Today we open door twelve, and today it will be about mountain cabins. With crowded hike trails , and overfull mountains stations an alternative would be to spend the nights in a nice mountain cabin instead? Here it will be more ”airy” and more spartan. Here you have to take some more responsibility, which means to carry water and chop firewood. with its own stove in the room, the atmosphere will be cozy. However there is a risk that a middle age man will have his synthetic undershirt with a day of moister with the smell in your vicinity. But I still can remember the night me and the mountain men Jansson spend at Stensdalen.
Sleeping in a room with 6 other wild men. But the atmosphere in the cabin, when the stove was fired up could not be mistaken. One of the other cabin I can recommend will be the Nallo cabin in Abisko/Kebnekaise area. The summit trip to Nallo is a reasonable challenge even for those who do not usually climb peaks and it is also possible to ski around Nallo mountain.In beautiful weather, a climb of Nállu is highly recommended.From the top you can see all the way to Kebnekaise’s both peaks.
Nallo 2014
The area is also fantastic for skier, here they can live out the ”white dreams” of skiing.
Time to open door eleven, and see if we can learn more about cold injuries and hypothermia. This is an area which we can dig much deeper in, so I will have a own blog for this topic further on. First of all is the importance of predicting work. So understanding how this type of injurie works is crucial for avoiding it. Fist we can divide this type of injuries in two areas; Frost bites without icing. This category often mention as “immersion foot”. It appears when a part of the body is exposed for long time immobilization and in combination with moisture and a temperature around 0 degrees. In Swedish this symptom is also called skyttegravsfot. The other injurie can be characterized by of icing/frostbites. This injurie often appear in strong cold, often in combination with strong winds. Sometimes persons with locally cold injuries also got low body temperature. The injurie mechanism is that the water in the tissue freezes and build up crystals which is destroying the cells structure. In this type of injuries it is important to asses the deepness of the wound. If superficial injuries without icing or if it is injuries with blisters with clear fluid. Or if it is deep injuries with blood filled blisters, or if it is full tissue wounds. This with no blisters but wax like tissue, and in the next step mummified tissue, black necrosis.
So what will be your action in this situation? First you must remove the person from the environment of coldness and moister. Remove moistened clothes, protect from the wind. You should not warm up if there is a risk for refreezing. Passive warming from body part or partner etc. Do not massage injured tissue will get hurt easy. Hot and sweet drink. High arms and legs, don’t let the patient walk on freeze feet, due to the risk of tissue injuries. (You can use Ibuprofen 400mg twice a day for the pain and reduce the inflammatory reaction)
A normal reaction that always appear is the shudder. This is involuntarily contractions from the skeletons muscles. This because of produce heat to the body. The more cold the person become and feel the more he or she will shuddering. The body reaction will increase the metabolism. What this means is that the body need energy to being able to shuddering. At the same time we freeze we crimes more energy. That why it is so important to add energy to one that is freezing. Hot drink ant food will help a lot of course. You can achieve the same effect as shuddering with physical work, you will get warmer. Do push ups etc.
But first of all, knowledge is the solution for not having frostbites. With a clothing within the multilayer principal and understanding the winds affect on the human body and also the affect of the wind drift. So why don’t start the day by doing an analyze of what risk of frostbite will the conditions and activity have…that is what I call a good start for an adventure day.
Chamonix, just feel the word. What does it starts for feeling in you? If you haven’t been there probably nothing. But if you have been there excitement, expectations, grandeur and so on. Chamonix is a smock of adventures and activities. Just sitting in the middle of the Centre and sipping of a coffee, and soak up the atmosphere is a great feeling. With Mont Blanc’s ridge in the fund just relax and enjoy. What to avoid though will be the tourist traps. So I will have some hidden pearls here for you. They will take some more time and due to that some more planning. But it will be worth it. A good alpinism day should begin or end up with a nice cup of coffee, that for sure. So why not start with one at Moody coffee at a side street in the center of Chamonix.
So now you got the coffee inside and the body is starting up. What about a hike? So take a transport to Lignon car park. and goes first to the Cascades de la Pleureuse and Sauffraz. Then, the tour continues towards the Collet d’Anterne and the Refuge d’Anterne Alfred Wills before reaching Lac d’Anterne after a rather challenging ascent of the eponymous mountain. Then, the course ends at the Col d’Anterne after a final climb. The hike is classified in the “Hard” category because of the length of the route (17.4 km round trip) and some passages requiring significant effort.
In order to appreciate the beauty of the landscapes discovered in the nature reserve, I recommend camping at Lac d’Anterne and climbing the Col the next morning. On a clear day at sunrise, Rochers des Fiz adorn itself with a beautiful orange dress. If you wish to camp, remember that it is only allowed to pitch your tent between 7pm and 9am in the nature reserve.
