This week I got an new challenge – i was to proofread a outdoor book. To read a book from this perspective was a new experience for me. But it was very exiting and instructive. I don’t think I ever head read a book with that  approach. I f I read every book like that, it has become very hard:-) But at the same time very good. This is a book that will be published by Calazo, and I will for sure get it for my own..

This weekend I been to Älvdalen for a ice climbing session.  With -30 degrease on Friday it was tough. But it been a bit better at Saturday morning when it was about -26, during the day the mercury in the thermometer rose bit by bit. So it become a really nice session in the end…

3 Doors Down – Kryptonite (Official Video) (youtube.com)

See ya soon…

New year and today it will be a New year chronicle, it is time for closing the loop. This has been a year full of experience and reflections. Here it comes, Arådalen was a new acquaintance in Jämtland. A really nice place where the road ends. Bydalen and Falkfångarfjället was a fantastic trip, and my husky had to work a lot in the terrain. What do you Consumes facts and interest about, and what does it do with you? Dare to take sustainability in mind in all your outdoor planning, you might go to Norway or Finland instead of the alps? Evolve your self, define your areas you want to develop. Funäsdalen, Fjällnäs, it is really good place to be at. Skiing or hiking it doesn’t matter which… Going to new places is always a driver, my next tour will be to a cabin in Norway. Home mountain, the Storsnasen and Sylarna area will be my home mountain. Here we did the extra Summer Training with the IML aspirants this year. Intensive, that is what I will call this year. A lot of good effort and lot of nice tours. I really living a dream life. Joy, all colleagues and friends in the outdoor make it so nice, thank you all for being my friends. Keep the pace, as Mattias always says -it is easier to let a wheel run, instead for the effort to start up. Living and doing the adventure with fully focus, that will be my signum. Must is a word we often use, bur think if it really is a must or something you want to do, or result in things that do so you can do what you really want? , Never stop being curious , Oviksfjällen, this area is so nice, and chosen right time you will be almost alone. Progress, I think it is always important to become a better me. So I try to always learn new thing and that keep me better. , Q, Real, dried food is not my favorite, but Reals Pulled pork is really nice. Always with me on long tours. Stamina, well I think this is one of my personality, I keep focus and ambition in what I do. Training, always keep up your workout for being prepared and always train for the worst both physical and mentally. Useful always bring a paracord with you, you never know when you might need it. Values, how I should avoid affecting nature negatively on my adventures. That will be one of my core values upcoming life…Views, let other have their views of things. Make your assessment, but no one else needs to know if they don’t ask, do they?  Way of thinking, sometimes we want more and we think we should have got time to do more. But honest, it is you who chose what you do with your time.  , X-am in Offerdalsfjällen this September. Three season in three days, very special place and it has taken a part of my heart. Year 2023 to close now, the red thread will: this year I have done what I wanted and even more. I am so satisfied. Zone, get out from you comfort zone. Start the day with a cold shower for example. You never know where this habit will take you.

My most important text for conclude all of this will be; Do what you want to do. What will you fill your life with? What will you put effort in, and what do you enjoy? That is what you should do and plan for. So don’t think or talk about I must or I will instead say and think and do –What I want…

Kris Kristofferson & Johnny Cash – Sunday morning coming down (1978 Johnny Cash Christmas Show) (youtube.com)

See ya soon…

So today this years calendar has come to an end, with 23 days in a row we open door twenty-four and there will now, not be more:-). Today it will be about charisma. So lets start with the word – What does it mean? Charisma is an individual’s ability to attract and influence other people. While it is often described as a mysterious quality that one either has or doesn’t have, some experts argue that the skills of charismatic people can be learned and cultivated.

