{"id":5350,"date":"2024-02-14T21:50:06","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T22:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/setupjunkie.net\/?p=5350"},"modified":"2024-02-19T15:54:39","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T15:54:39","slug":"field-report-from-swedish-lapland-the-best-splitboarding-id-never-heard-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/setupjunkie.net\/index.php\/2024\/02\/14\/field-report-from-swedish-lapland-the-best-splitboarding-id-never-heard-of\/","title":{"rendered":"Field Report From Swedish Lapland: The Best Splitboarding I\u2019d Never Heard Of"},"content":{"rendered":"

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If you ask backcountry skiers and splitboarders to pick their dream destination for a ski trip, their answers<\/strong> will invariably cluster around a few time-tested places. <\/strong>Alaska<\/a>, Japan<\/a>, and British Columbia<\/a> are sure to come up, as are the Alps<\/a> and the Andes. But Sweden? No way, dude. <\/p>\n

Up until last spring, I would\u2019ve thought along the same lines. But then I sampled a few of the many drool-inducing lines in Swedish Lapland on a hut trip high in the Arctic Circle last March. And my perspective has shifted. <\/p>\n

Not only does this northern shred destination offer backcountry goers stunning, uncrowded peaks, but there are beautiful mountains and terrain that make it well worth the trek … no matter how many layovers are on your itinerary.<\/p>\n

You know that feeling when you can’t shake the memory of a truly epic trip of a lifetime? That’s why I had to share a few tales from the Swedish skintrack. I’ll talk bootpacks, touring, terrain, as well as insights on travel and logistics. For skiers and splitboarders looking to make a pilgrimage to the land of Northern Lights \u2014 or those simply open to doing so \u2014 take it from me, and go for it. <\/p>\n

An Arctic Welcome<\/h2>\n
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(Photo\/Mats Drougge Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The evening skies darkened over Sweden\u2019s Kebnekaise Massif, so I pulled out my phone to capture the moment, with my guide Matti Saapunki, skinning through the foreground. I managed to snap a photo, but my fingers instantly froze up. <\/p>\n

The beauty of the range became secondary as I donned heavy gloves and liners, two face masks \u2014\u00a0and still the Scandinavian winds sent icy daggers slashing through my GORE-TEX armor. <\/p>\n

The going was hard work, too; the relentless winds had compressed the top of the snowpack into a breakable, styrofoam-like crust. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever been that cold on the skintrack.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t lie: there was a bit of second-guessing on that frigid slog. Back home in Tahoe, we were in the midst of a historic winter. Why wasn\u2019t I sleeping in the comfort of my home and shredding backyard powder every day? Why had I taken three flights, a bus, and a literal sleigh ride to get to this remote basecamp in Sweden<\/a>?<\/p>\n

But then we crested the ridge, and my home for the week danced into view: the Tarfala Hut<\/a>. Perched on a knoll in the Tarfala Valley, this outpost has a full kitchen, outhouse, no running water (you\u2019ve got to haul it up), and, most critically after a full day of touring, an epic sauna. It sleeps up to 25 people and is a perfectly positioned base camp for touring missions.<\/p>\n

Its windows glowed bright, as if in defiance of the winds hammering the valley and cloaking the surrounding peaks in swaths of spindrift. This was why. We booked it to the hut, kicked off our gear, and hustled inside. A crew of splitboarders from Stranda, guided by IFMGA guide Fred Buttard, were waiting. (I arrived a day late after having to direct a splitboard test in the States<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Luckily, they’d saved me a bowl of reindeer stew. After dinner, I crawled into my bunk, stoked for the morning to come. As I drifted off to sleep, the wind punctuated by my snoring hut-mates, I smiled and wondered. What lines had those restless winds been hiding?<\/p>\n

What to Expect in Swedish Lapland<\/h2>\n
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Whitney Gilliam cruising down a Tarfala Valley couloir; (photo\/Drew Zieff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Zephyr didn\u2019t let up that first morning, but graybird skies turned blue, and I got my first real glimpse of the Tarfala Valley and the Kebnekaise Massif. Beautiful is a woefully inadequate descriptor. The range was a freerider\u2019s dream playground. There were dozens of rocky peaks with couloirs slicing down their flanks, with mellow, glacial pitches and spicy faces. <\/p>\n

Once we started skinning, snaking from the expansive valley up a rolling glacier that seemed straight out of Alaska or the Alps, it became abundantly clear that there were months’ \u2014\u00a0if not seasons’ \u2014 worth of lines a snowball\u2019s throw from the hut. <\/p>\n

And best of all? Aside from the lines already laced by our crew, there weren\u2019t any tracks or fellow skiers in sight.\u00a0And we had barely scratched the surface of the valley\u2019s potential.<\/p>\n

The days that followed were some of the best of my season, which is saying something. Last winter was easily the best of my life, highlighted by historic Tahoe conditions, a stellar heli-trip with Bella Coola Heli Sports in BC<\/a>, and a trip of a lifetime to Hokkaido, Japan<\/a>. Sweden was right there at the top of my list, and 2 days in particular stand out.<\/p>\n

Memorable Terrain, Top-Notch Lines<\/h2>\n
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A post shared by Drew Zieff (@drewzieff)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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The first was a brutally cold, bluebird day that involved tackling a pair of neighboring couloirs. We bootpacked up the gut of the first chute, turning around after a wind slab upped the hazard. After hop-turning through the choke, we enjoyed fast, fluid powder turns in the apron. <\/p>\n

