Winter Archives - The Best Viewpoints

February 26, 2023 • 0 Comment

Practical Guide to see Northern Lights

There was a wonderful northern lights show on 14 January 2022 and now again on 27 February 2023. These were nights which people in Stockholm and actually the whole Northern Europe (other parts of the world had daylight, sorry!) will remember for a long time! We witnessed one of the strongest northern lights displays in years. These were actually the strongest ones I’ve seen since I moved to Sweden 10 years ago! The sky was on fire and I could even see the dancing red aurora with the naked eye! Would you like to see similar northern lights in the future? Follow my tips.

Unique real time northern lights movie from Stockholm

I managed to record the show on my camera and my video was seen by more than 50 000 people on Facebook. I got many nice comments but unfortunately also many sad messages: “I missed it. When and where can I see the northern lights next time? How did you know there will be aurora borealis that day?” I decided to help out and write this guide. This is all you need to know.

Exceptionally strong northern lights in Stockholm

What are northern lights?

To understand when and how you can witness northern lights, you have to know first what the lights actually are and how they are caused. First, let’s take a look at the official Wikipedia definition:

“Auroras are the result of disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by solar wind. These disturbances alter the trajectories of charged particles in the magnetospheric plasma. These particles, mainly electrons and protons, precipitate into the upper atmosphere (thermosphere/exosphere). The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit light of varying colour and complexity.”

In simple words: northern lights are caused by solar activity which reaches our planet via charged particles and they react with the Earth’s magnetic field. The reaction causes lights nearby the magnetic poles of our planet (which are nearby the actual North and South Pole). The animation below will make it even more clear:

*How do northern lights work?*
*Source Imgur.com*

Why is it important to know this to forecast northern lights? It’s easy. By observing the Sun we can predict the aurora activity. Strong northern lights usually occur after unusual activity on the Sun (to make it simple let’s call them eruptions) and it takes approximately 3 days until the charged particles reach our atmosphere and cause the northern lights.

What time of the year is the best to see northern lights?

This is a very frequent question on social media under northern lights related topics and I often see random answers such as: “You can see them from January to March because it’s the coldest.” Bullshit. In fact you can see aurora borealis basically anytime when the sky is dark, when there are no clouds, and when the Sun is active.

The Sun doesn’t really think of when to make the largest eruptions based on the position of the Earth. The solar eruptions happen through the whole year, so be ready to see aurora anytime when there is dark sky if you live in Stockholm or even more north. I have seen the earliest aurora in the middle of August and the latest at the end of April. Here you can check the sunrise and sunset times for Stockholm. The auroras can be seen during night and astronomical twilight.

Northern Lights Umeå — *Northern lights captured at midnight on 25 April 2013 in Umeå. The sky is not dark anymore*

If you are making a trip with the main purpose to see aurora, then plan it so you have a statistically bigger chance to see northern lights. Remember:

The longer the nights last, the bigger chance to see it.
Consider also the climate. Choose months with less rainy/snowy days.
Warmer days are also giving you a higher chance since you will be willing to wait longer outside for northern lights to show up compared to when it is -20.
Choose a time when there is no full moon. Moonlight is very strong and makes it more difficult to see aurora.

Where in Sweden is it the best to watch northern lights?

The auroras usually occur behind the polar circle but are more rare in the south. The geomagnetic activity is measured by the so called Kp index. It is a scale of numbers between 0-9. Using this scale, it is easy to determine what Kp number you need to have a chance of seeing auroras where you are (read more about the index here). These are the values to follow for cities across Sweden.

Kp 1: Kiruna (happens almost every day)
Kp 3: Umeå
Kp 5: Stockholm (usually 1700 times during one solar cycle – ca 11 years). In 2022, northern lights were reported visible 42 times in Stockholm or more in the south! It’s pretty often
Kp 7: Malmö (usually 200 times during one solar cycle – ca 11 years)

The Kp 1 is common. It means you can see the northern lights in Kiruna almost every day. The more south you are, the less often you will have the chance. Keep in mind that these numbers don’t guarantee northern lights. Forecasts are not 100% correct and there are of course exceptions. I have seen northern lights in Stockholm when there was Kp 3 shown in the forecast but I didn’t see anything with Kp 6. There are better tools to follow. See below.

Northern Lights Kiruna — *Strong aurora captured overhead in Kiruna.*

What app is the best to forecast northern lights?

