Day 5 - Kebnekaise to Nikkaluokta

After breakfast at Kebnekaise, we begin the gentle descent to the trailhead at Nikkaluokta. The route mostly across the frozen surface of Ladtjo Lake is hampered by strong icy side winds and dodging between oncoming snowmobiles.

In Nikkaluokta, we wait for the bus in the comfort of the small café. The bus soon arrives and our next stop is clean clothes in Kiruna!

Ski Touring on Kungsleden, the King's Trail, from Abisko to Kebnekaise was a unique opportunity to immerse ourselves in the dramatic scenery of this remote region in the full glory of a Swedish winter.

Distance: 18.6 km

Day 4 - Sälka to Kebnekaise

At the start of the longest day, the wind speed has died down and it is relatively warm. We follow the Tjäktjavagge Valley, generally downhill and across easy terrain. We revel in being totally surrounded by mountains. We reach the huts at Singi after just 13 km of skiing, which are by a small lake in an open bowl surrounded by low hills. We stop here for a lunch break and I keep a promise by becoming an Arctic Postman :)

We climb away from Singi and leave behind the King's Trail, heading over a pass between the guardians of the wilderness - Lidducohkka and Singicohkka. As we head west through the Ladtjo Valley to the Kebnekaise Mountain Station, we sneak our first views of Kebnekaise (2117m) Sweden’s highest peak. In the shadows of Kebnekaise, the icy valley floor is difficult to traverse and further west the snow begins to disappear as the tracks are becoming more numerous.

Our last night in the mountains is spent at Kebnekaise Mountain Station, which offers sauna, showers and a well-earned restaurant meal as we ready ourselves for the final day's ski touring towards Nikkaluokta.

Distance: 26.0 km

Day 3 - Alesjaure to Sälka

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

Day 2 - Abiskojaure to Alesjaure

My eyes open to the sound of huskies howling outside the window of the cabin. I tentatively stick my arm out of my sleeping bag to test the temperature in the cabin. Pleasantly surprised, I begin my morning routine.

Despite today being a longer day's touring, involving some ascent, we start late to maximise the amount of time my repaired boot has to set. We start out along the valley, passing peaks rather than heading between them. As we follow the Kama River westwards, we realise that we are heading too far from the low col that we need to ascend.

Rather than the soul destroying act of retracing the route, we continue westwards until we reach a small group of houses and then put on our skins, turn to the south-east to cross a slightly higher col to enter the Alis Valley, which is dominated by shapely snow-peaks.

There is now a feeling of entering the high mountains as we continue through the Alis Valley. Travelling in a hilly landscape in between the peaks on a mountain plateau. Heading south, it is pretty level all the way to our overnight stop at the Alesjaure Mountain Hut. We take the option to cut directly across Ales Lake rather than stay on the marked trail at its edge in the hope of reaching the hut before sundown.

As the sun dipped behind the peaks that line the edge of Ales Lake, the temperature dropped dramatically. We could see a cluster of huts perched on a rocky outcrop at Alesjaure and so we decide to foolishly race the final few hundred meters to the hut rather than throw on our extra layers. It is surprising how quickly the cold seeps into my hands. The short steep climb to the hut fails to bring my hands back to life, but the warmth of finally entering the hut makes the blood flow once again to my hands and with it brings the pain of the hot aches.

The hut offers simple but comfortable accommodation and an excellent sauna in a separate hut. En route to the sauna, I take a quick snow bath and then start my evening routine.

Distance: 24.0 km

Day 1 - Abisko to Abiskojaure

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!

Take One
Distance: 8.7 km

Take Two
Distance: 13.9 km