Todays topic will be how to chose the right snow shoe. First of all you need to decide what activity you are going to do. Recreation-hiking, or technical snowshoes or running/fitness snowshoes? If we start with the hiking shoe; it build up with a simple binding, it got a rounded frame, which is helpful for deep snow, or a v-tail frame (pointed in the back), which is helpful for snow build-up and increased maneuverability. It is made of TPU plastic, aluminum frames, white ash, or recyclable materials. Traction; Little to average traction, including steel, aluminum, or plastic cleats underneath the snowshoe’s toe and/or heel. You’ll occasionally find crampons underneath the sides of the foot, though it’s not as common.
The technical snowshoes help navigate unpredictable terrain and have the most features on them. For this reason, these snowshoes are usually more pricey when compared to other models. But, they pack advanced features and are made of very durable materials. Snowshoes in the technical category may feature the words “alpine,” “mountain,” “ascent,” or similar descriptions. Also, if choosing snowshoes for snowboarding, technical snowshoes are the way to go. These snowshoes are a must-have if you plan to break your trail through steep terrain.
It got a more advanced bindings for a tighter and more precise fit, such as a toe box or shoe-like binding. You may also find nylon, polyurethane, or TPU straps ideal for a wide variety of foot sizes (or snowboard boots) or a BOA closure for easy use with gloves. The frame might include a serrated frame, which can be heavy but provides excellent grip when mountaineering, or can be tubular (rounded at both edges) or v-frames (round at toe, pointed at heel) for deep snow. Its Made of very durable materials like an aluminum frame and nylon decking, carbon fiber, or other strong materials. When it comes to traction; it has a aggressive traction such as cleats/crampons under the toe, heel, and sides that may be at various angles to provide advanced grip. Accessories; Support for the foot, such as a heel lift or bar to provide extra calf support while climbing a steep slope, or toe/heel pieces to limit sliding of your foot while in the binding.
Whatever you are a guide or just an adventurer, the skill of telling a good story will be a crucial knowledge to keep in mind. -It was a September afternoon at Bargah sevom in Iran the high camp at Mt Damavand. There has just been a skirmish between the camp-site staff and a Polish couple about the camp-site fee. Islam, a afghan who got his tent 1 meter from ours. spit swirled in the air and many harsh words sounded in the air… Islam offered us a cup of chai, which we gently declined. Then he looked at us with his dark black eyes and lifted up his hands. -this hand have killed at least 10 people he slowly said. Nice I thought, a real good neighbor to have just 2,5mm nylon between us.
The storytelling is so important for the social part to enhance the connection between people. Ok, so how can you become a great storyteller then? Well here you will get some advice, but most of all it comes by training as all skills for become good in it…First of all who is your audience? adapt your story to the situation and to what is going on at the time. The next thing will be to think trough the goal with your story, is to get laughter or is it to learn the audience something for example. Chose the right time(and place) for the storytelling, here you have to use emotional intelligence. Define your ”hook” in the story what is that will capture the audience. Be clear and concise, think; need to have in the story or nice to have…Get personal, this will give the story your own twist. Be aware of your body language, this is very important. The body must support your telling. And don’t forget the eye contact with your audience. Practice often and you will for sure become better. And be enthusiastic, energetic and confident. Listen, engage and interact with the audience. Empower other, Be vulnerable, personable and authentic. Build strong connections to other trough your storytelling…
How does the cold affect the human body? To begin with if it is starting to get cold the body starts to shiver. This means that the muscle starts to contract. The blood flow in the outermost layer closes down, meaning the blood vessels closing down for decrease the heat loss from the surroundings. But there is also another heating system in the human body, which implies that the metabolism increase without the shivering. Both of this starts when the surrounding temperature decrease. This meaning that you still can keep the body heat in the “core” stable in a cold environment within certain limits if you have enough energy intake. It is when the “core” temperature starts to sink, we will get in trouble. When it goes under 35 degrees we suffer from hypothermia. If it sinks so low as 30 degrees we risk to die. With little muscle mass, small amount of body fat and poor circulation we get more affected of the cold.
