SKI TOURING RENFJÄLLET
In Åre, the snow had been absolutely dumping for weeks, and with a few vacation days left, I, Allan, and Odd took the train up for a few days of skiing in the Åre mountains.
We had an incredible time with both alpine and backcountry skiing, and on our last day, we decided to hike up to Renfjället for lunch at Vita Renen. It was a chilly -28°C when we left in the morning, with the sun making a quiet, hopeless attempt to warm us on the way up. But the scenery was absolutely breathtaking!
Once we reached Vita Renen, we took a short break. I had to patch up my feet since my boots were giving me a bit of a rub on the way up. But we were quickly back on our way. The snow was deep, so we followed the marked winter trail to the left of Renfjället's summit.
Along the way, we ran into a woman with a dog, who turned out to be Miranda Kvist, the founder of Team Nordic Trail. It's a small world!
Up on the mountain plateau, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Wind-sculpted snow formations and soft, fluffy snow in every direction. Allan and I continued our climb to the summit, and we had to be quick when stopping to remove our skins. The wind up there was brutally cold.
Photo: Allan Förberg
We managed a few well-earned turns down the mountain, though the slopes weren’t the steepest, so we had to put in some effort to keep our speed up.
Photo: Allan Förberg
As we made our way toward the next summit, we had issues with the skins—they wouldn’t stick properly because it was too cold. So, we decided to cut our climb short and ski back down to Vita Renen, where Odd was waiting for us.
After the climb, my stomach was growling, so I treated myself to both a “Julstrut” and a waffle. Delicious! The descent was absolutely stunning. The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the mountain. What a day it turned out to be—big thanks to Allan and Odd for the great company!
