One of the most important skills you needed in the mountain environment will be the navigation skill. In the summer a ”white out” can be tough to get trough. But in Winter condition it will be really tough to manage. But, here the knowledge and skill should be your partner. In your mind you shall always bear in mind how to develop this skill. Use all possibilities to train it. In the special forces, the mind set is like this: have I been in this situation before or a similar situation. Can I use my experience and knowledge from that. So this is important, the more experience you got, the easier you will be handled new or complex situations. So when it comes to a situation where you are lost, well first thin first. Do not panic, do not rush. Now its time for slow down and do a small research. If the cloud base is rising you can use the window for taking  a bearing. You can now ”back track” where you are with help of the 4 D’s. Distance, duration, direction and description this together with your last known point will help you to figure out your position. You can also figure out if you have passed or observe any distinctive points, such as gully’s or river etc. You can also use the aspect of slope technique as well. So what is that then?

Using slope aspect can be a very useful tool to help you relocate. In its simplest form just use the points of the compass – north, east, south and west – to work out which direction the slope you are on is facing and then look at the map to find the slope which faces this way.

Slope aspect can be used more precisely by taking a bearing of the direction in which the slope faces. Let’s imagine we have become disorientated somewhere within the area shown here.

We know we haven’t gone far and we’re somewhere within this circle of map.

We’ve taken a bearing of the direction in which the slope we are on drops away.

There can be slopes of very different directions all located within a small area. The task is to find out which slope you are.

Let’s assume the bearing we took of the slope on the ground was 30. This would mean that you are looking roughly down the NE aspect of this small knoll. This information should help you plan which way to travel next

So this can also help you out to defined your position

Feliz Navidad Reggae Christmas, Irie Christmas by Marlon Clarke

See ya tomorrow…

The global heating has hit the Mountains, and we can hear about it. When being in the mountain environment the change can not be missed. The world is fighting for the 1,5 temperature target, in the Swedish mountains the target is already missed. In the winter season it is already three degrees more that for forty years ago. During millions of year the plants and animals have adopted, but were the Mountains ends there is no way left. One of the first observation is that after the millennium there has been very few lemming years. The result is that the Barn owl (sv. Fjällugglan) seldom or not breeds.

The small lemmings is the Swedish mountains engine. So how come this? Well, the easiest explanation will be the snow. The snow does not behaves as before, the winter has overall became warmer and with recurring rain. The rain frees and be laying as a crust over the ground. The lemmings use the snow for building passages, and the snow also protect them from cold and predator’s. When there is snow they can use the ”subnival room” to raise several litters in one winter. So when the mountains engine stops, all the others become affected. The barn owl, peregrine falcon the arctic fox will be direct affected but also other birds and due to the fact that predators will hunt them instead of the lemmings. The extreme weather has also been a factor you must count with. In the summer 2018 it was so hot in the mountains as it was hard to find water in same areas. In 2020 the snow layer was 5 meter at Riksgränsen i June. with reindeer calves not surviving, the peregrine falcons missed nesting as a result.

It takes several years for the ice ranunculus to gather enough energy to be able to bloom. But now that the climate is getting warmer, it has nowhere to go. It cannot move higher up. The mountain runs out and the ice ranuncle is out-competed by other plants.

So we really have to take a common responsible for our environment…

Mando Diao – Christmas Could Have Been Good

See ya tomorrow..

One of my favorite place to start from, is Funäsdalen. Situated just below the Funasdalsberget and between the Funasdalssjon and Ljusnan.

The history begun in 1882 when the first boarding house was founded. Today there live 1050 permanent residents. The exciting with the area is that it contains eight different areas Funasdalen, Tanndalen, Ramundberget, Bruksvallarna, Ljusnedal, Masslingen, Mittadalen och Tannas. You will have a lot of options of nice adventures here. Peak tours on skies in untouched mountain environment. I can also suggest a tour towards Andersborg and a evening with alp fondue. In the village you got restaurant’s and coffeeshops so you really don’t need to go hungry. While your in the area I also recommend a tour towards Helags or Storviglen.  Both really nice peak tours.

Sofia Jannok – Ii leat ivdni mus

See ya tomorrow

Todays door is three, and it about the Swedish Mountain Leader standard it will be..

