Do you dream of skiing trips with sledges and tents? Perhaps you are planning to undertake a long trip like the White Ribbon? Then this is the course for you. We have both trained and guided clients for several years and conducted a number of tours ourselves including the white band.
Welcome to Fjätervålen in northernmost Dalarna where we have direct axis to Vedungsfjällen located in the borderland between Dalarna and Härjedalen. Here are all the environments needed to develop your abilities for future ski expeditions. On the four-day course, Ski Expedition — Course Level 1, we focus on the basics that give you the awareness, abilities and concrete tools to travel safely on multi-day ski tours. In addition to the four course days on site, we also include an online meeting where we get a first contact with each other as participants, as well as a workshop on equipment and food for winter trips on skis. The online meeting takes place approximately 4 weeks before the start of the course so that you should have time to supplement equipment. If you have any questions before the online meeting, you are always welcome to contact us.
- Equipment for ski expeditions
- Food and drink for winter tours
- Trip planning with concrete tools to facilitate your future adventures
- Risk analysis and a systematic approach that creates margins for difficult problems to arise
- Camp site that provides peace and security in case of severe weather
- Hygiene and minimizing the risk of disease
- Navigation with map, compass, GPS and apps in your phone
- System to keep warm and dry day and night
- Cooking and handling of gas and petrol kitchens
- Public access rights, regulations and considerations
The methodology of the course is based on creating an awareness of what knowledge is needed, what risks exist through theories and practical examples. From the understanding of what and why, we develop knowledge, abilities and practical tools that give you margins, security and confidence. To facilitate participation, you have the opportunity to borrow both sledges and tents, but you are of course welcome to use your own equipment.
GUIDE
Lars Svanerud (Authorized Mountain Guide - Fjälleder SFLO)
For several years now, Lars lives with his adventurous wife Elin in Fjätervålen. Has worked as a guide for many years in different environments with a focus on Scandinavian Mountains and forests.
PROGRAM
Online meeting — introduction, equipment and food
Day 1
We meet in Fjätervålen at 09.00 and after an introduction we go through equipment, food, fuel, pack sledges, review ski equipment and go through the weather situation and plan for the coming days. The course moments start right away and we constantly share our best tips and how we plan and what routines we strive to adhere to.
We ski from Fjätervålen up to Vedungsfjällen via snowmobile trails. Our first campsite will be in the mountain forest.
Day 2-3
During the course days, we focus on building safe and good routines that create a margin for problems that contribute to the possibility of staying within our comfort zone. As a participant, you will probably feel that you fall out of your comfort zone from time to time, but with that knowledge and an awareness of why, you can gradually develop abilities, correct equipment that helps to increase what you are capable of. Your routines for camping, melting snow, cooking are evolving rapidly. We ski both on and off marked trails, practicing navigation with conditions for both good and poor visibility. We take turns leading the group towards different goals to both highlight difficulties and build confidence.
Day 4
On the last day we return to Fjätervålen and end the course with a summary, reflection and discuss the need for a continuation course
FOREKNOWLEDGE
To participate in the course, you need to have a good physique, like to experience and develop together with others and have a skiing habit. You do not need to have previous experience of ski touring with accommodation in tents.
Included in the price
- Online meeting
- Experience and course for four days with an authorized mountain guide
- Possibility to borrow sledges and tents
- Templates we use for planning, risk analysis, packing lists
- Whats Up group before the course to easily share questions and answers
Not included in the price
- Travel to and from Fjätervålen (we have the opportunity to pick you up in Särna or Idre if you are traveling by bus)
- Food, drink, fuel
- Own equipment, see packing list
- Number of participants: Minimum 4 max 8
- Location: Fjätervålen and Vedungsfjällen
EQUIPMENT
Always check your equipment before the tour so that it is intact and does not have damage that may worsen during the tour. Keep your gear as light as possible without sacrificing essentials that keep you warm, dry, full and conducive to a safe ride. Of course, it may be worth bringing a few things that contribute to a good mood and things that you appreciate in connection with camp life. Dress in layers upon layers so you can easily adjust.