Important note: remember to come early in the morning (before 7:30 am), because the Lignon car park is very quickly saturated and it becomes impossible to park.
Next suggestion will be a hike to Lac de Pormenaz. In the heart of Passy National Nature Reserve, the Lac de Pormenaz, overlooked by the imposing eponymous Pointe Noire and Rochers des Fiz, is a must-see summer outing.
The route quickly leads to the Torrent du Souay to finally rise more frankly once arrived at La Chorde where cables and ladders will help pass a few difficulties.
The Aravis Range and the Fiz Massif will appear as a permanent backdrop throughout the ascent. Swimming in the Lac de Pormenaz can be a refreshing break before the descent towards Argentières locality and the Chalets d’Ayères.
For people prone to fear of heights, it is possible to avoid the passages with cables by leaving on the right the trail of La Chorde at the junction.
So there you got three different places to visit in Cham. Facts you might did not know; Mont Blanc speed record is 4 hours, 57 minutes and 34 seconds. this is from the church to the peak and back…The Compagnie des Guides des Chamonix was established in 1821 so early guiding in Cham. Edward Whymper the first summiteer of Matterhorn died in Chamonix, and he is buried here
A gate as Are to the adventure are fine, so lets open door nine. Chamonix will be the cradle of Alpinism and Mountaineering but in Sweden Are is growing as the Swedish cradle of alpinism. Very often if you are heading for an adventure, or going back from one you pass Are. Already during the 12th century Are was well known. Many of the pilgrims hiking towards the St Olavs grave in Nidaros did pass the village. Are old church is dated to 13th century, but is was in the late 1800 it was known as a tourist resort. In 1892 the first top cottage was built of the Swedish Tourist association. In 1910 the mountain railway was built in Are. In 1952 the first cable car was built, this one runs from Fjallgarden towards Humeln one of the gondolas is still at the Are square for admiration. 1976 is a important year for Are, now the new cable car is built, and with a investment of 73 000 000:- a high alpine zone for skiing has been opened up. Today Are is a real tourist magnet. This corona year it ha been well visited I can tell… Whatever Are is also associated for good food and pastry. When I am in Are I’m trying to visit A e pastry. A good cup of capuchin and a cinnamon bun will do the day. And in the evening a dinner at Wersén will never become a disappointment. The Swedish meatballs with mashed potatoes will make you sleep as a baby after an adventure day. Here I will give a recipe from Bustamoon, a reindeer clamp.
When it comes to off pist skiing,, first of all hire a guide. This will help you out to get the best and safest skiing. The backside of Areskutan, The Husatour, eastern ravine, The Tvaravalvet. In December its not to recommend, with less snow and no settle snow means dangerous skiing and ruined skies. January, good skiing, but avoid the high zone. the wind got hard to the snow. February, the high season, means early start for good skiing. March Monday-Tuesday nice days and cold snow perfect for skiing(avoid weekends = crowded). April, this is the best time of the year warm and long bright days. Just enjoy. May, why don’t put on the skins and become an expert together with the locals. at this time people make a pilgrimage to good skiing at Are.
Time to open door eight, have control and stop before is to late…When it comes to avalanches I think it could be a whole calendar of the topic, and it still will not cover it all. So I will just notify you of same parts of the topic. First of all, there are rarely spontaneous triggered avalanches. So we can start to put a human factor into the risk. So it all starts with you, and your approach to the risk of avalanches. The knowledge curve is the main thing here. In the beginning you think you know, then you understand what you don’t understand. Here the humility comes in. The next step you know that you know but will improve your knowledge. So if you are ready for expose yourself for the risk of avalanches, you might take a course in the topic. Another good suggestion from my side will be to gather yourself with people that got experience. That will be your life insurance. Self I would never go to a avalanche area without people around me that I can rely on. When you got the skills and the company for off pist skiing how to avoid avalanche’s? Talk with locals and check the homepages for avalanche information of the area. Choose the way from a safety point of view and follow the leader. Well, don’t ski in a avalanche area after a storm, avoid steep slopes(avoid slopes over 28 degrees). Stay to the windward side of the ridges, avoid treeless slopes, watch for cracks, listen to the snow, for be sure dig snow pits for understanding the different layers in the snow. And always bring your avalanche device such as Tranciever, shovel, probe, ABS back pack. But this will just help you, it will not stop a avalanche…And observe it will not help you assess or improve your ability to predict avalanches. It will help you with the rescue…
Now we have come a bit into the calendar, and its time for open door seven, which tent should I choose, it might be written in heaven… When it comes to tent, there is a lot of choice. And that means it can be hard to choose. Today I might help you to reach out the advantage and disadvantage with the different types. So first of all you need to ask yourself: What will you use the tent for? Expeditions, mountaineering, skiing, hiking, kayaking etc. This will be the first thing to decide. For the three first categories you will need a four season tent, for the others you might can be using a three season tent. Next thing to ask will be; how many will you be sleeping in the tent? 2-3-4 persons will be the normal options. If you have the answer for this questions we can run in to what choice there are.