Is it possible to acclimatize for the cold? It was a research team in U.S Army who found out that if you spend two weeks 8 hours every day, in 10 degrees you stop shivering. In a small study in 2014, a group of healthy men spend 3 hours a day sitting in a bath with 14 degrees. At the start of the 20-day study, the men did a lot of shivering, which is the human body’s initial response to cold. Their heart rates and metabolisms sped up, generating heat. At the same time, their blood vessels narrowed and drew back from the surface of the skin, causing skin temperature to drop. Basically, the men’s vascular systems clenched—pulling blood toward their warmer interiors in an effort to escape the exterior cold. But by Day 20, much had changed. The men’s shivering had more or less stopped. While their metabolisms and heart rates still sped up in response to the cold-water bath, their blood vessels no longer constricted and their skin temperature didn’t drop the way it had before. The men reported less discomfort during their chilly baths. At the same time, their blood samples contained fewer markers of cold-induced stress and immune-system activity. It appeared their bodies had gotten used to the chill. the human body seems to achieve acclimatization through a mix of different internal adjustments, which people can either encourage or suppress depending on their behaviors. There’s evidence that a particular type of fatty tissue, known as “brown fat,” may help the body generate heat in response to persistently cold conditions. “Chronic cold exposure somehow activates brown fat, which we know undergoes dramatic seasonal changes,” says Shingo Kajimura, a professor in the Department of Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California, San Francisco. Kajimura says newborns have a lot of brown fat, which helps them stay warm because they lack sufficient muscle to shiver. While it was once thought that people lost their stores of brown fat as they grew out of infancy, research has found that parts of the adult body—specifically, the area around the upper spine and neck—either retain brown fat or generate new brown-fat tissues in response to cold. The placement of this brown fat is important. Kajimura says that temperature perception is monitored by the brain, which detects the cold in part by noting the temperature of blood flowing into it through the neck. “That’s why putting a scarf on makes you feel warm,” he says. By warming the neck and the blood flowing through it, a scarf “tricks” the brain into believing it’s warm—just as a cold cloth on the neck can help the brain cool off in summer. It’s possible that, in response to regular cold exposure, brown fat in the neck area both forms and becomes more active, keeping us more comfortable at colder temperatures. Adjusting your thermostat down by a few degrees, shedding layers, and spending more time outside in cold conditions—basically, anything that causes you to shiver—will help your body acclimate to the cold, Brazaitis says. If you can induce shivering a few times a day, you’ll begin to feel more comfortable in colder temps after just one week, he says.
Spending time in a cold shower or in other cold environments is safe for most—and may even confer some health benefits. But people at risk for heart trouble need to be cautious. “The first thing that happens when you’re exposed to cold is your blood vessels constrict and blood pressure goes up,” Castellani says. And so exposure to the cold—especially extreme cold, like jumping in an icy lake—can trigger a heart attack or other problem in people who have heart disease, he says.
Maybe it is time for a peak attempt in Finland upcoming year? The highest peak in Finland is the Halti peak.
Its situated close to the border to Norway and it is just 1324m but its a beautiful peak. The starting point will be Pihutsusjärvi cabin. If you choose that alternative you can leave your heavy pack here and heading for the peak with a small pack. The distance is 20k and takes about 7-8 hours. But you can also bring your whole pack up to the Halti cabins. From Pihutsusjärvi you follow the Govdavággi valley which end up in a pot surrounded with mountain peaks. At Haldijavri you can either go directly to the peak or turn to the Halti cabins.
