24 days in a row an in a sudden the 24th is here. For all you who has follow the calendar I hope you have got some good knowledge. 24 inspiring blogs and also 24 book suggestions might have give some good thoughts.

Today the blog will be about all my fantastic mountain adventure this year. So far eleventh and it will be a twelve for sure.  So it begun in January with Kittelfjall,  Bydalen in February, Salen in March, Helags in April, Sanfjallet in May, Skule mountain in June, Bydalen in July, Funasdalen in August, Offerdals mountain in September, Bydalen /graftavallen in October and Are in November. A fantastic year with all mountain adventure. And I wish you all a Merry Christmas.  And todays Book tips will be: 52 små äventyr med stora upplevelser : en vägvisare till mer tid i naturen – Gunnika Isaksson-Lutteman – Bok (9789151970349) | Bokus

See ya soon:-)

It closing in and today we open door 23, and you might wonder about what it will be? The focus for the day, what we will have in scope? Today it will be short suggestion of how to use the rope.

When it comes to abseiling this is one of the most dangerous part of climbing/mountaineering. It is here most of the mistakes will be done. So you really have to practise a lot, and control-control-control. Mikael one of my climbing mates is a very good example of that. Nothing is left for the chance. Today I will start to learn you how to do the Connecticut Hitch. The CT Hitch is for anchoring to a tree or large horn that is too tall to throw a loop over. It uses one locking carbine, but is faster to rig and uses less rope compared to a big loop of rope tied with a double bowline, for example. Step one turn the rope around the anchor, a tree for example. The next step will be to use the carbine.  The third thing will be to tighten everything up. OK next thing will be to learn how to abseil with rope, but without equipment. The first one is the Dulfersitz. Step one stand over the rope. Next step will be to pass the rope to the right, and put it over left shoulder. If you need more friction, wrap the rope over the arm. If you need to be more safe and abseil in a even more controlled way, use the south African method. Step one, Take the rope of the side of your left and right side.  Step 2, cross it over your back. And step three, take between your legs and up to your right. And same here take it a around your arm for more friction.

So now you got some part to train on, and you will have some option for abseil even if you not got equipment such as harness etc.

Today I will recommend a series at the Swedish television. At Svt-play you can see the four parts of Kebnekaise the eight seasons. Strongly recommend this.

And the book suggestion og the day will be: Storm at the summit of Everest. Here you will be the main character. And you can make your choice and see how you will manage to reach the summit or not. (it is a interactivity adventure) Storm at the Summit of Mount Everest – Ryan Jacobson, Deb Mercier – pocket (9781591932758) | Adlibris Bokhandel

Jonathan Roy – Walk Out On Me (Live Acoustic Performance) – YouTube

See ya tomorrow…

With just two more days left for Christmas, I can conclude that December has gone fast as every year. Today it will be one of my favourite topic. The altitude, and how it affects us. I’ve been writing of this before, but I think it is good to understand how the altitude affect our body so we can recognise and understand the signs of AMS ans more.

The amount of oxygen is the same in the atmosphere with no changes in altitude. But the air pressure is lower at higher altitude. This the body need to compensate. So we start to breathe faster and also our heart rate will increase. The digestion process needs a lot of oxygen, and when it decrease due to the low air pressure it will be affected negative. We loss appetite and we feel sick. Our unconscious breathing is regulated by the brain stem, this mostly from the  blood carbon dioxide content. At high altitude this will be negatively affected due to low level of carbon dioxide. The result will be that we got sleeping problems and also the compensation of that the body will transport more oxygen to the brain with more blood to the head. This increase the pressure in the brain and we got headache.  Another effect of the lack of oxygen the HIF 1a substance will be produced in the tissues.  With a increased HIF 1a in the blood the kidneys will produce the hormone erytropoetein(EPO)The epo command the bone marrow to produce more red vessels. The kidneys also regulate the acid levels in the blood. Due to that bone marrows increased of blood vessels it can increase with up to 10%. The positive result will just vary for a short period at sea level. This is because the blood need to be thinner for the body systems.

Todays book suggestion will be; Going High – Höghöjdsmedicin för entusiaster

What Does Altitude Sickness Do to the Human Brain? – YouTube

See ya tomorrow…

Today we on yesterday’s topic carry on and open the door twenty one.

Importance of skills related to mountain safety. I just want to highlight the mountain skills related to yesterday’s blog. Even if you have been in the mountain environment for thirty times in good weather and easy condition, you don’t got good skills.

