An early start in bitterly cold temperatures is necessary today to complete what is likely to be the toughest day of the trip. After an initial descent from the rocky outcrop down an icy wall of death, the first part of today's route follows the wide open Ales Valley and then begins a gradual ascent on easy-angled slopes which, given the icy headwind, are nevertheless quite tough to ski up. That said, the huskies make it look easy as they pass us ;-)
Snow begins to fall and the gradient steepens as we leave the Ales Valley to begin the steady climb up to the Tjäktja Pass. A snow storm closes in as we reach the Tjäktja Hut, the highest on the King's Trail, so we seek shelter in the hut and have a spot of lunch.
After lunch, the storm has not passed, so we head into out into the whiteness to find the highest point on the King’s Trail. At a height of 1240m, we cross over the Tjäktja Pass. Sadly, due to the white out conditions, we miss the magnificent views from the shelter at the col over the Tjäktavagge Valley.
Beyond the pass, we are, however, treated to easy skiing down to the cabins at Sälka. The snow storm has made things more pleasant by providing fresh, and more importantly, soft snow for the descent.
The Sälka Hut is at a crossroads of several ski tour trails and there is an interesting mix of people in residence. The hut also has a shop with beer and a sauna. The only downside is that there is a five minute walk in gale force winds to go for a wee!
Distance: 25.2 km
No comments:
Post a Comment