For your safety in the mountain environment we got the mountain rescue organization. Here in Sweden the organization contains 400 people in around 30 units. They must be between 18 and 65 years of age and permanent residents of the place where their unit originates. Mountain rescuers have so-called right of way, which means they can drive scooters in areas where it is normally prohibited. All mountain rescuers undergo basic training as well as annual summer and winter exercises with the police, where they learn and train in terrain, snow and avalanche knowledge, radio communication, first aid and navigation. The police are responsible for all rescue operations in the mountain environment. To help them, they have the Mountain Rescue which is based on efforts from volunteers who are trained and equipped by the police. When the mountain rescuers are sent out on a mission, they work under the direction of a rescue leader from the police and an operations leader from the mountain rescue. To apply to become a Mountain Rescuer, good driving skills in mountains and off-road are required. Living in the area, and good local knowledge in the area you are looking for. In addition to the regular mountain rescuers, there are also so-called alpine mountain rescuers stationed in Kiruna and Östersund. They specialize in working on steep slopes and cliffs.
Many of their rescues are carried out with a winch from a police helicopter. Another special competence among the mountain rescuers is the unit that carries out rescue missions in caves. There are cave rescuers in Jämtland and Västerbotten. In several of the mountain rescue groups, there are also dogs that have been specially trained and approved by the police to search for people in avalanches and mountain terrain. Each mountain rescue dog is led by a dog handler.
Mountain safety means that you must think twice when you are heading for an adventure. Because if you end up in a situation when you need the mountain rescue, you will put them into trouble as well. So think after before😊
Today I will tell you a story from the south of Lapland. This story take place not far from Kittelfjäll, and it is about a grouse hunter on a winter tour…
I have never been superstitious, I’ve never have believed in preternatural things. But I think that there is tings that cant be easy to find explanation of. I thinking of the cry I once heard in the near of Lasterfjället. I heard from the Sami’s that it was lots of grouses in the area of Lasterfjället close to the Ransarån valley, so I decided to go there for a hunt. I put on my skis, and went away. From Ransam it was 20k to the place for the hunt, the skiing was hard and I struggle hard to get to the shelter that day. It was in the black-winter and the day was short, and it also was snowing. The pack was heavy with the gun, axe and food for a week of hunt. When I reach the shelter it already was dark. I have to dig out the snow from the shelter with my hands, and plug the worst hole with moss.
Agustinus Mattsson the story teller…
Now I have to chop firewood for the fire. Now it was dark, and I could hear that the weather was going to be wild…It was just in that moment I heard a piercing cry. it immediately struck me that that cry sounded so strange, that I would never, as a mountain man as I am, hear anything like that. At the first the cry sounded like the sami Lomp-Lara used to use to gather his rein deer herd. But this was impossible due to he was down land with his rein deer’s…Now I could hear the cry again. it began shrill, much like notes from a buck’s horn, and ended with raucous laughter. It sounded like it came from a creature in distress. For a moment I was thinking that it could be a human who has been out in the mountain and was in distress due to the storm. I went out and shouting, but got no answer. I couldn’t even make out the mighty Lasterfjäll cliff that rose steeply and neatly now in the dark. Sleep was scarce that night, I heard the cry couple of times that night. And it was really cold, in the shelter. The bonfire roared and smoked, for the wood was frozen and wet. In the dawn I ran out and started to gill grouse snares. I slowly went to the Lasterfjälls cliff to see if there were any tracks after any creature. But there was no other track than the ones from the grouses. After I was done with snares I went back to my shelter, even during that evening I heard the cry. But now I started to get used of it. At the fourth day I felt sick and miserable. The whole body now ached. I realized that Is was high time to get back to Ransam. When I reached Ransam I was complete exhausted. One of the first I met there was Gamm-Klemet, one of the old and blind Sami. I told him about the cry I have heard. He told me a story of an old Sami women who have diapered trackless at Lasterfjället. Despite a diligent search, she was nowhere to be found. And he also told that many have heard her cry, Her spirit was crying for showing where her bones were laying. What I heard a couple of weeks later was that even a Norwegian company at the same time have been sleeping at Tjokola 10Km from Lasterfjället also have heard likewise cry during the night. Jon Persson an mountain man was mimicked the cry, and it was like the one I have heard…
Thursday and I put myself in the car, towards Jämtland. This time it was for an adventure at Snasahögarna. In the early morning I left a Östersund in winter splendor
And at 09.30 I was at Enafors and it was time for a hike to Silverfallet together with Mattias Jansson. My husky was as excited as myself and Mattias.