Today it will be about mountain safety equipment. What is really important to understand is that no book or equipment can never ever replace experience. Such as a easter week at Sylarnas mountain lodge for example:-). But having the right equipment might help you out, and also will be life saving in bad situations. But then you need to got the experience to use it. So what does I got in the backpack for safety reason? First of all you shall have a thermos with you. Even in the summer in the mountains this will be a solid foundation to stans on. Also a extra emergency food. Put a dried meal in the backpack. It will weight nothing but will give you energy when you run out of it. A emergency shelter will be the next thing to bring. A GPS, but you must bring compass and map of course. If you are going into areas were there is the slightest risk of avalanches bring a transceiver, a probe and a shovel. A altimeter is also very good for the navigation. A backpack in the mountain must also include a first aid kit, and depending on the tour the size and content shall be adapted. I also think its good to have some kind of emergence contact equipment for emergency (the coverage sometimes is bad for 3G/4G) so a satellite communication solution such as Spot-tracker or Garmin In-Reach. Nice to have will also be a bivouac-bag, a light sleeping bag for emergency(this can also be used as a emergency-shelter) and also some kind of clinometer. I often also bring a saw as well. In high altitude environment a oximeter also can be good to bring, here you can see if you need to stop the acclimatization process on a certain level. I should also mean that a pair of real good gloves will be a safety equipment as well. Because if you cant use your hands, you will get stuck. A whistle is also something you should bring.

But the conclusion will be: no equipment could never replace any skill at all, it could only complement it…

The book tips of the day will be: The Mountain Guide Manual – Rob Coppolillo, Marc Chauvin – pocket (9781493025145) | Adlibris Bokhandel

Today its time for door number twenty, and out of  judgement you might learn a plenty…

What is Mountain Safety? This is a broad question, but I think it can be catch up in this; The sum of your skills and experience with the ability to make the right judgement out from the current conditions. But what does that means in the reality? As a guide we always do a security plan in the beginning  of the day. Here we take all facts that we got into consideration, and out from that we making the days planning. The conditions, the group and the map, makes together the way forward. Now I also got a understanding of what equipment I/we will need. If you want to try this in a theoretical way you can use this model as a test for you; Your competence(1-10) times your experience (1-10) and divided with the conditions (1= simple, 2 = medium, 3 = difficulty, 4 = extreme. Example I am OK with skiing = 5 I have been in the area before = 5 And the weather is a bit windy = 2 (5 X 5 /2 =12,5 ) and everything under 25 is a red flag. Meaning you have to think and plan in a very good way. You might need to change your plans. Obs. this is by no a conclusion, just a focus, due to it is just a theoretical model…

The crucial word here must be judgement, and how do I do that? Well, here comes the experience in. And it becomes a psychological game in a way. How objective are you in your way of judgement? Well here comes some help for you to become to make better judgement. Be aware of personal bias. Recognise where your unconscious  preference and motivations influence hoe you make decisions. Consider opposite points of view. Good judgement is about making the best decision rather than ensuring your viewpoint wins out. Accept your mistakes. Good leaders are self-aware, able to take responsibility for mistakes and to take negative feedback when required. Learn from experience. Bank what works and avoid repeating what didn’t. Avoid flip-flopping. Use instinct where necessary to make and start to take action.  Automate repeat and routine decisions to free your mind for more important decisions. Rethink your judgement decisions and think of the result. In the end to make good judgement, the key here is the fact that it starts and ends with you isn’t that true? So the more you know yourself the better judgement and less flip-flopping it will be. I asked Nicklas Blom NICKLAS BLOM PHOTOGRAPHY the photograph and sledge dog handler, what mountain safety is for him. He answered; It is very important to bring all stuff you need. Then if storm hits you, you just have to stay still where you are. He also told me the importance of communicate your route planning for someone in the family or a friend. When it comes to weather judgement, Nicklas also mention the important of separate uncomfortable weather within dangerous…

The book of the day will be the; Basic Mountain safety from A-Z Basic Mountain Safety: From A to Z (SuperGuide) (Recreation Superguides): Leslie Johnson: 9781552650233: Amazon.com: Books

Jon Middleton – Quiet as a Star – YouTube

See ya tomorrow…

Today its time for a theme about sustainability. And this includes the whole area, not just the environmental area. It is important that we all outdoorers take the nature as perspective when we do our adventures. All of us that is visiting the nature might look into how the natives such as Samis take responsible for the environment. Do we have to fly to our adventures? Do we need a new jacket every year? Can I do something for getting a novice person that never have been in the mountains to go there? Do I have the same focus of all persons in a group while I am guiding? I think we as guides got more responsible for this than others. People will see how we dress, and how we act. If we arrange packet tours, we might force the participant to use the train (no other choice) to the adventure. Due to the glaciers and over all the mountain environment will be affected of the global warming and so on. So let us together take small steps for a more sustainability world in general and adventures in particular.  https://youtu.be/0zWI0xXDCSc?t=21

And now over to this weeks competition; How many worlds was it in the Samis religion of origin? and how did they communicated between them? Send a SMS before Wednesday at 10.00 to +46 702 50 90 20.

Today’s book suggestion will be a book with 700 suggestion of adventures in the Scandinavian region. Naturupplevelser i Skandinavien – Ben Love – flexband (9788771559965) | Adlibris Bokhandel

See ya tommorow

Tänndalen, why have a day in the calendar about Tanndalen)? Out of that simple reason it is known as one of the best ski village in Sweden. The loss of hip restaurants, shopping, champagne-sticky nightclubs and snobby waiters will also be a reason for a visit. The area offers both real good slalom slopes, Off-pist, and real nice cross-country skiing, and this close to the Norwegian border. And if you want to do a peak tour, why don’t you give Skarvarna a nice try. And if you are ready for snowshoeing, I will recommend the edge around the Svansjon. During the summer you can participate in the MTB race ”Fjallturen” one of the biggest cycle event in Sweden and in a breathtaking environment. So if you want to have a really nice mountain adventure, where you can be yourself for a time this will be the place. Ready for this?