First we have the tunnel tent. The tunnel tent is big, and almost always have a big apse, were you can store stuff and cook in bad weather. This is the perfect choice for a family. And it is very good for a skiing tour when you got a sled. Then you can have stuffed as a sausage and with the poles put together. That will means that you will be able to put it up very fast. The disadvantage will be the weight and that it is wind sensible. You have to place it right regards to the wind direction. It will also need bigger place on the ground. And another suggest will be, get up one size. This will give you more opportunities and give you more space for a little more weight. This is not suitable if you know you will doing mountaineering. Then its better with a smaller 2 instead of 3 persons tent for example.
The dome tent is very stable, it normally got more poles than a tunnel tent. It got less weight than a tunnel, and will need less space on the ground. It is very easy to move to another spot, you just lift it and move. The disadvantage will be that it is a bit harder to set up. You will have less place to store stuff and if you are three or more in a dome tent it will be crowded.
So how will you reach out this, here comes some thoughts from my side. If you usually go for long tours, you might choose a tunnel tent. Especially if you often go on skies, with sledge. Then you can prepare a fast set up etc. You will also have a better space. Going for a hike, you got the opportunity to choose from a feeling point of view. But with the condition that you are at least two and can share the weight. Otherwise the dome is to prefer. Going for climbing, mountaineering/alpinism the dome will be my first choice. Stable to the wind, lighter and take less space on the ground. At high altitude at camps it normally is crowded and it is less of space to put the tent on. But the dome got less space over all, so it can be good to choose one with a good ceiling height so you can sit and have a good ”work” space.
The Helsport Trollspiret will be one of my favorite’s, A perfect alpinism/mountaineering tent.
6th of December and about Kebnekaise and the glaciers. During the panemic, the roof of Sweden has become a hot spot. As I reported earlier the pressure of the are is hard. With visitors that not so used to be in the environment new phenomen will appear. Such as they left ther equipment, tents and other stuff! Well,, while you are in the area you should put some extra days for explore the immediate area. The glaciers has been in focus for the scentist since 1886. When Fredrik Enquist photographed the glaciers in the Kebnekaise area he left a invaluable data to the posterity. The Storglaciaren becomes over time the most researched glacierin the world. The standards used for measure glacier worldwide will be settled here. So why get up up on the peak of Kebnetjakka for a view over storgalicären och Björlingsglaciär and at the same time the view over The south peak and north peak of Kebnekaise. One question that is relevant is; Why study glaciers in Tarfala area? There was o lot of glacier to choose but, Storglaciären got the rigth size and got the best location for tranports etc. How many glaciers do we got in Sweden? We got over 250 glaciers, middle size of them is 1 square kilometer. Is it humans fault that the glaicers is melting? Yes and now. The global heating from the beginning of 1900 is a natural oscillation. But after1950 the human have contributed with more than 50% of the heating. How old is the glaciers in the Kebnekaise area? Well they are about 3000 years old. In the storglaciären has organic residues from 200 year BC. been found. Is it ok to drink the melt water from a glacier? The water is often clean from salt and are very like destilled water. In big amount and often is not so good. But for cooking it is ok. At the top surface there may be digested lemmings and reindeer droppings so be careful where you take the water. This how it will looks like comparing 2013 and 2100.
See ya tomorrow and then it will be about to choosing tent.
Today its time for the 5th of December, and a reminder of the safety always remember…When it comes to mountain Safety I can write a whole book or a pair of books about the topic. But let us start with a quote: “Prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent.” That’s a good start. This topic is more current than ever, with a lot of beginners in the mountains due to the pandemic. What is mountain safety? Well from my point of view it begins with your own knowledge and experience. Add the factor weather and how challenging environment you are adventuring in. So when you start the adventure, think over these factors and you will know how to act. If you want to challenge your experience, you might bring a more skilled friend or why not a guide? The basic for me in mountain safety will be; a good knowledge and experience in navigation. Well experienced with all the help device for the safety, such as 1st aid equipment, wind shelter, shovel, etc. And ”safety it something that happens between your ears, not something your hold in your hands.” In real life, it’s about having the right judgment. You will never have such a stress that you have to chance or be careless, its to late to regret when the accident had happened. When it all comes to its nature it is about not expose yourself or others for danger. And buy using your ”stomach” feeling, you will know what will be the right decision in a given situation. When it comes to mountain rescue patrol, and all there mission, we all from stand position can have opinion about have carless people are. But in the city life we don’t have any opinion’s of people use 112 etc. Observe that I don’t mean that unnecessary rescue mission is ok, but it is easy to to have opinion form the side. And with right judgement, you will call in the right time…And you, don’t forget to report to your relatives, your planes and when you will call again during your journey/adventure. And always bear in mind, you can never replace lack of experience with a tool or a gear. A new ice axe will not make you an alpinist…And always remember; never trust a guy with shiny gear. So even if you got a new shovel, with combined snow saw, you still need to practice within beore you can use it in hard condition in real life on the mountains..