I have downloaded ten different northern lights apps and followed multiple websites and the most important thing to say is: it is very difficult to predict the northern lights activity and the apps are often wrong. The long term forecast is very unreliable. Since you know how the northern lights occur you understand this now. It is difficult to predict exactly when the Earth is hit by charged particles. That’s why it is better to follow short term forecasts and ideally live observations. I recommend following:

Do you speak Swedish? Follow FB page Norrsken. Actually, follow it even if you don’t speak Swedish. The FB translator works pretty well. The page Norrsken makes an amazing analysis every day when there is a chance to see northern lights in Sweden and they also organize observation feeds for all such days. Thanks to that you can see live observations from many followers around the country. It has just reached 100 000 followers so there is a lot of fresh data.
Follow the Soft Serve News website and its FB page. There you can see the short term forecast and they also notify about upcoming geomagnetic storms (Kp 5 and higher). Besides the Kp number you should also check Bz on their website. To make it simple: it should be negative so you can see great aurora. Another good thing is to check the Ovation map. If the map is yellow or ideally red then there are almost for sure northern lights in Stockholm at the moment.
Download one of the apps which offers notifications at certain Kp levels. I have for example the app Aurora Pro and I set the Kp notification at 5.
Download the weather app Windy. It won’t help you with the northern lights forecast, but it will help you plan where to go. If you click on the “cloud” layer you see how the clouds will be moving during evening. Make sure that there are no clouds in the north. Windy is a great weather app in general since you can check multiple weather forecast models there.
For further information and forecasts forecasts you can also check out these links: Space Weather Live, NOAA, Live camera in Abisko.

Patience is key!

I fell in love with aurora borealis when I moved to Sweden 10 years ago. I was studying at Umeå University and since the city lies pretty far in the north there is often a high chance to see aurora. Hunting northern lights quickly became my favourite hobby. I had a lot of great experiences which I could use later when I moved to Stockholm. Here in Stockholm I have seen many auroras too but two of them stand out: the one which I introduced at the beginning of this article and also in 2017. That time I managed to photograph an amazing panorama at Monteliusvägen.

That day my fiancée and I were waiting for two hours in freezing temperatures. She later decided to give up and went home. Luckily I stayed and after 10 minutes the amazing display began. I quickly called her to come back and she thought I was joking. It took some time to persuade her that it was not a joke. She ran back just in time to witness this beauty.

Unbelieveable aurora borealis taken in the heart of Stockholm — *Unbelievable aurora in the middle of Stockholm taken at Monteliusvägen*

Remember, this doesn’t always happen. It happened many times we saw nothing. My success rate to see aurora in Stockholm is only one in four! You have to try, try and try but once you manage you will never forget the moment.

How do I decide if I go northern lights hunting in Stockholm? I check the above mentioned sources daily. It only takes a few minutes and you can see directly if there is a chance that day. If I see a possibility for the upcoming night (meaning the Kp 5 or higher is expected) I prepare my equipment. Besides camera and tripod, we always bring warm clothes, hot drinks and we often barbecue. I often go hunting with my fiancée or with friends. Even if we don’t spot any northern lights that evening we still have a great time! Remember, patience is the most important. The longer you stay outside the higher chance you have to see the northern lights.

What is the best location to see aurora (not only in Stockholm)?

In general, it is important to have a clear view over the northern horizon and to be on a dark spot. I recommend being on the southern shore of a large lake or sea with a great view to the north. In Stockholm Lappis beach is perfect for instance. I also like the Monteliusvägen viewpoint but there is a big problem. There is a lot of light pollution in the city center which makes it more difficult to see auroras. Try to find a spot as dark as possible. The best area nearby Stockholm is the archipelago. Check out the Light Pollution Map.

*Aurora Borealis at Lappis beach with ca hundreds of happy students*

Wedding under northern lights?

My new challenge as a northern lights photographer is to shoot wedding photos under aurora. I work as a wedding photographer and it would be cool to connect my two passions – weddings and northern lights. Do you know anyone who plans a wedding and would be interested? Let me know!

Couple under aurora borealis — *My fiancée and I enjoying northern lights*

Next article: How to photograph aurora?

Do you have any questions about aurora? Let me know and I can add it to my article. For next article I am planning to write about how to photograph and film aurora so you can take nice picture and movies. Keep posted! In the meantime you can check out my expedition during which I climbed the highest mountain of every European country.

December 25, 2022 • 0 Comment

Experience TOP 40 winter activities in Scandinavia

In 2012, I decided to move to Sweden to study and it was the best decision of my life because I love winter and here I can enjoy it fully! Since then, I managed to try a lot of winter activities in Scandinavia while others are still waiting on the list. Take a look at well-known and unknown winter activities that you can experience in Scandinavia.

1. Ice skating

Let’s start with the best winter activity you can do in the capital of Sweden. The region of Stockholm has hundreds of lakes of different sizes and together with the large areas in Stockholm archipelago you have the best ice skating opportunities. Since it doesn’t snow much in Stockholm, you can skate pretty much anytime from the season start (usually November or December) until the ice melts (most often some time in April). If you would like to experience real freedom this is a winter activity for you. Imagine skating the whole day on the endless Swedish sea around islands and cute villages on islands. Would you like to join for a trip? In my free time I’m working as an ice skating guide. Learn more at my in-depth article about skating on natural ice here. You can also take a look at how it is to fall through ice below.

