We all want to develop and become better in outdoor techniques. And we often wonder what it takes for improving and become more skilled. So this will be the topic for today. So let’s start from the beginning, here comes some suggestion to get a base to start from. You need to get the experience of walked with a big backpack for more than eight hours. You should also have had a day where everything seemed to go wrong. Gotten lost. Gotten soaked. Gotten cold. Experienced rapidly changing alpine weather above the treeline. Scrambled several peaks where you had to use your hands and crossed sections where a fall would have been catastrophic. Done at least two backpacking trips longer than a weekend. Learned the basic how to belay, and tie all the basic nots(ex. Green cars at the climbing gym). When you have done all of this it is time for the next step.

Now you should contact a guide for a training in the mountains. It will be worth the effort of spending a long weekend together with a guide training you to the next step. Now you will learn navigation skills including GPS, altimeter, compass, topographical maps, , safe travel and protection techniques for snow and ice terrain. Ice-axe technique, how to use crampons, self-arrest technique and also snow and ice anchors. Rope technique, metrology, crevasse rescue, route planning. Introduction to accident and emergency response. Evacuation techniques and resources for rescue. During this process, get yourself a partner. It will be a lot easier to do this together with someone. And much more fun as well.

Now we have come to the most easy (and for most of us, the fun part) Gearing up. So what will you need? A buying list in order; First of all non-cotton layering clothing system. Hiking boots, Merino wool socks. Back-pack, gaiters, climbing harness, helmet, more merino socks, Mountaineering boot, Crampons, Ice ax. And by the way always remember: never trust a guy with shiny gear, so now you are up to evidence. Get put there and practice. Why don’t you hire a guide again, and practice all of your learnings in a nice area somewhere….

So if you are eager to get the “know how” I suggest you sign up with us. We will spend a weekend(three days) in Feb-Mar at Sylarna. Here you for sure will develop all of your mountaineering skills. We will meet up at the morning on Friday and go by ski or snowshoes to Sylarna. Here we will spend one night in tent and one night at the mountain station. The cost will be 9490:-//PP including food, accommodation, needed equipment and guide. We will be back on Sunday so you can take the night train back home. Of course you can extend it with one or two days as well. After this you will be ready to get out there by your own…

Ok, so over to this weeks golden rule. The first one was; do not underestimate a person getting up 05.00 in the morning. The second; You are your best coach. And here comes this weeks golden rule: Planning your personal development. So how can you do this? First you need to set yourself goals. Next step will be to prioritize this goals. Now you set yourself deadlines for when you want to achieve them. Next step will be to recognize threats and opportunities. Develop your skills or increase your knowledge? Use your support network. And measure your improvements.

This weeks scouting will be about Kick-offs. It doesn’t matter if you are a participant or a planner of it, here comes the trends. After the pandemic it seems like the companies are eager to start up the conferencing again. But the market trends will be: simple and calm activities. Easy walk in the forest or in the mountains. Social togetherness, reflective exercises and cooking in the team. Ax troughing is way out at the time…So what does it takes to succeed with the kick-off? Set a clear purpose and goal for the event. Choose a spot with care, the place will be setting off the whole feeling of the event. Secure “air” in the agenda for socialization. Plan for free-time, the feeling of the spot shall be relaxed. All activities shall be inclusive, all shall feel comfortable with it. And as I always had said: Start a bon-fire, serve cooking coffee and when the twilight comes the stories will come…(no agenda needed)

See ya soon…

Kate Wolf – Green Eyes – YouTube

We all strive for different things in our life, for example, more extreme adventures. Longer hikes, but for what do we strive towards all this goals? I think this question is really relevant. Do I have to go to Nepal or Kilimanjaro for becoming a real mountaineerer, is that what counts? Will I become more of an adventurer due to that? For what and for whom are you doing the adventures or this challenges for? We are fed from the media in generally and in social media in particularly. My suggestion will be; get yourself a nice cup of coffee, sit in front of a bonfire and look into the fire and into the glow. Let you mind wanderer. Soon now you will got the purpose for your adventure and now it will be for real. As I always has been saying; the best coach for you -will be…YOU. This is this weeks golden rule of life. So find your purpose for your adventures. It might be to rather get out often instead of extreme alp adventures. And if you want a challenge here in Sweden contact me and I will for sure give a damn good suggestion of an extreme challenge…

This weekend it has been a peak tour towards Bydalen, Oviksfjallen in Jamtland. After breakfast in Åsarna we steered the journey towards Gräftåvallen. From here we took the trail up in the ski-slope with Österfjället as goal. After an hour the weather started to become rough. The wind and rain whipped us in our faces. But after 1,5 hours we reached the peak and we all was satisfied. The fact that we have to search 5-10 min to find the peak (due to the weather) was fast forgotten. One hours later we was back at the start. Now it was time to eat and continue to Drommen and Höglekardalen. The plan was to do two peaks at Saturday.

