2 days in Abisko

Try to ship my ski and pulka to Italy took me one whole day with no success and if I had still few energies somewhere I finished them all.

This was the most stressful part of the whole trip. Till yesterday, when I was supposed to stay 19 hours on the same train but for unknown reason I changes 3 trains and 1 bus and it was always a mess to find a place for my pulka. 

Exhausted! 

But this is secondary. 

In the hostel I could finally lie down in a bed even if I couldn't sleep very well (back to society effect) and share the time with Anna and Miia, skiing Vita Bandet. 

With them and Sarah, we had an amazing 3 hours breakfast after which I started to feel better. It is unbelievable how much you need to eat after many days pulling a pulka in the cold!

4 solo women who share the funny and crazy moments we had walking out there, our adventures with lakes and rivers, our difficulties and successes...

It is unbelievable how much you can connect in few hours. (But I have experienced the same on Pyrenees so I am now traveling to Gotheborg).

I have finally understood how much my equipments were not appropriate, I tried Miia and Anna' pulka and these were sliding so easily! OMG!

Good luck to Miia and Anna skiing to the Vita Bandet end! 

Last section: Ritsem - Abisko

 The last section is the one that gives you the truth. It doesn't matter how long your trip has been. The last is the last. 

What is going to break down earlier: your body or your mind, or both?

How much are you going to discuss with yourself about everything?

Are you still going to get surprise?

Will you still have energies to face what will show up in front of you? 

How much do you fear the end?

Sarek, le conclusioni

Se non sei pronto, o hai troppe aspettative, andrà sempre male.

Se sei flessibile e pronto a tutto, hai più probabilità di farcela. La mia cartina era consumata ancora prima di partire da Aktse. 

Se avessi trovato condizioni migliori sul lago Sitojaure o nella tundra dopo Rinim, forse avrei trovato troppa neve in Basstavagge e sarei dovuta tornare indietro.

Sono stata fortunata? Forse si, forse no, visto che sono stata respinta ai primi 2 tentativi e al terzo ho dovuto fare una sfacchinata mica male... Non mi lamenterò più di qualsiasi avvicinamento a una scialpinistica primaverile! 

La montagna ti pone gli ostacoli, l'accesso bisogna guadagnarselo. Credo che se le dimostri di stare al suo gioco, la montagna ti ripaga. 

Finally, Sarek

ENGLISH ONLY, FOR ITALIAN, TRANSLATE BUTTON ON THE RIGHT. 

ATTENTION: THE ROUTE TAKEN WAS IN CONDITION IN THESE DAYS BUT IT GOES THROUGH VERY DANGEROUS AREAS DUE TO SNOW AND ICE CONDITION!!! 

It was a dream, and a challenge.

If you look sarek ski crossing or something like that you will see many blog about an  "extreme" trip.

I wanted to check it out by myself.

21 April: Aktse - > Sitojaure - > Rinim

I tell only this: the last 20 km were on a iced lake (ice, like a ice skating arena), I could not stand without using the poles and at a certain time I had pain to all my arms. I was thinking to wear crampons but I prefer to stay with ski on lakes, you know... Not so confident yet...

Devastiting. But I arrived in Rinim and put the tent after 30 km.

22 April. Exited, I leave with big hopes but after 10 minutes the pulka has already flipped many times and i am walking on the grass... Going further the situation is always worst. In the tundra there are also rocks, so I remove my skis but it is not enough, I put one bag as backpack with about more then 20 kg but this is not enough as well, pulka is always flipping any small rock, so I have to pull it by hand and not with harness. In this way I keep an eye on it and adjust continuisly the direction.

4 km becomes 7 because I am looking for the best way. But at a certain point finally I can wear skis. I have done 7 km in more then 3 hours.

But now the snow is well frozen, I can walk very well and I follow Basstavagge getting deep into Sarek. The view is amazing.

I feel good to stay away from all these scooters I have been meeting in the last days.

I am moving only with kompass and map, so I check exactly what there is about me, time goes fast while looking around. Everything is so huge, like in the Pyrenees where you could walk in the same valley for 20 km.

Around Biela in this huge flat area I get confused, I can't see anything, only white and I am tired. But the shelter I have seen on the map is few km far... But surprises are still there. An enoumous hole in the snow due to wind work is on my way and I have to climb 50 meters so steep on tundra. I don't even know where I found those energies (well, I know! In the peanut butter!) 

Before 18 I arrive. 30 km also today... 

Well done Giulia!

Video 1 Rinim

Video 2 Basstavagge

23 April. I wake up and the visibility is poor. I follow my azimut 330° for 6 km! Then 310° for other 6 km! And so on... It is more an experience then looking around here. It is also pretty cold and windy. 

But after few hours the sky is more clear, I can see Ruohtes and Gisuris with their glaciers and amazing places.

Yes, here it is different from Alps.