*Skating in the city centre of Stockholm*

2. Cross country skiing – classic style

Let’s move to another traditional Scandinavian winter sport – skiing. Did you know that there are several kinds of skiing? We will go through all of them in this article. Let’s start with the most known skiing style which is classic cross-country skiing. Have you heard about Vasaloppet? This oldest cross country skiing race in the world has already attracted more than 1,700,000 participants around the world. The race is 90km long and promises an unbelieveable atmosphere not only for the racers but also for the spectators. Visit the finish of the race Mora and you won’t regret it.

If you would like to try cross country skiing yourself, many places across the country offer cross country skiing courses. Try it, it’s so much fun and if you fall for skiing, after a few years training you can participate in Vasaloppet too. Take a look at what my experience was like.

*Start of Vasaloppet with over 15000 participants*

3. Cross country skiing – skating style

Recently, the skating technique of cross-country skiing has become more and more popular. The technique originated in the early 20th century and became widespread in the 1980s following Bill Koch’s success at the 1982 World Cross Country Championships. In order to compare the differences between the two cross-country styles, I managed to complete the Vasaloppet with both techniques. Which one do you think is better for such a long race?

4. Downhill Skiing

If you want to be even faster, go for downhill skiing. On downhill skis, you can easily reach speed above 100 km/h. There are many ski resorts around Scandinavia but you will find the best one in Åre. It offers the most tracks and most slopes. Another advantage is that Åre offers slopes for everyone regardless if you are a beginner, intermediate, advanced or pro skier.

You might be surprised but there is also a small ski resort in the middle of Stockholm. Hammarbybacken offers even a world cup competition for pro skiers. Even though the hill is relatively short, it also has its black slope which is perfect for a slalom race.

*Skiing in Åre can lead to ski jumping too*

5. Snowshoe hiking

Let’s take a break from skiing and let’s take a look at snowshoeing. Snow shoes are perfect for hikes in areas with a lot of snow. You’ll love the feeling of crunching snow under your feet. My personal favourite place for snow shoeing is Skuleskogen national park where you can hike daily 10-20 km and stay over in local huts, even free of charge. There you can have a great time having a barbecue under the Northern lights.

Beautiful snowshoe location in Swedish mountains (Jämtlands Triangel) — *This is another beautiful snowshoe location in Swedish mountains (Jämtlands Triangel)*

6. Watching Northern lights shows

Have I just mentioned Northern lights? It is the most exciting phenomenon to witness in Scandinavia so let’s take a look at them. Aurora Borealis occurs sometimes all around Scandinavia but you have the biggest chance to witness them behind the polar circle. I’m myself fascinated by Northern lights so much that I’m hunting them every time we have a chance to see them in Stockholm. Just keep in mind, you have to be patient to see the lights. If you want to learn more tips about when and where to see Lady Aurora, you can take a look at my Practical Guide to see Northern Lights.

*Admiring northern lights on Lofoten islands in Norway*

7. Ice fishing

Another activity which requires patience but brings a lot of joy is ice fishing. Create a hole in the ice with a special ice drill and catch your dinner. Ice fishing is so popular in Scandinavia that there are even competitions. Can you beat the largest fish ever caught on ice in Sweden – 7kg arctic char?

*One of ice fishing competitions in Umeå*

8. Sauna

Are you becoming cold from all this talk about winter sports? I have something for you to warm up. Try a sauna with a jump into freezing water. It is not only a lot of fun but also healthy for your body. According to studies, taking a sauna helps with relaxing and detoxifying of your body and Scandinavian countries know it. Therefore, sauna use in Finland, Sweden and Norway already starts in early childhood.

Cooling down in snow after sauna — *If there is no lake or sea to jump in after sauna you can ask your friends to cover you in snow. It works well too!*

9. Ice windsurfing

Let’s go from cold water back to ice. One of the most exciting winter sports I’ve ever tried is ice windsurfing. It is even more exciting than windsurfing on water. If you have a strong enough wind, you can reach speeds faster than 150km/h thanks to the very low resistence of the ice.

10. Snowkiting

The wind can also be utilized for snowkiting. Bring a kite and enjoy it either with skies in the mountains or with skates on a lake. Both are a lot of fun!

11. Ice hockey

Compared to summer, there are not many winter team sports but the existing ones are a lot of fun. You probably know ice hockey which is very popular around Sweden and Finland. Gather a group of friends to play a game or visit a match of Swedish hockey league and enjoy one of the best hockey games you can see in the world.

