Monthly Archive

To many of us in the UK, while we may look longingly at the exploits of Torvill and Dean and dream of being creatures of such elegance and grace, the word “ice-skating” probably conjures visions of families hand-in-hand endlessly circling the local rink, periodically picking themselves up painfully from the ice before stumbling onward.

In Sweden, it is a very different story: welcome to the world of tour skating (otherwise known as trip skating, Nordic skating, or long-distance skating). Imagine yourself gliding through a silent winter world of natural ice, traversing frozen lakes and sea, experiencing a part of the natural world you never thought possible.

The Swedish winter freeze usually begins around November, with many small lakes freezing over. While cold weather is good, snow is bad and can make lakes unsuitable for skating – a period of sustained cold weather lays good ice foundations for the season to come. Next the larger lakes freeze, often followed by parts of the Baltic archipelago. While the major water routes are kept open by the passage of the passenger boats, once the freeze comes those who live in the archipelago year round will usually need to resort to snow scooters to get around, although you may occasionally see a car or two driving across the ice!

Once conditions are right, the skating begins, with 60-80km being a normal distance for a day tour. Some more experienced skaters can cover 150km a day or more.

Tour skates are very different from rink skates, with a blade about 50cm long. Bindings attach them to special boots (rather like hiking boots) or cross-country boots and the heel is often free, like cross-country skis. Poles may also be used to aid propulsion and add stability. As skaters may find themselves far from home and a long way from land, as a tour skater you will also need specialist safety equipment, including:

- ice claws in case it is necessary to haul yourself out of holes in the ice
- an ice pike to test the thickness of the ice
- a throwing line to hold on to as you are pulled from the water
- a rucksack to carry your supplies and a dry set of clothes and to act as a buoyancy aid
- helmet, knee and elbow pads to protect you from falls

Tour skating is an exhilarating, unique and hugely enjoyable experience, but should always be undertaken with an experienced guide with a good knowledge of natural ice.

Tour skating is accessible to everyone, but by some it is taken very seriously indeed. Each year the Vikingarännet race takes place on the Mälaren, an old Viking route rich in history, between Uppsala and Stockholm. This year’s 80km (about 50 mile) race was won by Johan Håmås, a 29 year-old from Stockholm, in just 2 hours 40 minutes.

Long-distance skating is a wonderful way to explore Sweden in the winter. You don’t need to have any prior skating experience, and in fact the technique required has more in common with cross-country skiing than rink skating. Watch some of our clients in action this winter on the lakes around Trosa.

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Nature Travels offers one-day Ice Skating on Natural Ice experiences in the vicinity of the Swedish capital Stockholm from £199/day for groups of 1-5 people. For more information please see Ice Skating on Natural Ice.

In kitchens nationwide this week, Brits will be scraping the aftermath of over-ambitious pancake-flipping contests from their floors and walls while a hot debate rages between lemon-and-sugar-traditionalists and ice-cream-and-chocolate-sauce progressives.

Meanwhile in Sweden, a slightly different but no less serious ritual is underway: the eating of semlor on fettisdag, or “Fat Tuesday”. Semlor (singular semla) are wheat buns spiced with cardamom, scooped out and filled with almond paste and topped with whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

Like the pancake, the semla is connected to the beginning of Lent. Over the years, perhaps also like Pancake Day for many of us, it lost much of its religious significance and became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, commercial pressures have extended the semla season still further, and now semlor are available from most bakeries from just after Christmas until Easter. On average, Swedes consume five shop-bought semlor a year, plus a number of home-made ones!

Swedes approach the making, eating and judging of semlor with great enthusiasm, with many newspapers holding competitions to find the best ones in town, with just the right combination of almond paste, cream and a moist bun.

But if you miss semla season this year, don’t despair. All year round, the Swedes take the business of coffee breaks very seriously indeed, and the ritual of fika – to meet old friends, make new ones, catch up on gossip, and take an important time out from the stresses of the day – is deeply ingrained in the national psyche.

So, we wish you a very happy Fat Tuesday: may your pancakes always land sunny side up!

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

To see our range of wildlife and outdoor experiences in Sweden, visit www.naturetravels.co.uk

The Klarälven river in Värmland has the longest history of use as a professional logging route in Sweden, and was used for this purpose right up until 1991. Today you have an opportunity to keep this old tradition alive by building and piloting your own timber raft.

But floating peacefully downstream Huckleberry Finn style is only part of the story – this is a voyage of adventure, a challenging journey of discovery and an exercise in teamwork.

Photo: Hipfel/Starck

The experience begins as you are taught how to construct your own Swedish log raft using nothing but logs and ropes. Building your timber raft is a challenge, but it is not necessary to be especially strong – many “normal” families take part in this tour – more important is the ability to work together and help each other. Once assembled, your raft will weigh around 2000kg, and you will need to keep an eye on what’s up ahead as you steer her towards your destination.