So how to improve your charisma then? Exude Confidence, Numerous studies have shown that when someone acts confident, it causes others to give more weight to what they say. Be attentive, People like being around charismatic people because they feel valued.  Charismatic people have trained themselves to be attentive to those they interact with.  One of the behaviors that is linked to attentiveness is eye contact. Radiate warmth, Charismatic people are often described as warm and approachable.  Research has shown that when people perceive you as warm they are more likely to trust you and embrace your ideas. Convey passion, Charismatic people are passionate.  Being around them motivates others to act.  This positive energy is one of the qualities that makes charisma so alluring.  Have A Cause, Charismatic people talk about ideas that are bigger than themselves.  Sociologist Max Weber, whose study of charisma sparked the scholarly study of the topic in the 20^th century, noted that one core component of charisma was having a clear vision of a desired future and boldly advancing it. Remember little details, try to make a conscious effort to remember the little details they share with you. Bringing these details up in later conversations will make the other person feel valued and heard and encourage them to be more open with you. Keeping these details in mind will help provide you with conversation starters with people in the future. Keep things positive, When conversing with others, keep things as positive as possible for the duration of your interaction. You will frame yourself as a positive and helpful individual to the people you talk with.

Chamonix, France: Thin-Air Thrills at the Aiguille du Midi – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide (youtube.com)

Jahneration – Turning (Official music video) (youtube.com)

Now I think you got enough suggestion for improve you Charisma?! And for now I will wish you all my readers a Happy Christmas, and see ya at New Year again…

Today I will start with a reflection after a call with one from the Mountain Rescue, just a couple of days ago they where called out for two mission. At this time it was not avalanches, it was people who get lost. On snowmobile the speed is high and at this time of year the dawn comes fast. So your navigation skills is always very important, but also knowing how long the daylight will be…

Today I will suggest a nice tour in Norway, Starting point will be Sölenstua. From here it is a quite easy and nice hike towards a lake between the peaks. Here it is nice to take a bath (summer time.-)), the ditance will be 10,2km and now you got 2,5km to the peak of Rendallssölen. It is about 900 height meters to the peak from the lake. ou can shortened the tour if you start from Gröndalen instead. The tour to the lake will now be 8,5km.

Amanda Jenssen – Another Christmas (youtube.com)

See ya tomorrow…

22 days of blogging, and today it will be about avalanches and stoves. This week a big avalanche was triggered in Bydalen. It is unusual that avalanches is triggered so early in the season. The frost in the ground has not been so deep, which means it can happen. The best way of avoiding avalanches will be to be off areas when the risk of avalanches is high. Therefore it is very important to have the knowledge of the area.

Today we will reach out the question -does gas stove work at high altitude? Do canister gas work at high altitude? There’s this sort of myth running around out there that somehow operating a canister gas stove at high elevation isn’t going to work very well.  Maybe, or so the story goes, you need to use white gasoline (or something) at higher elevations.  This is a persistent myth that has been passed on, hiker to hiker, for years.  And it’s just exactly that:  A myth.

The myth got its start back in the early 1970’s when canister gas stoves started seeing more wide spread use.  The fuel used back then was 100% n-butane.  N-butane is a lousy fuel for cold weather.  Backpackers at high elevations encountered something that caused their canister gas stoves to work poorly:  Cold.  And thus the myth was born. The myth is kind of fact based.  Kind of.  I mean gas stoves were genuinely not working well at high elevation – but the elevation itself was not the problem.  The problem was actually the cold, and the problem would have been just as bad or worse at sea level.  Thus, a misinterpretation of real events lead to the myth.  The real problem was cold, but people wrongly concluded that high elevation was to blame. When multiple gasses are mixed together, they form a blend that has far better cold weather performance.  You still need to consider cold weather, but it’s no where near the issue that it once was – and cold weather can impact a gas stove irrespective of elevation. n-butane -0,5 Isobutane -12 and Propane -42.