Drommen is a straight forward peak, its fast and steep. This day the sight was reduced due to low rain clouds. But with a fast ascend accompanied with a herd of reindeers we reached the summit after one hour.

After a short lunch break it was time for the third of the peaks the Västerfjället. This peak is also exposed to the elements, but today it was kind. So pretty soon we reached the peak and got a nice view over the Jamtlands mountains. So with 3500 height meters within total 6 hours everyone was pleased and happy with the result. And by the way, we did it for ourselves, and not for anyone else. And probably the game at the evening was the best part of the journey:-)

String Along – YouTube

Bury My Bones (Official Video) – YouTube

See ya soon

The fantasy is an very important content for our life’s. Realism + Fantasy=Effectiveness.  Devotion towards your goal makes the journey more effectiveness. A study tell us that engagement and reached goals are strongly interconnect. A combination of realism and fantasy increase the ability to solve problem with greater effectiveness. By thinking a bit different and using our fantasy we have the possibility to affect our own way of thinking and by that got an easier way to reach our goals. Gabriele Oettingen (Professor in psychology) done a study about the way how the fantasy can affect and improve our engagement. She let three different groups solve a problem, but all the three groups got different conditions. The first group she let focusing on a positive picture of the fact that the problem already was solved. The second group have to focusing of the negative fact that it  was just a problem. The third group she let to have a combined approach. First the third group visualize the positive solution, and then they focused at the current problem. All the three groups also had to reflect over their expectation of how the fact of actually of solving the problem. The result of the study; well I think you already know. The third group with the contrast-technique solved the problem with the best result. But it also showed that the high expectation of solving the problem was clearly controlling the outcome of the positive result.

The conclusion Gabriele Oettingen got is that both emotions and thoughts rules, very high degree, both the motivation and the ability to devote yourself completely to a goal. The survey also shows that individuals who commit to the goal become more energized in the process and significantly more efficient and solution-focused.

Rethinking Positive Thinking – Gabriele Oettingen – häftad (9781617230233) | Adlibris Bokhandel

Though one thing to bring in to this is that the fantasy got burst when it come to predict feelings in the future. Our brain steer us to avoid things or situations that can be dangerous for us. The fear of things can be excessive, and not realistic. That can be something to bear in mind as well. But as we can see in the study the fantasy is very important to grow, it will help us to become motivated and reach our future targets…

At todays blog I will also start a serial of rules of life from my perspective. The first will be: never underestimate a guy who gets up 05.00 AM. Early morning the mind is pure, now you got your own time. Often the weather is good in the morning. Starting early means your up while the others sleeping, you already ahead of all others. First in the gym, on the track or at the office. Or all of them:-). The morning feeling makes you feeling great, and I can ashore that you will become more effective with this approach. So my first golden rule of life: Never underestimate a person who get up 05.00 AM (and also start the day with a cold shower, this will also improve your immune system…).

I’m Going to Work On Maggie’s Farm Forever – YouTube

Next Sunday it will be a report from Bydalen…

 

See ya soon.,,

The autumn is here, a bit of melancholy and expectation in the crisp air.  It’s time to plan the upcoming adventures.  Soon it will be a adventure to Bydalen, to visit the Falkfångarfjället. And after that a guiding session at Skuleberget and Via Ferrata and after that it’s time for a  a tour to Funäsdalen.  So a lot of stuff is upcoming. For the Funäsdalen hike I am planning for a hike towards the Messlingen canyon with the Evagraven . And it can also be a vistit of Mittåkläppen or Storskarven…

This week I have done a review of the Deuter Freescape 24SL a real good ski-alpinism back-pack. With two outside pockets for avalanche equipment etc.  Many options for attaching gear etc. So this one will get NNNNN. You got a lot of back-pack for the money.

Big Iron – Southern Raised | Bass Singer Cover | – YouTube

See ya soon…