  to continue despite the weather. To not give up when the going gets tough… But in the mountains there is a line where courage slowly slips in to something else-foolishness. And that line is rarely clear in the moment. I think you can recognize the feeling or a situation?! Courage is not about It’s pushing boundaries, no, in a mountain environment it’s more about taking responsibility…Unfortunately, courage in the mountains is not about defying nature. It’s about meeting it with respect. An experienced mountain hiker or mountain leader knows that courage often looks quite undramatic, its more of: to say no when the group wants more. Or turn around even though the top is near. To take decision that no one will applaud. Here the courage will be to take responsibility for the consequence rather then the experience. Stupidity often feels reasonable in the moment The dangerous thing about stupidity is that it rarely feels stupid when it happens. Quite the opposite. It often dresses up in rational arguments: ”we are almost there”, ”the weather is good enough”, ”we got all the right equipment” , We manage worse before”. In hindsight, it’s easy to see the risks. In the moment, they’re often dampened by ambition, adrenaline, or peer pressure. The crucial difference: what drives the decision? Am I making this decision because it is wise – or because I want to? So from that point of view-What drives the courage? The Judgment-experience-responsibility for others-long-term thinking. (three-step thinking)?! Boldness is often driven by prestige, fear of appearing weak, goal fixation, past success. Having survived risky situations in the past is not proof of good decisions – sometimes it’s just luck. Experience is not immunity m any accidents in the mountains do not occur among beginners, but among experienced ones. Not because they lack knowledge – but because they rely too much on it.  Experience can create: overconfidence in one’s own abilities, normalization of risk a feeling that ”I can fix this ”Professional judgment is therefore not about always going further, but about knowing when to slow yourself down.

When courage really means turning around. Turning around in the mountains is rarely a failure, it is often a sign of maturity. The best decisions are often those that: are not visible on social media, do not give a dramatic story, do not give maximum dividends here and now But they make you come home – and can go out again next time.

A final reflection:

The mountains don’t care about our goals, plans or ambitions. They only react to our actions. The difference between courage and foolishness therefore lies not in how far we go, how cold it is or how steep the slope – but in how we make our decisions when it starts to cost something to be wise.

Love the mountains and they will love back, but take care – Judgement is crucial in the environment…

This Song Is for Anyone Who’s Lost Someone ”Time To Go”

See ya soon

The day started with a speed hike to a wind shelter were I enjoyed a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun in the light of the bonfire. I looked out on the ice and stared to reflect over the topic of risk within the mountain environment and mountain activities. So that will be the topic of my 890th blog.

So to start with, let’s take a look at what causes risks to arise in mountain environments. So it all start with – You the human. We will take risks in the mountains in a combination of the pursuit of adventure and close-to-nature experiences, but also by underestimating the rapidly changing and demanding nature of the mountains. This in combination with lack of experience and/or knowledge of the area you are in.  This is why it is so important to understand how risks arise. Here you can see  the wind Chill effect, the red line show where to be attentive.

The weather report at the morning inform you that the wind will increasing during the day, and it will be cloudy. As you have a booking at a hut, and the weather is fine right now, you decide to head for the cabin. After just a hour the wind start to increase and rapidly. What to do now? Question one – how far is it to the hut? What direction does the wind got? How cold is it, does the wind chill effect will cause me trouble? Can you recognize the situation? Here´s the difference between a experienced mountain person and a less experienced one. This questions above has a experienced mountaineerer already planned for. The keys here will be the knowledge/experience and the planning. The next key will be the ”know how” and understand the equipment to bring, related to the activity you are going to do. So having the right clothing, spare equipment and safety equipment. The fourth key will be the common sense. The risks range from weather changes and avalanches to getting lost, and understanding these factors is central to mountain safety, that is what common sense is all about.

So how to conclude todays blog? There are four major key to take into consideration due to risk; Knowledge, planning, equipment and common sense. Extreme weather-unfamiliarity and stress, terrain and wrong equipment in combination with lack of knowledge are factors that increase risk levels.

Listen and enjoy this….

Moonica Mac – Dalarna – Idrottsgalan 2022

See ya soon…

Early in the morning, just put my boots on and started todays speed hike. The feeling with all the snow on the trees, was a feeling of hiking in a cathedral. The compact silence from the snow, and the light from the headlamp reinforced the feeling of being in a vault. So we are almost in mid January, and it feels good, a lot of nice activities ahead. This week I was participant on a training for upgrading to Mountain Leader 2.0 so that is now done:-).

When it comes to cord, have you experience it easily become a mess? You want to have it easily in order and accessible…So here you got a way to handle it:

So from my side I like to have it on the backpack. So if you feel comfortable with that you will have a suggestion her. Start with a end knot of the cord. Place at the backpack strap, and make a loop.

Start at the bottom and go around the strap and over the loop and back. Pull the cord and simply repeat. Make a small loop in the end of the cord and put it into the loop you got at the top.

Now you pull the end knot in the bottom, and ”lock” the cord.

And now you got a cord that is easy to get fast when needed and in order and not as a cord salad… You just pull in the end knot at all of sudden the cord is out and ”free”.

Johnny Trouble feat. Memphis Mae | Summer Wine

See ya soon…

Ever since I was young I have had that Sunday feeling – a feeling of missing, or not have been outdoor enough…I got the same feeling just when the summer vacation going to end. Today it is Sunday, and I got a little of that feeling – but then I remember I got a whole new year in front of me of new outdoor challenges, and with James Clears thought about Atomic habits I have found a real good way ahead.

This years first blog will be about winter tenting, and how to get a good night in the  outdoor during winter. When you arrived to the spot for the night, roll-out and ”fluff” the sleeping bag. During winter a sleeping bag cover can be a good investment. This you can put just over the lower end of the sleeping bag just for protecting it against moister and  condensation. The producers of sleeping bags grade them in three different temperature limits: ” comfort” temperature – the temperature where a woman can sleep relaxed in. Then it is the ”limit” – this is where a man can sleep relaxed in. The third is the ”extreme” temperature – which is the survival temperature. The limits is measured in a tent and with a sleeping mat. My experience is that for winter condition you can take off about 5 degrees. And you – don’t forget to use the collar inside the sleeping bag, it will keep you warm.

The sleeping mat will be the golden key here, this because the sleeping bag will not isolate anything towards the ground cold. Sleeping mat is measured by its R value. You will at least need a sleeping mat with a R value over 4.0 for winter condition. the higher the better of course.

Clothing in the sleeping bag? Well, wool will be the preferred here. Long johns and a long sleeve underlay. Wool socks will also give a nice sleep. For a real cold night you can add clothes, but not so much so you lose the air loft – because then you will loose the warming effect from the sleeping bag (and of course the clothes must be dry).

Another small things to remember while winter tenting will be to 1. dig down the tent, half its height can be a good level. Put it against the wind of course. If you dig the tent down the tent lines will get closer to 90 degrees which will be to strive for.

Lancelot – Faller du, faller jag

See ya soon….