*When I was studying in the north of Sweden in Umeå we played ice hockey every week with other students*

12. Bandy

Have you already seen ice hockey but would you like to see something even more unique? Visit a match of Bandy. Simply said, it is like ice hockey just on a frozen football field played by 11 players on every side. It is regarded as one of the fastest sports in the world and is only played in northern countries. To give you a taste of the game, look at the best goals made in the Swedish league below.

13. Curling

Another winter team sport requires a lot of precision. Build a team and try curling in one of many curling halls around Scandinavia.

14. Biathlon

Currently, my favourite Olympic winter sport to watch is biathlon. Thanks to the shooting, the races are very unpredictable and that makes it very exciting! You can watch biathlon competitions every winter in Östersund which holds a world cup competition. When I visited one of the races, I was also happy to find out that you can even try biathlon yourself there. It was very cool to try to hit the targets like pro athletes. Now, I will not complain anymore about the biathletes who miss the targets. It’s pretty hard!

15. Winter camping

Do you like hiking and camping? Try it in winter too. There are much less hikers during winter so you can enjoy the nature on your own. It’s very cosy to wake up and have a view over a frozen landscape. As a bonus you won’t be bothered by mosquitoes compared to summer.

*Winter camping with my girlfriend at Jämtlands Triangel*

16. Ice Hotel

Do you prefer sleeping inside? Then, try something special during winter in Sweden. Visit the famous Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi and spend a night in an ice paradise. The hotel is unique every year with decorations made by artists from all around the world!

Once you’re there, don’t forget to take a shot in a glass made of ice and if you’re there with your fiancée, why not to get married there too? The Ice hotel also has a small chapel where couples from all around the world get married.

*Testing if it’s a good idea to get married at the Ice Hotel*

17. Back country skiing

Let’s get back to skiing. There are a few very popular ski activities you can try in Scandinavia. Let’s take a look first at ski touring and back country skiing. The difference is very small and the names are often exchanged with each other. In Scandinavia it’s two very different sports though. Back country skis in Scandinavia are very similar to cross country skis, they are just wider and they are used in free terrain. People often use these skis for travelling longer distances from hut to hut and they are also used for multiday trips with an extra sled where you can carry supplies. Try for example back country skis in popular mountain areas in Sweden such as in Jämtland close to Åre or far in the north at Kungsleden.

*A backcountry skier in the Swedish mountains*

18. Ski touring

Ski touring in Scandinavia is rather associated with off piste skiing. The skis are more similar to downhill skis and people use skins for going up in the hills. These skis are rather used to climb mountains and to enjoy downhill in free terrain rather than long distances. Thanks to ski touring you can for example climb Norway’s highest mountain – Galdhøpiggen.

*Climbing the highest mountain of Scandinavia in winter is a strong experience*

19. Ski jumping

One of the winter activities that I have not yet tried and have only observed so far is ski jumping. But if Eddie the Eagle could do it, why couldn’t I? 🙂

*Ski jumping championship in Falun, Sweden*

20. Heliskiing

Would you like to try world class off piste skiing in the best possible conditions? Try heli skiing behind the polar circle. In Abisko you can join a group of skiers and experience heli skiing.

21. Ice Cross

Have you heard about Ice cross? It’s popular mostly thanks to exciting Red Bull events. Check it out and if you dare, visit the ice cross facility in Stockholm.

22. Dog sledding

One of the most popular activities among visitors to Scandinavia is dog sledding. I have to admit I am a bit afraid of dogs so I haven’t tried it yet but I will one day. It looks very cosy! In addition to my own experience, I also have to see this special race in Norway once.

23. Ice climbing

If you like rock climbing you should definitely also try ice climbing. What about ice climbing directly on the highest waterfall in Sweden or the famous Gudvangen icefall in Norway shown in the movie below? It is also on my to try list this winter.

24. Winter swimming

We have already talked about sauna but did you know that it is very popular to swim in ice cold water without going to the sauna these days? There are even races in cold water in Sweden!

25. Winter kayaking

I prefer to utilize water in the solid state during winter for activities such as skiing or skating but there is also an option to experience an adventure on unfrozen lakes. Enjoy views over snow covered national parks or cities from a kayak. Stockholm offers many opportunities for instance.

*My frozen kayak during a sunrise tour in the Stockholm archipelago*

26. Fat biking

Biking and snow often don’t go together. Slippery roads can be tricky so bikers usually take a break from biking during winter months. Have you heard though about fat biking? These bikes have much thicker tyres so they can be used on snow. Would you like to try?

*My girlfriend testing a fat bike on a beach. It also works very well there. Next time we have to try it on snow!*

27. Car drifting

Let’s stay on snowy roads. Do you like cars? Then, I have a winter activity for you too. North west of Stockholm, there is a special lake where ice drive races are organized. Visit Dalarna and test your driving skills on ice!