One reason I really appreciated riding with Fred Buttard is that he genuinely understands the mechanics of snowboarding in the backcountry. And, he\u2019s good at making sure he\u2019s minimizing transitions, and generally setting an efficient, splitboarder-oriented line while guiding snowboarders. <\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t always the case, especially for old-school guides who aren\u2019t used to riding with snowboarders. Needless to say, I\u2019m a fan, and I\u2019m stoked to get out and ride with him again this winter.<\/p>\n

We opted for a cruisier, surfy, windlip-laden lap next on the other side of the valley, and then skinned back up for a third run, tagging the chute next door. We finished off in a fun surfy zone, as the sun set over the Kebnekaise Massif. <\/p>\n

Soon after, rapidly dropping temperatures sent us scurrying for the coziness of the hut.\u00a0Just as we were getting ready for bed someone shouted, \u201cThe aurora!\u201d We all stumbled out into the night, oblivious to the cold. Our jaws dropped as ribbons glowed and whirled through the inkwell sky. <\/p>\n

These northern latitudes are far from light pollution and, while the aurora borealis are never guaranteed, there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll catch a glimpse of nature\u2019s finest light show in this zone. We were blessed with a couple of nights of northern lights on my trip, and it was a highlight of the adventure.<\/p>\n

And keep in mind as spring rolls on, your chances of seeing the aurora diminish slightly, but the days get longer. For instance, Kiruna\u2019s sunset on March 16, the first day of my trip, was at 5:43 p.m. By the end of the week, sunset jumps to 6:08 p.m. If you end up coming a month later, the sun doesn\u2019t go down til after 9 p.m. (meaning ripe potential for evening ski sessions). It was an ethereal cherry on top of a perfect day in the Arctic.<\/p>\n

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The aurora borealis above the Tarfala Hut; (photo\/Drew Zieff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The second day that I\u2019ll remember most was our exit. We left at dawn, embarking on a roundabout tour from the Tarfala Hut back to the Kebnekaise Mountain Station. Half of the group went to climb the Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden and a more technical adventure, while the rest of us went in search of more powder. <\/p>\n

As we were party-lapping out of the valley, I caught a glimpse of a steep, unridden, low-elevation face dotted with cliffs above us. Mats Drougge, perpetually stoked founder of Stranda, and the orchestrator behind this trip smiled and said, \u201cIf you guys want to ride that, I\u2019ll shoot it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Tapping into a reserve of energy I didn\u2019t know we had, a couple of us rode the face. It was steep and deep, the snow stable and crystalline. I made a few turns through the chute, lined up a cliff drop, and skittered through the landing (I blame my hut-trip-hammered legs). Sketchy landings aside, it was the line of the trip for me.<\/p>\n

Remote Touring Means Remote Travel<\/h2>\n
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The squad putting quads to work, lugging up sleds; (photo\/Mats Drougge Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u2019re visiting the Kebnekaise Mountain Station or the Tarfala Hut, your trip likely kicks off in Kiruna. It is possible to take an overnight train <\/a>from Stockholm, a rad option if you\u2019re not in a hurry. If PTO is in short supply \u2014 or there\u2019s an overabundance of stoke \u2014\u00a0fly directly to Kiruna. It\u2019s one of the smallest airports I\u2019ve been to, but there are four daily flights to Stockholm. <\/p>\n

From Kiruna, you\u2019ll want to either drive, take a taxi, or take the bus from town<\/a> to Nikkaluokta. Once you\u2019re at Nikkaluokta \u2014\u00a0a charming outpost at the end of the road \u2014\u00a0you\u2019ll take a 19km snowmobile<\/a>-pulled sleigh ride to arrive at Kebnekaise or your destination of choice.<\/p>\n

Throughout my short stint in Swedish Lapland, we must\u2019ve run through half of the Inuit\u2019s infamously large lexicon for snow. We rode everything from blower pow and corn to bulletproof hardpack and styrofoam windboard; plan on packing skis or a board that is versatile enough to handle it all. <\/p>\n

Within a snowball\u2019s throw from the Tarfala Hut, you can be touring mellow glacial pitches, steep gnarly couloirs, and rowdy, big mountain lines. And in terms of weather, I experienced it all \u2014 hammering snow, whipping winds, and brutal cold. Alluring to both skier and photographer, this terrain<\/a> is truly electric.<\/p>\n

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You might not expect glacial terrain like this in Sweden, but it\u2019s on offer in Lapland; (photo\/Mats Drougge Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This just added to the experience, if you ask me. The more extreme elements made both our bluebird ski days and our relaxing time in the sauna all the more gratifying.<\/p>\n

For instance, we didn\u2019t get to ski this wild-looking line on Tolpargni \u2014 we turned around due to an avalanche on a similar aspect \u2014but the Stranda crew had nabbed it the previous year.<\/p>\n

Tips for Planning Your Own Trip to the Arctic Circle<\/h2>\n
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Buttard leading the charge out of the Tarfala Hut on a particularly frosty morning; (photo\/Mats Drougge Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It depends on the snow forecast each season, but generally, March to mid-May is the best time to visit. March and April will offer the most potential in terms of ideal skiing conditions. <\/p>\n