30 km also this day and I am close to Ahkkajaure, few km left but for this day is enough. I have crossed Sarek and I have enjoyed it. Maybe a bit too short?!?!

Skierfe and dreaming Sarek

QUESTO È SOLO IN INGLESE, X ITALIANO DOVREBBE ESSERCI UN BOTTONE TRANSLATE QUI A DESTRA! 

20 April: around 8.30 I leave with my normal skitouring backpack. I was told it is long, consider the whole day to go and come back. 

But after 15 days with 40 kg pulka, I feel I am flying. 

The snow is perfectly frozen, the sky completely clear, the view amazing. 

I try to fix some images with photo but it is not possible to catch them. Some effects will remain only in my memory (as it is correct to be). 

Climbing up I am fascinated from the Skierfe east face. Steep but... Calling me! And already getting some sun. 

I keep on going, for the last 100 meters I have to use rampants since I am climbing on the north side and go around a numbers of rocks. The wind have worked a lot here! 

I move a little bit on the east face to have a look at it: the snow is still hard and frozen, but less then on the normal way. 

Before 11 I am on the top at almost 1200 meters and decide to try the descent from east. After about 1 hour I start the descent. 

The snow is still frozen (outside my tent in the night the temperature was minus 12, imagine up there...), but still less hard then on the normal way. 

Then, a short uphill again and after nice skiing on perfect firn. 

In the end, slalom between trees till Atkse. 

What a beautiful day! 

For lunch I am at the hut, the host Stella is pretty surprised to see me already there ;-). 

Shortly Staffan comes back from his tour with bad news. The Rapadalen delta is still water. No way to pass... I am so upset... I go for a nap and I wake up thinking that there should be an other entrance... Open the map and found the way from Sitojaure. Later Staffan suggests me the same way... So this will be... Tomorrow! 

Will I make it? 

Kvikkjokk - Aktse

17 aprile. Ho incontrato Johannes, norvegese con sci e pulka, poco dopo Kvikkjokk e veniva dal Sarek. Gli chiedo dove è stato tira fuori la cartina e mi fa vedere l'itinerario seguito, dove voleva andare e dove è tornato indietro per condizioni non favorevoli. Non sapeva se c'è un passaggio, era andato a vedere.

E così, con le nostre pulke abbiamo filosofeggiato davanti a una cartina senza itinerari.

É vero che siamo limitati dalla pulka, di vere discese non se ne parla, ma mi sembra più scialpinismo questo di molte gite fatte. Ed è in quel momento che mi dico che devo proprio andare nel Rapadalen (Sarek), into the wild. Mi chiama. 

Le forme del ghiaccio... 

Pärte, la ravanata per non salire su un lago bagnato, per me troppo... Poi scoprirò che c'è più di mezzo metro di ghiaccio e solo i primi centimetri si sono sciolti quindi è sicurissimo... Rassicurata da Lena e la coppia incontrata a Parte, il giorno dopo lo affronto! 

19 Aprile. Doveva essere il gran giorno di ingresso nel Sarek ma appena arrivata al delta del Rapa mi sono trovata il fiume pieno d'acqua e pochissima neve attorno.

Ho proseguito un po' senza pulka, per vedere se c'era un passaggio... Ma non sembrava proprio.

Ho fatto qualche foto e ho girato abbandonando l'idea del Sarek. Le temperature si erano si abbassare rispetto a ieri, ma non abbastanza.

Appena riprendo la traccia incontro il rifugista di Atkse che mi dice di aspettare un giorno, che domani sarà fattibile, le temperature scenderanno bene stanotte.

Allora forse è ancora possibile?

Pomeriggio a leggere e destreggiarmi tra mappe e declinazione magnetica. Sembrava così semplice nella teoria, a casa... Ma ammetto che ci ho impiegato un momento a venirne fuori... 

Pomeriggio comunque di relax, 4 chiacchiere con i rifugisti e Lotte, svedese, che soggiorna qui per 3 giorni. 

Poi salta fuori che c'è una cimetta fattibile qui sopra la Aktse Fjällstuga quindi oggi invece di andare a riprendere il Rapadalen mi faccio una sciatina senza pulka, e guardo tutto dall'alto. 

Jäkkvik - Kvikkjokk

 Three truths about Sapmi:

1) when you see the highest point to reach, don't trust it: there will be a never ending series of hills.

2) if you feel warm don't take out your hardshell... Cold wind and big clouds will arrive in no time

3) kungsleden with touring ski (not nordic) is possible. But if you see downhill don't remove your skins. There will be again uphill and skating with pulka... Aughhhhffff!

Per qualche strano motivo tra jäckvik e Kvikkjokk non ho incontrato NESSUNO in 4 giorni.

Solo local che con le loro motoslitte vanno a pescare, vanno a far la spesa e che ne so io... Non sono tantissimi, un cenno di saluto si fa sempre, ma le chiacchiere... Quelle solo con Zucca la Pulka e simili inanimati o animati non umani 😅