28. Yukigassen

Yukigassen will bring you back to the childhood times when you had snowball fights with your friends. It is actually an official snowball competition. As you might guess from the name, it comes from Japan but there are Yukigassen associations in all major northern countries including Sweden. Visit Luleå for a national competition.

29. Sled

Let’s stay in our childhood and let’s enjoy children’s favourite means of transport in winter. Sledding is so much fun even for adults and there is even a sled championship in Sweden every year. Visit SM veckan and compete in Alpin Rodel.

30. Bobsleigh

We talked about the traditional childrens’ toy sled but how about a professional one? I admire the high speeds on skeleton/sled or bobsleigh tracks. Would you dare to try it?

31. Skijoring

Do you have pets and would you like to train together with them? Then, skijouring is the best thing for you! Skijoring is basically any sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog (or dogs), another animal, or a motor vehicle (snowmobile or car for instance). In Sweden, you can find many cross country skiing tracks where pets are allowed.

32. Reindeer race

If you own a typical Lappland pet – reindeer, you can participate in a Reindeer race in Finland. This is a wonderful event when people gather from all around the world to admire Sámi traditions.

33. Snow mobiling

To be honest, I am not much of a fan of snow mobiling. I prefer moving in the pure nature with my own power but I understand snow mobiling is popular in Sweden. The machines are very quick and you can explore nature in much shorter time compared to skis or skates. For me, they are just very loud and smelly and I am not that happy to meet them on my trips. I am not surprised that they are banned in Norway in free nature and allowed only on specific paths. I hope Sweden will follow the rule in the future. Anyway, snow mobiles are allowed now so try them.

34. Snowboarding

I almost forgot about snowboarding. It’s not much a surprise because I am a skier and you know there is a small rivalry between both sports so maybe I forgot it on purpose 🙂 Anyway, Sweden offers perfect conditions for snowboarding too. If you are a skier like me, why not trying a snowboard too? Look what Ms. Ledecka managed. She won a gold medal both in snowboarding and skiing at the Olympic games. I am proud to be a Czech 🙂

35. Winter Safari

In winter it is wonderful to observe animals in their natural habitat. Witnessing a moose and reindeer in Swedish mountains during winter is pretty common. But how about watching polar bears on Svalbard?

36. Hunting for the lowest temperatures

I have to admit I’m a bit of a weather nerd. I follow weather forecasts every day and I’m fascinated by our atmosphere and its phenomena. That’s also why I decided to study a meteorology course at Uppsala Universtiy in Sweden. During that time I found out that it’s popular to “hunt” for the lowest temperatures. Very low temperatures are very interesting because you can try wonderful things like in the video below. Do you know where we can measure the the lowest temperature in Scandinavia?

37. Winter kicksleds

Have you ever heard of kicksleds? These are especially popular in northern Europe and are also used for classic shopping trips. Below is a video from one of the manufacturers.

38. Igloo

What is it like to sleep in an igloo? Despite the ice or snow structure, it should be “relatively” warm inside. It’s time to experience what it’s like to be an Inuit for a day.

39. Winter surfing

Surfing is very popular in the summer. However, while traveling beyond the Arctic Circle, I discovered that it is also popular in the winter in the beautiful Lofoten archipelago. Judging by the video below, isn’t it gorgeous?

40. Glacier caves

Finally, I have perhaps the most beautiful thing – the glacial caves that can be found in Iceland. See what nature can create. Let’s explore them quickly before the glaciers melt.

So what do you think: Is winter boring or not? 😉

March 11, 2022 • 0 Comment

How to prepare for your first Vasaloppet

Are you planning to do Vasaloppet, the crazy 90km race in Sweden? Follow my experience and learn from my mistakes… Once I moved to Sweden and decided it will be my new home, I wanted to get to know the local culture and traditions as much as I could. Since I love winters, the tradition I wanted to experience first was Vasaloppet. What else can be more Swedish than a 90km long cross country skiing race? This oldest cross country skiing race in the world has already attracted over 1,700,000 participants who, sweaty and exhausted, completed different distances between Sälen and Mora. How will it be for me? Will I manage to complete the full distance with limited experience on cross country skis? If king Gustav Vasa made it when he was fleeing the war during the winter of 1520–1521 with poor equipment, I have to manage too!

Details and Statistics

Sport: Classical cross country skiing
Length of the race: 90km
Overall elevation: 813m
Difficulty: Very hard
Number of participants: 15800
Recommended training time: 2 years
Location: From Sälen to Mora

My first Vasaloppet race

After a cloudy, windy, rainy, snowy and dark February, the first week of March 2022 finally brought the dream Swedish winter weather. It’s sunny! Swedes call this kind of weather “vårvinter” and it literally means spring-winter. I love vårvinter because it isn’t only pleasant for its sun rays but it’s also perfect for cross country skiing. While the days are quite warm, the nights still get pretty cold. These changes in temperature make the snow very quick.