But what is important is efficiency…So, what are the ”best practices” for fuel efficiency?  Here’s one list.  Items are listed in general order of importance, the most important being listed first.  1. Pick a sheltered spot.  On top of a rock or picnic table might be convenient, but it’s going to be windier up there.  Set up your stove on the ground behind a rock or log.  On a windy day, this is absolutely the most important thing to address in terms of efficiency, far more. important than how you actually run the stove itself. 2. Turn it down.  High heat = inefficient.  This is the number one mistake of new stove users – they open the valve 100% (i.e. maximum), which is the absolute last thing that you want to do if you want to be efficient.  Running your stove at say 30% of max will be far more efficient.     Lower heat = more efficient. Of course it’s going to take a bit longer when you turn down the heat.  Here’s where you’ll want to experiment.   You need to find the balance between speed and efficiency that works for you. 3. Use a windscreen.  Yes, even on an upright type canister stove (like a Pocket Rocket), just not a full 360 degree windscreen.  If you use a (partial!) windscreen with an upright canister stove, be careful to check the canister frequently with your hand.  If it feels so hot that you can’t leave your hand resting on the canister, take immediate steps to cool things down.  See Canister Stoves and Wind before you use a windscreen on a canister stove.
In general windscreens add to efficiency in two ways.  They a) prevent wind from blowing away the heat and b) focus the heat on the pot.  Because a windscreen focuses heat, it’s always good to use a windscreen even on a day where it isn’t particularly windy. 4. Use a heat exchanger pot.  A heat exchanger pot (e.g. MSR Reactor, Jetboil Flash, Primus Eta Express, etc) can save a lot of fuel.  Now, you will save fuel with a heat exchanger , but usually the heat exchanger weighs more than the weight of the fuel you save.  In other words, using a heat exchanger is often heavier overall.  However, if on a trip you prevent having to carry a larger or second canister, a heat exchanger can actually save you weight.

The Raveonettes – The Christmas Song (youtube.com)

See ya tomorrow…

December the 21th, and today it will be about tent. What really is the difference between a three and a four season tent? And due to that what should I chose? First of all you need to figure out if you are going out for Winter tours or not. Ok, you say -but if I don’t know if I am going for a winter tour in the future then? I probably will help you out with that question as well today…So what will be the difference between a Winter (four season) tent and a three season tent? First of all will be the weight. Of course a more cozy and easterly tent will weight more and also cost more. So number one will be the weight. The second will be the braces, how they are placed and their load carrying and capacity stiffness. On a Winter tent the braces is normally not crossed and they run in channels on the outside of the outer tent itself. But on a three season it will normally be in the tent and don’t have the stiffness neither the load carrying. This will result in two things; the weight of snow landing on the tent will push the tent down, also the wind stability can be reduced. So the third will be the number and placement of ventilation. In the spring-summer and autumn you will have a good breathing of air trough the tent, this for reducing moister and so on. In the winter the situation will be reversed. You want the air to be stable so you don’t loose heat, But at the same time reduce as much of the moister you will generate through your breath. So in the winter tent you have other solution for this. And due to this a winter tent always have the sides so you can connect them easy with the ground surface. They can also have a storm mat on which you can lay snow etc. for a isolation and anchoring layer. The fourth, will be the apse, this one is often big enough for cooking and prepare you clothing etc. In winter this will be appreciated. So how do I chose now then? Well, as I started with what do you need? Are you going for a lot of winter tours, the first choice would be a four season tent. If not a three season tent will be good enough.

(Here is the difference between a three and four season tent. The ground isolation, The placement of the braces. The kind of ventilation that is used and also the apse)

Here you can see that this tent do not got the braces outside, and no ground contact in the same way and also a small apsis.  But you say, you have not answer the question if I not sure about the winter tenting what do I chose then? Well, my suggestion then will be a 3+ season tent. So here you got an suggestion.

This can be used during Winter, but not for serious use the forth season…Big Agnes Copper Spur HV2 Expedition – The General Prepper

If you want to reduce the weight for a four season tent think if you need a two or three persons tent. With a two persons tent you will reduce the weight a lot…

Blame It On The Mistletoe (youtube.com)

See ya soon…

Today it will be about an old knowledge, but it will be interesting and fun but also good to know.

It can be a magnificent experience, but terrifying at the same time. My own smallness in this grandeur, but then we shall remember that when we look upon the stars they also can lead us. But then we need to know our constellations.

1. Find the Polaris, the North star. It is the brightest star in the Ursus minor, and now you know where north is located. You can also use the end of Ursus Major to find the polar start as you can see in the picture above.