Photo: Hipfel/Starck

Along the way, there will be sandbanks and log traps to negotiate, and you will learn to know the moods of the river as you navigate your way down the wide and gently-flowing Klarälven.

You will need to keep a check on the pace of the river, observing the contours on the map and letting the raft follow the flow of the water – and you will need to use your pole and paddles to stay clear of backwaters, sandbanks and overhanging branches.

Steering with paddles takes determination – the current is strong and the raft heavy, but if you do get stuck in a backwater, there is only one thing for it: paddling is the only way out! If you find yourself stuck on a sandbank, it’s time to use the pole – but don’t forget to push off in the same direction you came from!

Photo: Hipfel/Starck

As you scan the river up ahead to anticipate a turn or keep watch for obstacles, you have an excellent chance of spotting one of the many beavers that inhabit the Klarälven river – this area has one of the highest densities of beaver in the country. If you wish, you can go ashore and take some time to explore on land for a while before continuing your journey, and there is a chance to stop off and stock up with provisions at certain points. Alternatively, try your luck fishing from the raft, take a swim, or untie your canoe and head off for a paddle!

Photo: Hipfel/Starck

After the day’s rafting, choose a suitable spot, head for the river bank, moor the raft and pitch camp for the night. Sweden is an excellent country for camping as you are permitted to camp wild, though this of course comes with some responsibility.

At the end of your voyage, you will dismantle the raft, leaving nothing behind but ripples on the water, and knowing that you have achieved something unique that was only possible with the help and cooperation of your fellow raft-mates.

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

Find out more about our 5 or 8 day Timber Rafting on Klarälven experience

The arctic fox, Alopex lagopus, otherwise known as the polar fox, is one of Sweden’s most threatened mammals and in danger of extinction everywhere in the European Union. Currently the mainland European population stands at just 150 individuals. In summer 2006, just three litters of foxes were born in Sweden, five in Norway and none at all in Finland. For this reason, Nature Travels has chosen SEFALO, a joint project between Sweden, Finland and Norway, as its conservation project to support for 2007.

What problems does the arctic fox face?

- Such a small population makes the species extremely vulnerable to changes in demographic factors, or “accidents” such as an outbreak of disease.

-Large areas previously populated by arctic foxes are now empty, and remaining animals find it difficult to find a non-related partner with which to breed.

- Arctic foxes are highly dependent on the natural population fluctuations of small mammals, such as lemmings, on which they feed. These cycles of peaks and troughs tend to repeat every four years, and a “bad” year for rodents can be disastrous for arctic fox populations.

- The red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a strong, successful competitor, and is currently expanding its range into territories inhabited by arctic foxes.

- Itself a top predator, the arctic fox is also a victim of predation, ironically from many species which are themselves endangered, including the wolf, wolverine and golden eagle. Traditionally, arctic foxes have been used by indigenous peoples as a source of meat and fur.

What can be done to conserve and enhance current arctic fox populations?

SEFALO is engaged in a number of activities to attempt to reverse the decline of arctic foxes in Sweden, Norway and Finland:

-With the assistance of volunteers, population and behavioural data for arctic foxes is collected. Some animals have been tagged with radio collars to allow their movements to be monitored and to increase understanding of their behavioural patterns.

-A programme of supplementary feeding is being trialled in an attempt to increase the rates of productivity and decrease mortality among juveniles. Birth and survival rates are then compared with years when no feeding took place to assess the effectiveness of the strategy.

-In some cases control of the red fox population is necessary to safeguard the most valuable arctic fox territories.

-In areas around arctic fox dens in Sweden, it is hoped that a ban on ptarmigan hunting will reduce disturbance in some of the important arctic fox breeding grounds.

-Populations are monitored for disease and there is ongoing research into the cause of diseases likely to affect the fox populations.

-A programme of public education aims to highlight the plight of the arctic fox and raise the profile of the species as a priority for conservation.

With careful conservation measures, sufficient financial and public support, and a generous amount of good fortune, we hope that the future for the arctic fox both in Sweden and elsewhere will begin to turn a corner.

Nature Travels has a number of experiences in Sweden which take place in and around one of the country’s most important remaining arctic fox strongholds – Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve – and some of our partners in the area are actively involved in the SEFALO feeding project, delivering supplementary food to the local fox populations when it is most needed.

Browse our portfolio of experiences in the Vindelfjällen area:

Skeble Mountain Tour
The Björkfjäll Tour
The Fox Falls Tour
Vindel Mountains Expedition
The Glory of Winter: horse riding and cross-country skiing

Best regards

The Nature Travels Team

- For further information on SEFALO’s work to conserve the arctic fox, see http://www.zoologi.su.se/research/alopex/

- Nature Travels will donate 2% of its corporate pre-tax profits for 2007 to SEFALO, the Swedish-Finnish-Norwegian Arctic Fox Project.

- Read our previous post about the beautiful Vindelfjällen Nature Reserve.