*Typical vårvinter weather at Vasaloppet*

My fiancée and I are driving now towards Sälen, a popular Swedish skiing resort but mostly the place known for the start of the most famous cross country skiing race in the world. The weather is supposed to be the same tomorrow. What a paradise weather for Vasaloppet!

We park our camper van at a parking lot just next to the Vasaloppet start. Now, the parking lot is almost empty. There are just a few more camper vans in the corner. It’s a quiet and peaceful night but volunteers preparing the tracks at the start remind us that something big is going to happen tomorrow. 15 800 skiers from all around the world will gather here in the early morning for one of the longest cross country skiing races in the world.

Aurora Borealis at Vasaloppet

Joanne and I are curious how the track looks like so we approach the Vasaloppet start. It’s very cold outside but it feels very cosy. The snow pleasantly crunches under our feet. While we are walking the dark sky suddenly turns to green. Am I dreaming? Northern lights just started to dance above the hard and solid track. It will be wonderful conditions for all the skiers tomorrow! We admire the amazing aurora borealis for a while, but we can’t stay long. We need enough sleep before the race starts tomorrow at 8! Good night from our comfy camper van!

Crazy wake up time and crazy snow conditions

I am woken up by my alarm at 2:30 a.m. on a mattress in a gym surrounded by 50 other waking guys. Shit! It was a dream! I quickly realize the reality. It is 2014. I am in a small village called Nusnäs at Siljan lake. Today, my father, our friend Håkan and I are doing Vasaloppet. We are two and a half hours of driving from the start, and we have to hurry to get some breakfast. While eating oatmeal and drinking tea we are looking outside. It’s snowing and temperatures are around 0 degrees. Damn it. This means the slowest possible snow for skiing.

*Evening before Vasaloppet. Lights were turned off at 8 p.m. and everybody went to sleep.*

Why am I talking so much about the snow conditions? For someone who doesn’t ski, it might sound like too much unnecessary information, but it actually matters a lot for skiers. Looking at the results of the past years´ races the bad and good snow conditions make a huge difference in racing time. While Petter Eliassen, the winner of 2020, needed 4:25:14 to complete the race, the next year’s winner Tord Asle Gjerdalen managed the race almost one hour faster with a time of 3:28:18. Among the amateurs, the time differences are even more significant. Slow snow means much more tough and demanding conditions.

*Beautiful winter weather but terrible for cross country skiing in Mora*

Don’t underestimate the preparation for Vasaloppet

After breakfast, we pack our skiing equipment, food supply for the race and head towards the bus. There I start to wonder. Did I train enough for Vasaloppet? As a kid I didn’t like cross country skiing much. It felt boring compared to other winter sports. Luckily, I was a happy kid. The winters were still cold so I could play ice hockey with my friends behind our house and my family spent most of the winter holidays in the mountains. There we did downhill skiing, and I enjoyed skiing at full speed.

After moving to Sweden though, my early disinterest in cross country skiing didn’t help me with my Vasaloppet goal. I was comfortable at downhills at least. These are often most scary for beginners. I was more worried about my poor technique and weak arms. Fortunately, I studied at Umeå University located in the north of Sweden, so I had a long winter to get ready!

First, I needed skis. As a broke international student, I only had money for second-hand skis. I bought all poles, ski boots, and skis for just 200 SEK (20 EUR). Well, the price equals the quality. My skis were made in 1988.

When it comes to training, I never would have made it to the start without my amazing Swedish friend Håkan who is a big cross country skiing enthusiast and six times finisher of Vasaloppet. He often trained with me and gave me many valuable tips regarding technique. He also explained to me how important it is to do some race before: “Vasaloppet has many starting groups. If you don’t do a cross country ski race before, you automatically end up in the last seeding group 10. You’d rather start in some better group. If you start in the last group, there will be large queue in front of you and you will lose over one hour in time until you climb the first long hill.”

Long Vasaloppet start with 10 different seeding groups ready for 15800 racers — *The long Vasaloppet start with 10 different seeding groups ready for 15800 racers*

Take part in a preparation race outside north of Sweden

So that´s what we did. We participated in a local 40km race in Umeå called Vildmannaloppet. Unfortunately, I chose maybe the worst winter for the race. There wasn’t enough snow and Vasaloppet organizers were worried that the race will have to be cancelled due to lack of snow. A similar situation was going on in Umeå. The preparation race couldn’t happen on the usual 10km track due to the limited amount of snow so we had to do it on a 5km artificial snow track. We had to do 8 laps.