2. For finding the direction of south you can use the constellation of the hunter and Orion.  Look for one moderately bright, one dim, and one fuzzy star hanging down from Alnilam, the middle star in Orion’s belt. This represents Orion’s sword, which points to the south. The fuzzy “star” is actually the Great Nebula of Orion, an interstellar nursery where new stars are being formed.

If you want ti find direction, you can use this suggestion: Chose a star, you might chose the brightest as a suggestion. Drive two stakes in the ground. The two stakes should be about 90cm between. Now you wait for the star to move in the night sky. Stars move from east to west. So if the star are  rose you are facing east. If the star sank you facing west. If the star facing left, you are facing north and it the star facing right you are facing south.

Coldplay – Christmas Lights (Official Video) (youtube.com)

See ya tomorrow…

Today I will give a salute for the Swedish Mountain Leader Organization. This is a non-profit organization. But with a heavy focus in mountain safety and mountain leadership. This autumn we have held webinars in Hypothermia and frostbite and also about ice skating. 8 aspirants has been involved in the UIMLA International Mountain Leader training and two of them have got their certification. Three of them is in a good way to reach the target in a (who says it would be easy to get the IML cert?)

short while. SFLO as organization has also been one of the drivers for starting the new organization of Mountain Leader Council, which will be the branch organization for owning and develop/maintain the Swedish Mountain Leader norm. And as the cream also signing the Kebnekaise protocol, for a more sustainability tourism. So I am so proud of being a member of this organizations

Göteborgsvarvet 2023 (youtube.com)

Ice Hunters: Cave of Dreams (youtube.com)

See ya tomorrow…

A new day and a new door to open. Today it will be about leadership. First of all leadership is all about of leading ourselves. You can read a lot of books about it (I’ve been) you can also do a lot of courses and different types of self tests etc. And if you try to fins how to work with leading yourself, you got a lot of suggestion. But a couple of them turn up every time; mindfulness and long slow walk. I can only agree on both of this two. A long and lonely hike in the mountains is a very good way of learning about yourself. Mindfulness is a very powerful tool for being grateful of life and solve stress among a lot of other disruption. If you haven’t been for a long lonely hike, i really recommend it.

Now it is time to talk a bit of a ”modern” view of leadership. The future minded leadership.

Here they talk about the future minded leader ladder. This included four steps; Envisioning, this step include curiosity, optimism, brainstorming. The second step is exploring and include pragmatism, worst-case scenario, gathering diverse inputs. The third step is navigating, and include empowered, confidence and enthusiasm. The fourth step is result, and include readiness with uncertainly. Well, it all about of being including, positive and be a great and including role model. I think a lot of this is worth a thought, but to be honest some of it is new and some is something that many of the good leaders already been thinking about and doing. Leading today is about change both all around you but at least yourself, you are a ongoing construction. But you need to find just your brick for the next step of developing to evolve…

See ya tomorrow…

When it comes to winter tours you need to have some tools and equipment you will need, so here I will present some tools I can recommend to bring with you at your tours…Always bring a extra sleeping matt with you. With this outside your backpack you can rest and have a insulated layer between you and the ground cold. You also have a extra layer to sleep on, and it he inflatable one break you have a reserve. Also bring a whistle, this is good if you need attention etc. A snow saw is always good to bring on the winter tour. With this you can build a shelter fast and easy,  and it will also help you to dig a block for checking the layers related to avalanche risk etc. Snow sticks for the tent is another detail that can be really good to have. This for anchoring the tent if the wind will be strong, and be carful if you use the ski for anchoring, the steel edge can break the string. Bring a bit of round steel, this can be good for repair of a snow shoe – stick or a sledge…And due to the environmental changing and due to the fact that the winter trails normally passes lakes, moors etc. I think I will bring a shortened ice peak for checking the ice when needed. I also always bring a probe for checking the deep of the snow if needed due to building snow shelter or for avalanche work of course…

Pretenders – 2000 Miles (Official Music Video) [HD Remaster] (youtube.com)

See ya tomorrow…