The fourth of December and about a qualification that will permit guiding in several nation. Today I will write about UIMLA IML. I will be doing it from two different angles. One side from the guide perspective and also from the client side. Bur let us first find out what a IML is. An IML is a person that has been trained and assessed against the challenging requirements of UIMLA. The IML qualification lets the holder lead groups in different mountains all over the world, where the skills and equipment of alpinism are not required. IMLs can work with groups on high altitude treks as well lead groups on snowshoes.
(Navigation training at the Swedish IML training 2020 Photo Dominique Olbrecht UIMLA)
So from a guides perspective, why have a IML certification? As a guide you will have a huge responsibility, and for being able to live up to that this qualification will help you a lot. You will not be standing in a complicated situation and not have the knowledge in judge making. The training is tough. First of all you need the Fjalledarnorm as a basic. Then you have to do the summer and winter training and add summer and winter assessment to that. The training include parts as navigation in forms of conditions, ways of travel, emergency bivouacs, river crossing, leadership including judgement training among others.
(Rope technique training at the Swedish IML training Oct. Photo Dominique Olbrecht UIMLA)
With the IML certification you have a real good ground to rely on. As a IML you as well must keep on your knowledge development, meaning you will always be a better guide. So if you will feel comfort and safe as a guide, you better become a IML.
(River crossing training at the Swedish IML training Oct. 2020 Photo Dominique Olbrecht UIMLA)
From a client perspective what is the value of a IML? Well here you got an approved, assessed mountain Leader. She/he will be ”battle tested” this qualification means that you got an real quality check of the guide. You will know that if something is going wrong, this guide will have it in control. You will also know she/he is always updated with latest in the area. This person is and work as a professional. She/he always do a security planning etc. This guide also have a very broad network of guides all over the world, which is a prerequisite as good as any.
Some path we don’t know were they lead, as when we for example a new book read. So today it will be about book, and suggestions for how you can spend some hours in front of the bonfire with a good cup of coffee.
The first suggestion of mine will be The Mountaineers: great tales of bravery by the Royal Geographical society. The book features fact files for over 100 famous mountaineers and stunning photography of the mountains they scaled, and contains rare artefacts that were found on their journeys, previously unpublished photographs, and specially commissioned route maps to recreate history’s greatest ascents. Mountaineers: Great tales of bravery and conquest: Royal Geographical Society, The Alpine Club: 9780241298800: Amazon.com: Books.
I also can suggest The Soldier: Respect is earned by Jay Morton. This guy got four years in the Parachute regiment, ten years in the SAS and two Everest summits in his CV. So here you will be involved in how to develop the physical and mental endurance and resilience.
And when it come to mountaineering technique I will suggest this two books: Climbing self rescue: Improvising Solution for serious situations. This book will includes fall on rock, glaciers etc. knots and emergency procedures. Helicopter support and also 29 different rescue scenarios. The second one will be UIAA Alpine skills: Summer. With its 340 slides with developing information for a mountaineerer it will be a good investment.
When it comes to books from the nordic mountains I will suggest Fjall i akvarell by Gunnel Lundholm. This contains paintings from a tour in Kebnekasie area and also a winter tour in Oviksmountains of Jamtland. Alf R Jacobsens Angrepp i Gryningen is a book about the battle of Narvik i Norway in April 1940. With Alf’s present way of telling, this book in very good.
Today we open door twelve, and today it will be about mountain cabins. With crowded hike trails , and overfull mountains stations an alternative would be to spend the nights in a nice mountain cabin instead? Here it will be more ”airy” and more spartan. Here you have to take some more responsibility, which means to carry water and chop firewood. with its own stove in the room, the atmosphere will be cozy. However there is a risk that a middle age man will have his synthetic undershirt with a day of moister with the smell in your vicinity. But I still can remember the night me and the mountain men Jansson spend at Stensdalen.