Ski equipment and sledding
- Tour/Mountain skis with steel edge
- Climbing skins (Long and if possible short)
- Boots
- Rods with large troughs
- Sledding with shakers (bottom rope) and packing bags
- Ski wax
clothing
- Woolen or synthetic underwear
- Underwear in wool or synthetic (1 change)
- Socks (1 change)
- Layer 2 eg a fleece sweater
- Shell jacket wind and waterproof with hood
- Shell pants wind and waterproof
- Lined down or synthetic jacket that can be put on over the shell jacket and other clothing
- Beanie
- Gloves + mittens
- Ski goggles
- Sunglasses
- Balaclava
- Lined pants down or synthetic for extra warmth in camp
- Camp shoes warm
Cooking
- Kitchen including saucepan
- Ev frying pan (optional)
- Fuel suitable for your kitchen e.g. Gas or petrol
- Plate to set the kitchen on when using
- Cutlery, mug, plate
- Thermos at least 1 liter
- Nalgen bottles 2 pcs 0.5 liters
- Ikea crate for storing snow to be melted tips are to have a small cowl that you can fill snow with in the saucepan as well as a small light funnel to reduce spillage when filling thermos and bottles
- Lighters, matches, ignition steel
Food
Bring food you like. You spend a lot of energy pulling a sledge and being exposed to the cold around the clock. During 4 relatively calm course days this will not affect you much but do not skimp and bring things that you appreciate and keep you in a good mood. Dry and light products are good but on winter trips keep food when it is cold. We share tips at the Online Meeting
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snacks, nuts, chips, sweets, chocolate, beer sausages, snack olives, cheese, biscuits
- Dinner
- Coffee/tea/chocolate/fruit soup or other drinks you like
Live and sleep
- Tents including snow tent pegs. We can also use, for example, the skis to anchor the tent. The disadvantage of this is if you need to use the skis at the same time as the tent is set up.
- Bedding mat celloplastic
- Inflatable sleeping mat with high R value
- Sleeping bag preferably double system with down + synthetic
- Metal shovel
- Headlamp + optional batteries
- Tent lamp e.g. a led loop with battery
Navigation and electronics
The course is a great opportunity to test and learn your own equipment. Such as map, compass, phone functions, watches with gps function, etc. Bring your equipment and practice with it.
- Map, compass
- Telephone
- Charging cable + powerbank
- GPS, Inreach, watch with GPS eg Suunto, Garmin, Coros (Optional)
Hygiene, medical care, repair and other
- Toilet paper
- Soap, hand sanitizer
- Wet wipes
- Toothbrush, toothpaste
- Medical kit with abrasion patches, sports tape, pain tablets, dressings, cold/frostbite tape, personal medications.
- Chemical heat bags (optional but awesome in case of emergency when you don't get your hands or toes warm)
- Repair material for sleeping pads,
- Multitool
Since 2018 we live at the foot of the mountain Fjätervålen close to the kind of nature we love to travel and stay in. Fjätervålen can be found north of Idre near the border with Härjedalen. We ourselves think that this is a prefect base for adventures along the Scandinavian mountain chain and its surrounding forests.
**THE WAY HERE? **
It is difficult to summarize how it is that today I live and work in the mountains as a guide, ski instructor and more or less full-time I devote myself to outdoor activities. A big contributor in addition to my passion for it are the people around me who have contributed in many different ways and others I have met who have inspired, shared their knowledge and sometimes opened doors. The fact that I also have a wife, Elin, who has as much interest in this as I do is absolutely crucial to the fact that today we live and live at the foot of the mountain Fjäervåle. Elin is my best adventure companion. My mother, who for much of my upbringing was the one who created the opportunity for me to devote myself to sports and outdoor activities, however, laid the foundation for everything I do now. Don't know how she managed it and my awareness of this has grown the older I've gotten. Through a developing career path from carpenter, university studies, real estate engineer, manager in various companies, part-time guiding to the fact that today I am almost full-time dedicated to guiding, ski coaching and other outdoor activities is magical for me and I am so grateful that my life is filled with days like these.