The King's Trail (known as "Kungsleden" in Swedish) is a long-distance path in the far north of Swedish Lapland, deep inside the Arctic Circle. Ski Touring on the King's Trail is one of the World's "classic" ski touring routes - challenging, spectacular and dramatic whilst not being too extreme.
The Abisko-Kebnekaise Trail is probably the most famous section of the King's Trail, running from Abisko Mountain Station on the shores of Lake Torneträsk south to the base of Mount Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest mountain at 2105 metres.
Our tour starts early fuelling up on the local delicacies of pickled fish, beetroot, boiled eggs,... I pity the people that shall be sharing our cabin this evening! With our flasks as full as our bellies, we head back to our room for last minute tinkering and then meet on the car park to wrestle ourselves into our skis for the first time. We then fling ourselves down the first steep icy slope of the day and the journey begins...
With the spring sun peaking above the horizon, the Arctic landscapes of northern Sweden, featuring majestic peaks and frozen waterfalls, are bathed in an ethereal light. All around is a snow-bound landscape of undulating countryside covered in birch and pine forest, with views across to the peaks of the Kebnekaise range. Lapporten, one the mountain world’s most famous silhouettes, watches over us as we pick our way between the silver birch trees, parallel to a partially snow-covered Kama River. The terrain is undulating and the route is very twisty. Eventually the route leaves the river and follows the borderline between woods and mountains. Just as we were leaving the shelter of the silver birch, disaster struck... My boot broke!
A quick decision is taken to return to the Abisko Mountain Station. One quick repair later, our group splits in two. One half head onward to the cabins on the south side of Lake Abiskojaure. The other half retrace the four and a half kilometres in search of a replacement or a repair.
The return journey to Abisko Mountain Station to yields no replacement boot and a limited number of repair options. I purchase the most promising option: a tube of glue and some more tape. We throw our lunch down our necks and head back out to the car park to the familiar launching spot for the trail.
The second attempt of the route takes us further into Abisko National Park and eventually to the frozen waters of Lake Abiskojaure. On the far side, we can just make out the smoke from the wood-burning stoves that our keeping the other half of the group warm inside the mountain cabin.
We power across the lake in no time and check into our cabin. We enjoy a warm meal that has been lovingly prepared by the other half of the group and reflect on the day's adventures. In the warmth of the cabin, I properly repair my boot and drink some whiskey with some fellow travellers. I then have a traditional Swedish sauna before climbing into bed - a welcoming haven after a long day on the trail!
Distance: 8.7 km
Take Two
Distance: 13.9 km
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