The race was not fun. Racing in the north of Sweden means that you compete with Swedes who were basically born on skis. It didn’t take a long time until all the local skiers left me behind. The only guy whose pace I managed to follow was another exchange student from France. Before I finished the first lap, I was already lapped by the fastest local skiers. This is not something that helps your self-esteem, but I kept on fighting.

The race was long and tough. I couldn’t even count how many times I was lapped but I was telling myself: “This will help you to qualify for a better starting group at Vasaloppet. You will have a better chance to finish it!” Here, I have to mention one more important detail. You can’t finish Vasaloppet in whatever time you feel like. There is a time limit and cut-off times on the way! The internal motivation helped me. I managed to complete the race even though I finished second last. Yes, I managed to beat the other exchange student! But most importantly – I will be seeded for Vasaloppet!

*Another crucial task is to fix your skis. If you don’t know how to wax them and which way to choose, ask professionals. I was lucky to be helped by pros – my father and Håkan*

The start of Vasaloppet is full of emotions

We are arriving to Vasaloppet start. It’s 6 a.m., two hours before the actual start. Our bus manager´s tactics are to arrive early, so we get a good spot within our starting groups. My father and I are going towards the last group 10. Håkan forgot to mention one rule for the seeding – you need to finish the preparation race before a certain time to be seeded. I finished the preparation race too late.

Coming early to the start helps for better position for the race — *Coming early to the start helps for a better position for the race*

It’s still dark outside but huge lights are lighting up the thousands of skis placed in the tracks. I am putting my new racing skis, which Håkan lend me for the race (Thank you so much!), somewhere in the middle of group 10 next to my father’s skis. Now it becomes real: we will really run Vasaloppet! Today, I will either finish or I will die! Other members of our bus have already placed their skis in better groups, and my father and I watch them warming up their muscles with exercises and runs. We decide to save as much energy as possible and we take a short nap in the bus before the race.

It’s 7:40. I am finishing the last snack before the start, and I am heading towards my skis. The atmosphere there is incredible. There is a tower in the middle of every starting group with dancers who have the task to warm up all the participants. Even my father and I dance to the Avicii songs. 5 minutes before the start all the dancers leave. We listen to Vasaloppets anthem, and I feel goosebumps.

Vasaloppet start 2022 — *Vasaloppet start*

The longest day of my life

BANG! The race is initiated. The elite racers move quickly towards the first hill. We wait for a couple of minutes until we can start moving. “Good luck, dad! See you in in Mora in 12 hours!” Our group 10 slowly moves forward. When we reach the first uphill the crowd stops. I see some space at the left of the track, and I manage to overtake some participants. I think I found a cool shortcut but it still takes a lot of time to get to the top of the initial hill. My watch says 65 minutes. Håkan was right.

I was surprised how many people I managed to pass. It must have been hundreds of racers. Very many of them chose the wrong waxing strategy and had to stop to re-wax their skis on both sides of the track. I made it to the highest point of the whole Vasaloppet without stopping. Here, the crowd finally starts moving. Let’s go racing.

For people who like downhills the first 11km to the first stop Smågan are amazing. After the initial climb, the route goes smoothly down, and you can pass a lot of slow racers. It was my favourite part of the whole race. From this point the route starts to be challenging. After Smågan, there are six more stops on the way. To manage the whole Vasaloppet, it is very important to get enough energy at every stop. At each of these stops you can get the famous Vasaloppet blueberry soup, energy drink, water, a broth, a bun and at some stops also coffee. The distances between stops vary between 9 to 13km so it’s good to study the map before so you can expect what comes next.

*One of great downhills but be careful: There are many falls every year. Google Vasaloppet Risberg falls if you want to laugh a little bit*

Plan your nutrition intake before Vasaloppet

I heard that many racers manage to complete the race just by taking what is offered during the race, but should I risk it? Since I have never experienced such a long race before, I didn’t dare to underestimate it. You might laugh at me, but I brought small pieces of bread and my favourite food for emergency – 5 small schnitzels.

It turned out to be a great food strategy. At every stop I took one of each of the offered drinks plus one small schnitzel and I had enough energy for the first 60km of the race. Even though the snow was slow and my speed was only around 10km/h, I never had to stop. I passed Mångsbodarna, Risberg, Evertsberg and Oxberg and two thirds of the race were behind me.

*A volunteer giving out blueberry soups to a racer*

Count on an unexpected crisis

After climbing to Oxberg I felt quite confident. I had heard that there shouldn’t be any large climbs anymore. I believed I would manage to finish the race. But here I made a mistake. I underestimated my energy intake and my waxing stopped working due to a change in temperature. I collapsed somewhere halfway on the way to the next stop at Hökberg. The situation was bad. I suddenly went out of energy, and I experienced a big crisis. I could only go very slowly, and I was scared that I will have to give up. Many racers were passing me, and I felt hopeless.