Since the beginning of 2000 the current standard has been used, and not been updated or reviewed. So that’s why the Mountain Leader Council was founded in 2023. Todays standard contains 16 different steps that must be completed in at least 24 days. So now FLR (Mountain Leader Council) together with the educators has started the journey of develop and adept it of todays need and requirements. So how and what will be changed then? Well, that is something the work ahead will result in, but due to sustainability for example it will be a part and also about the environment changes due to ice and winter trails and avalanche parts etc. Is what I can se will be handled. But now I go the event in advance…

The Mountain Leader standard is one out of many parts for the mountain Safety. The history has shown that with a clear ownership and awerness of leading in Mountain environment will be a good platform for safety.

Alice Cooper – Santa Claus is coming to town

See ya soon…

Few have missed the debate and the result in the western Jamtlandsfjällen. Trails are under discussion, and both mountain stations and mountain huts have had changed conditions. The current set up comes from long time ago, and one of the pioneers from the beginning was Torsten Boberg. Few don’t know when they hike the Jamtland triangle, that they walk in Torsten’s footprints. It was him who was one of the ones building up the network of trails. He was born in Dalarna in 1892, he was a journalist, author and devoted his life to outdoor life and public education around the mountain condition and culture. Torsten was also a genuine entrepreneur and when he in  November1939 open up the Trillevallen hotel it became a success. Through his lectures, he made many friends who then became guests at the mountain hotel. They also became regulars who returned both during the winter and summer seasons. The hosting was personal and revolved around him and his wife Ellen. During the 50s Torsten and Ellens son Ulf took over the business. And it still become the genuine mountain feeling over the hotel. A lot of celebrities’ has visit the hotel during the history, Olof Palme is one of them who really liked the genuine and peaceful environment. Torsten also was interested in the mountain safety, and the trail cross in Sweden says was one of his ideas. He may have exaggerated a little in his stories, but at least he really has done a lot of challenging tours and really lived as a mountain man. He also got his own wolf – Romo.

I Torsten Bobergs spår

Ed Sheeran & Elton John – Merry Christmas [Official Video]

See ya tomorrow…

For many years the advent calendar has been a tradition, so we let the wheel roll this year as well.

Today we open up the first door, and knowledge about mental strength we score…

Let us begin from the start, what is mental strength? It can be described as how effectively someone deals with challenges. pressures and stressors related to events in life. While being mental strong doesn’t mean that you never experience doubt, irritation, frustration or sadness. It is more about your ability of coping skills as emotional resilience, self awerness, and the ability to face change of the circumstances.

When a problem arises, do you immediately jump into problem-solving mode? Wallow in your misfortune? Or let issues roll off your back? The answer to this question reflects your mental strength and resilience.  Hm. sounds out as complex art of skills! So how to work and develop your mental strength then?

First of all we all need a growth mindset, so cultivate that. Having a growth mindset is vital to developing mental strength. A growth mindset is a belief that abilities and intelligence are not innate. Instead, they can be acquired through dedication and hard work.

Develop emotional regulation skills,  emotional regulation refers to our ability to manage and respond to an emotional experience in a socially acceptable and flexible manner. developing emotional regulation skills is crucial for mental strength. Techniques like mindfulness meditation, deep breathing, and journaling can help you manage your emotions effectively, so you can stay calm under pressure and enhance your mental resilience.

Set realistic goals, Setting clear, realistic goals is another crucial strategy for building mental strength. Plans give us a sense of direction and purpose. They motivate us to take action and provide a benchmark for determining whether we’re making progress. However, ensuring that our goals are achievable and aligned with our values and aspirations is essential.

Step out of your comfort zone, Building mental strength often involves stepping out of your comfort zone and facing your fears. By trying new things, you can overcome self-imposed limitations and probably find you’re more adaptable than you think. Whether learning a new skill, taking on a challenging task, or facing a long-standing phobia, every step outside your comfort zone contributes to your mental strength.

Develop mindfulness, here you can use a couple of techniques such as meditation, mindful breathing, gratitude and mindful walking.

Find your flow state, this one in combination with the ”step out of your comfort zone” will be a good way. Do a puzzle, or try something quite new or different. Here you need to get knowing yourself, and from that challenge yourself.

Nu är det jul igen

That all for today, see ya tomorrow