Christmas trip to Sweden

The day of arrival

We flew into Skellefteå in the morning and went skiing straight from the airport to make the most of the daylight hours. The days here are very short at this time of year: the sun rises around 10 in the morning and it sets again after two in the afternoon. One of our backpacks got lost in Stockholm, but the skis arrived, and we found enough warm clothes in the other backpacks for a short skiing trip. We picked up the lost backpack on the way back, it arrived on the next flight.

The blue lines shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

Fresh snow fell during the night. Victor is breaking the trail, and the dogs are following him.

Yasha has taught Vassi to jump up onto his arms, and Luna is also trying to keep up. Lova, Luna and Magda.

A hut at the top of the hill.

A dead pine tree.

A viewing platform in the shape of an elk.

Another observation deck below it.

Lunch in the shelter. Any traveler can come here, make a fire and get warm.

Frängsberget

The blue line shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

We went skiing every day. The first two days were cold with powder snow.

Then it warmed up dramatically and the snow caps started melting and falling down from the trees. Lake Varuträsket.

We have been here before. We came across a car almost completely covered with snow.

We couldn't excavate the license plate, only the front headlights.

They leave solitary trees in clearcuts. The tops of aspen trees are illuminated by the setting sun.

The rocky hill glows in the sun.

We recalled walking here last summer and climbing this hill, but we were going in the opposite direction.

Snow mounds.

The cutouts don't look as ugly in the winter as they do in the summer.

We climbed up a big rock and skied down.

Sunset on a small lake. Here we came across a fresh ski track.

The sunset that day was gorgeous.

We got home in total darkness, but we were following our track.

Finnträsk

Because of the bad weather forecast we had to change our plans. We were going to celebrate New Year's Eve in Norway, but we ended up staying in Sweden. We rented accommodation for a few days in the village of Moskosel. On the way there we went skiing near the village of Finnträsk.

The blue line shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

The forest here is not the same as in the Varuträsk area.

We climbed a couple of hills. The hill slopes are gentle on one side and rocky on the other.

The wind blew the snow caps off the trees, and they formed a crust on the snow.

Another sunset.

We are frying sausages by the lake Finnträsk.

Pearl clouds. We visited Magda's aunt and uncle, had lunch, and headed further west, to the godforsaken village of Moskosel.

Moskosel

The blue line shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

Every morning we went skiing around Moskosel. The area is wild, we didn't meet anyone, neither on skis nor on foot. Somehow this huge tock ended up on top of another, not a small one either, right in the middle of the forest.

We could only see the sun from the top of the hills, and that was usually only when it was ready to set again.

Below us was a system of lakes. The view against the sunset sky was amazing.

On the way back we noticed another pearl cloud in the sky.

New Year's eve

We skied up another hill. The black and green lichen fibers were hanging from the trees. We had never seen such vegetation before.

The blue line shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

The black lichen on the snow could be mistaken for the fur of some wild animal.

We caught a glimpse of the setting sun from the summit.

All the trees on this slope were covered with different lichens.

Everybody went up on the same track, but then skied down their own way.

In the evening we saw the northern lights: all we had to do was dress warmly and go out on the lake.

Part of the sky was just green. At the other end of the lake, the glow was with pink flashes. When the aurora is faint, you can only see it on your phone or camera screen. This time it was so bright that there was no doubt in our minds.

Downhill skiing

The weather was forecasted to be cold, but the wind was not expected to be strong. Before returning to Skellefteå we went downhill skiing. This ski resort was not very far from us.

Ski resorts here are low and small, with only a few ski lifts. But because the daylight hours are very short, you don't get bored.

Our group is at the top of the mountain. The sun is already setting.

There were several pistes in the forest. It was very cold and we had to go back indoors every now and then to warm up.

Sunset.

The sun is shining through the branches of the trees.

Our last day in Sweden

The blue line shows our track. Shift-click on the track link will open it in nakarte.me.

Our flight home was in the evening, so we had time for a short ski trip around Varuträsk. Grandma's house, where we lived, stands right by a stream. The stream is fast-flowing, so it almost never freezes.