(Photo Mattias Jansson)
This trail I hiked for the first time in 1980. I still remember the spot where we had our camp site. After 5km in the pre-mountain forest and bogs, we soon reach the step of the mountain. Slowly in sometimes deep snow we reach the top plateau, but there we saw a reindeer herd, and with dog in our company decided to go west and then down again. The evening we spend at Enaforsholm Mountain Lodge with Christmas dinner…
When it comes outdoor life and light it can be a lot of areas to learn about. The basic will be the head lamp. Today there is a lot of choices. For 100 Euro you can get a 1200Lm lamp which will be really good. But on the other hand I think one with a red light function will be important. In the tent you can use a ”emergency” stick. (but check if it is sustainable one). If you have a base camp it can be good to have a flashing light so you find it easy. Remember you got one Mattias Jansson at Getvalens wind-shelter, a real good thing…
So here I am…again…It is a dark rainy sky at lunchtime. I am hoping he weather will be better. With nine clients, and a aspirant guide and with a pouring rain it will be a challenge. The target this time is as usual the south peak of Kebnekaise. The peak was ascended for the first time (official) 22nd of August in 1883 and it was Charles Rabot. He entered the peak dressed in just yellow underwear to spare trousers. He had company of two Swedes; Jon Larsson and Pehr Abrahamsson. the equipment they brought was very primitive; two aluminum cups, a spoon, a fork and a coffee pot, in which to cook both soup, coffee and tea. The expedition members thus had to eat one at the time. When they reach the top at seven a clock in the evening, over it all rested something of the absolute peacefulness of the first creation. However, Rabot’s poor clothing called for more thorough observations; after measuring the summit at 2130 meters it went back down. At midnight, the group reached their base camp, hungry and tired. In twelve hours they had only consumed one chocolate bar each.
We will take the bout for shortening the approach with 6 Km. And when we racing the mountain station at Kebnekaise my clients will eat a two dinner course and sleep in a bed indoor at the station. Well, back to the weather its was rain on and off the whole journey. The next morning we left the station at 06.15 and at 13.00 we reached the top. The weather, yes it was foggy and almost no sight at all. As always it is very important to remember that to reach the top means you just the half way. It is good that is is two wind shelter close to the peak. We stayed at one of them for lunch, a good decision for gather strength. And sorry to say, as always some of the participants got really tired. the last three kilometers has taken a lot of power from the most and especially from them who has been lively and talkative during the day…But we landed in time, enjoy the shower and sauna and then a three course dinner. Hm. better then just a chocolate bar…
From my perspective the first aid knowledge can be divided into two parts; psychological and the practical part. The psychological first aid will be a part of the risk management work. So here it start with discovering what can possible go wrong, and how can I be prepared for it. Here it will be very important to have ”the big picture” of your adventure. Predict what can happened and how you can be prepared for it. One of the most important leadership skills you need will be the ability to act when the shit hits the fan and you or someone else get injured. This competence is a real commodity.
Be prepared when the shit hits the fan…
If there is a course or training it will be worth to invest in it will be in this area, You also must practice it, for keeping the skills up to date. Be friend with the chaos. When something happening there will be messy, so be prepared for that. So here comes a way of thinking in this type of situation: 1. Maintain your routine. 2. Take a break, get an overview so you know what it is all about. 3. Slow down an breath, get yourself calm. 4. Identify and start acting with a plan. 5. Keep perspective, don’t get into details. 6. Control what you can control and act out from that. As you can see, the better routines you got, the faster you get friend with the chaos. That because you know what to do. So secure you know what and how you handle a situation with a accident with injuries. Then you get yourself a plan for which step you should work out from. My recommend her will be the L-ABCDE, then it will flow as a waterfall…