The worst Vasaloppet weather ever — When I saw this weather forecast before the race, I felt hopeless. It was very difficult to choose the wax strategy for the race on Sunday (Sorry, the screenshot is in Czech. Let me give you a short language lesson – pátek – Friday, sobota – Saturday, neděle – Sunday, pondělí – Monday, března – of March)

At this point only a miracle could save me. And the miracle occurred. Out of nowhere I saw an angel. There was a small girl standing next to the track. She was cheering on the racers with her father in typical Swedish: “Heja, heja” and she was giving out pancakes to those in need. When I heard her say “Vill du ha en pannkaka?” my emotions just got to me, and I started to cry of happiness. The pancake gave me enough energy to make it to the next stop at Hökberg. There was a waxing service which fixed my skies and I could continue.

*At the end of the race there are usually worse snow conditions. Save some energy for the last kilometers.*

The last 20 km hurt me everywhere in my body. I even felt pain in parts of my body where I didn’t know I have muscles. It was also getting dark but the supporting spectators along the way gave me enough energy to finish. At the last stop I took an extra boost by taking a coffee and at a time of 09:09:33 I successfully passed the finish line. What a feeling! Vasaloppet is finished!

*I made it! I finished Vasaloppet 2014!*

Now it’s just time to celebrate with my father and Håkan in a pub nearby over a local beer. We managed the Vasaloppet in one of the worst conditions in years. Out of 15800 who registered for the race only 11248 finished in 2014. We managed to beat for instance the Swedish ice hockey star Peter Forsberg who gave up his race somewhere between Evertsberg and Oxberg.

Back to the dream Vasaloppet 2022

Eight years later, the dream I had before Vasaloppet 2014 came true. Joanne and I just took a different role at the 100^th edition of Vasaloppet. This time I got a press accreditation to document the race. In this way I could return to my memories of my first Vasaloppet and show you pictures of how amazing the race is. If you consider doing the race, don’t hesitate for a moment. Even though it was the toughest physical exercise I ever experienced I would do it again. I actually already did. In my next post, I will tell you how Vasaloppet was in perfect vårvinter conditions, this time using a different skiing technique – skating/freestyle.

Vasaloppet goal — *See you soon Vasaloppet!*

Fun facts about Vasaloppet

Vasaloppet belongs to the four grand classic races. The other races are Italian Marcialonga, Czech Jizerska50, and Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet. A victory in all four races, a grand slam, gives the winner 100,000 Euros! If you get good enough in skiing you can also get pretty rich!
An average racer drinks over a litre of blueberry soup during Vasaloppet. During the whole Vasaloppet week 2022 (consisting of different races) the participants consumed 33,900 litres of blueberry soup, 28,000 litres of Enervit sport drink, 11,900 litres of vegetable broth, 3,100 litres of coffee and 200,000 Vasaloppet buns.
No littering! If a participant is found to have littered in or along the Vasaloppet course (which is a nature reserve) then he or she will receive a time penalty of 15 minutes.
The average age in Vasaloppet 2014 was 42.1 years. The youngest participant in Vasaloppet 2014 was 18 and the oldest was 87.
2.195 racers in 2014 were women which means 13,8% of all participants.
Racers from 73 countries participated in Vasaloppet 2014.
The average racer loses 3kg of body weight during a full Vasaloppet.
All 15 800 tickets for Vasaloppet 2014 were sold out in just 10 minutes!

Vasaloppet logistics — Vasaloppet organizes amazing logistics. You can leave your personal items in a plastic bag at the start and it will be delivered to the finish. Thanks to this service you can for instance prepare dry and warm clothes

My personal tips for your first Vasaloppet

Be ready to buy the ticket for Vasaloppet in time. They sell out in just a few minutes.
It’s recommended to start training at least two years before the race. During summer consider training on roller skis.
Try to participate in a race before to seed better than in the last starting group. Choose a race outside north of Sweden. There’s higher competition there, so it’s more difficult to qualify.
Take great care of your skis before the race. It’s worth spending some money for a professional waxing service.
Book your accommodation before the race close to the start at Sälen. You will have more time to sleep, and it will save you a lot of energy.
Plan your food strategy and test it before the race. Don’t experiment with something new on the race day.
Take some food at every stop on the way. You never know when a crisis gets you. Take some food with you for emergencies.

Come to Vasaloppet start in time — My last tip for you: Arrive well in advance so you don’t end up like these racers. Every year, hundreds of people come late to the start because of long traffic jams. You don’t want to miss the amazing start.

DISCLAIMER: Everything described in the dream actually happened. The only exception is the comfy camper van. We slept in a standard rental car and I have to admit: It could have been more pleasant. In -15°C we were pretty cold and when we got home we got sick. Rent a proper camper van.