Hem – Fjällturen (fjallturen.se)

Offpist i Tänndalen – YouTube

And todays book suggestion will be the: Vandra grona bandet. Vandra Gröna bandet : en guidebok och reseskildring genom den svenska fjällkedjan – Erika Nilsson-Waara, Linnea Nilsson-Waara – Häftad (9789189203938) | Bokus

Mattias we must take this one..

Jonathan Roy – Next To Me (Imagine Dragons Cover) – YouTube

See ya tommorow…

Today we open the seventeenth door, and today we will learn more about the Sami’s. Today there are about 2500-3000 Sami’s that leaves from the outcome from reindeer’s. But there are much more that got its own reindeer mark, and owns reindeer’s but they are handled by a reindeer herd that works with it for fully time. The Sami’s religion got there on faith. Here the world was divided into three different worlds; The underground world, The earth world and the heavenly world. Every one of the world, got there own god. The only one that got the ability to communicate with the spirits was the Nåjd, the Sami medicine man. The Sami’s history is old. One has found things such as paintings, and old tools that is over thousand years old. For about two thousand years ago was the first time someone has written down text about Sami’s. A roman historian writes about a people he call Fenni. From that description we can understand it was the Sami’s ancestors. During the 1600 the king was demanding more tax from the people, the Sami’s stared to tame more of the reindeer’s. Today there is no wild reindeer’s in Sweden, all of them got an owner. Today is slaughtered about 60 000 reindeer’s pro year.

Todays book tips will be: När dom andra sover a book about Samis

SÁMI FOLK MUSIC | Máddji – ”Far” – YouTube

Jon Henrik Fjällgren – Mountain Dance / 4K HDR – ProRes RAW – YouTube

Se ya tommorow

Thank you for the comment yesterday Mattias:-). Today I will talk about weather and weather forecasting. When you are heading for an adventure it is good to do a pre-work. The longer you might go, the earlier you need to start. And what you do is to read and understand the weather in the area. What is the normal wind direction? Is it common with thunderstorms and in that case, is there any time it often appear. The air pressure can also give a hint of change in the weather. Read meteo sites to see the big picture . Here comes some good suggestions to start with: AccuWeather.com, weather.com, wunderground.com, weatherbug.com, worldweatheronline.com, windy.com, ventysky.com, Here you can see an example from ”Windy.com” real good forecasting of Katterjåkk for example:

I will also suggest you to notice the change within the environment around you. The wind, the smell and how the animal act. You should also always, ask the locals about the weather, here you will have a sea of knowledge…The avalanche prognosis is also very good to read and understand. Here you also can get a very clear picture of where the slopes will be challenging etc.

How To Read Clouds To Forecast the Weather | Outside – YouTube

The book suggestion today will be:

Mountain Weather and Climate – Roger G Barry – häftad (9780415071130) | Adlibris Bokhandel

Sam Smith – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (Official Video) – YouTube

See ya tommorow…

Today I will speak from my heart, and I got two topics in mind. So lets start with the first one; Humility. As a human and a guide I think this is one of the most important characteristic you need. The more knowledge and skills the more humility.  In the outdoor we all got our shortcomings. I think we all forgotten the compass or the gas canister for the stove and so on. People who are stacked in the perspective that a badge will give you authority, I will tell you, you couldn’t be more wrong. Do not measure the sheep of its wool…And try the perspective of the opposite side so often as you can, then you will be a good raw model. The person in front of you might be a future customer or teacher. So my first advice will be, start being interested in people in a genuine way. I will tell you you will get a great ”pay back” for doing that. The second advice, put yourself in someone else position at least in your mind. If you are a authority this will help you to develop. Storming into to a cabin and telling people to boil water in every available saucepan might give you the tour guide nail, but not the authority…

Look at this video, 4 minutes in start there and you will see an good example,,

Sveriges bästa lärare får en chock – och berättar hur de lyfter eleverna – Malou Efter tio (TV4) – YouTube

The next topic will be the sleep. Never underestimate a guy who can fall asleep in vertical position within 120 seconds. Well for me the recovery of a good night sleep has been a survival way. With 43 years of rational workout and hard work I cant tell that that has been my salvation. So that is one of my really most important life learning, secure you got the recovery trough a good night sleep. The last thought shall be a real good one, and the same first thing of the morning. Those small things will build you a creative and nice life. Now I speak from own experience. And you who knows me know that I got the ability fall in sleep quite fast or:-D.

The winner of the competition this week is Mattias Jansson Norway, the right answer was Frankrike and Olden. This week the price is a Ortvox first aid kit,

This days book suggestion will be: Till fjällens ände | Votum Förlag (votumforlag.se)

See ya tomorrow.