Early spring in Tromsø Apr 13 2026

Saturday morning my car was covered with frost. But don’t be fooled by the photo, because winter in Tromsø is gone and in the lower parts of the city the wild flowers tussilago bloom everywhere together with planted flowers such as crocuses or scillas. The first butterflies and bumblebees fly from blossom to blossom and winter seems to be just a memory.

Yesterday my wife Annika and I went on a trip to Kvaløya.

With the flowers in mind I am surprised to see a thin layer of ice on the sea at the bay at Eidkjosen.

We take the road 862 to Sommarøya through the valley Kattfjorddalen. Although the elevation is only 150 metres, it is still winter here although the edge of the lake Kattfjordvatnet starts to melt. We see many cars with kayaks passing by while most cars parking here belong to ski tourers.

We park our car before the tunnel and walk along some sandy beaches. The sun is warm enough that we walk back in T-Shirts. On one of the hills I spot another flower that uses to bloom quite early – the purple saxifrage, one of the northernmost plants in the world.

Saxifraga oppositifolia – purple saxifrage

Next stop is Sommarøya were we take a short circular tour. Beside of some patches all snow is gone. On the water there are large flocks of common eiders – you can hear them from everywhere.

Back again through Kattfjorddalen. Some skiers return, others just start their tour, while tourists are standing around enjoying the scenery which is probably very exotic to many of them.

We turn left and head to Tromvik to visit the café Søstrene Kafè. It is quite a detour but it is worth it – both for the scenery and the café. And yes – I like the harbour, too.

Finally I take a detour by car to the village Rekvik. The road is pretty rough, but again the scenery is awesome.

From here it is 53 km home. I drive back without further stops. We have seen a lot and it is fair to call the tour “Norway in a nutshell”. Only the mammals were missing. No reindeer, no seals and no otters.

Note: the text is just a draft. I publish the article anyway and will polish it later.

Spring winter in Tromsø Apr 6 2026

You want spring? Go to the left.

You want winter? Go to the right.

This may be exaggerated a bit, but in the spring winter season you really can have both. Spring feelings by the shore and winter as soon you leave shore and gain a bit of altitude. Yesterday I took the first two photos near Tromsø airport, The other two photos I took today, when Annika and I were skiing with a friend in the valley Tønsvikdalen.

A winter night with northern lights Mar 28 2026

When I returned to Tromsø two weeks ago a lot of snow had melted due to a warm and rainy period. Last weekend I took a rainy hike by the coast on the island Kvaløya, where it was free of snow and I saw the first flowering tussilago.

In the last few days it has become a bit colder and today’s precipitation came as snow, making the street white again, at least for a while.

At ten o’clock I went onto my balcony to look for Jupiter and the Moon I saw faint northern lights. Should I take a chance and try to take some photos? I grabbed my equipment, winter boots and a down jacket, took the car to the kindergarten, where a path leads to the ski runs and I went to the small pond. Luckily, the aurora was still present though not strong. I put the camera on a tripod and started taking pictures. The sky was slightly purple – was it the Moon, or what caused the colour? I do not know.

The aurora was quite low and weakened and reappeared several times. After half an hour it reappeared again, gained shape and movement – although it was not very bright.

Then it started to rise more and more …

… until it reached the zenith, where it slowly flickered back and forth for a while. Since I didn’t take my fisheye lens with me I didn’t take any more photos.

I had been standing there in the snow by the small pond for about 50 minutes. The down jacket I wore was warm enough but quite short and my legs were really freezing, although it was only around -4 °C. When the aurora weakened I went back to the car and drove home with a plan in mind: when the aurora was still present, I would change to my Canada Goose down parka and pants (the warmest clothes I have) and drive back. Anyhow, when I parked the car in front of the door of my apartment, the aurora was gone.

Skiing to Njunjes Mar 22 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-03: Ski tours”.

Monday, 9 March

Last week, in our second week of holiday my wife Annika and I wanted to visit the stugvärdarna – the cabin hosts – of the Swedish mountain cabin Aktse. We had loads of food with us, among others chicken filet.

It is 16 km by ski from the car park Sitoälvsbron. Or would have been if the road to the car park had been cleared of snow. However, when we tried to drive there, the last 13 km of the road were just a snowmobile track not suited for cars. So we had to change plans.

At the Kvikkjokk Fjällstation we could sit inside and use wifi and bathroom to make new plans. We decided to stay there a night and to ski to Njunjes – the nearest cabin of the Padjelantaleden – the next day.

Tuesday, 10 March

After breakfast Annika packed her backpack and I packed my pulka and we started our ski tour to Njunjes. The first part is on the river Darreädno/Tarraätno – by boat in summer, on the ice in winter. More or less the whole river was covered with snowmobile tracks and they were so icy that I put off my skis and walked using spikes under my ski boots.

I stopped and asked Annika: Do we have the chicken filet with us? No, we didn’t, we forgot it in the fridge.

Later the snowmobile trail continued in the forest. Here it was easier to ski despite the warm weather with above-freezing temperatures. It was apparent that there had been not much snow this season and occasionally you could see patches free of snow.

Wet and icy snow, grey weather, a snowmobile track through the forest – I didn’t take many photos of this dull scenery. It seemed to take ages until we finally got a view of the cabins. But first we had to cross wet and icy terrain were we broke through into a few centimetres of water several times. According to the map there is neither a lake nor a bog. Maybe it was a partially frozen meltwater pond.

But then after about 17 km we arrived at the cabins of Njunjes where we were welcomed by the hut warden. The main cabin of Njunjes is a “Fjällstuga 65”, sometimes called Abrahamssonstugan. It was renovated lately and the new wood-burning stove is just awesome!

Our skis and ski skins were soaking wet from the final stretch but at least we ourselves stayed dry, because luckily the forecasted rain came later after we already had arrived.

Wednesday, 11 March

On this day we took a rest day. I was up early and went out to watch the sunrise because rain and clouds had disappeared overnight. What a beautiful morning!

The rest of the day we were pretty lazy. While Annika was reading in the sun (and my pulka was drying) I was taking some photos nearby.

Annika is reading and the pulka is drying in the sun

It was quiet, but occasionally we could hear loud rumbles. The southern cliff of the mountain Njunjesvárre was dewing in the sun and the large ice blocks were thundering downwards. This added some drama to the otherwise peaceful scenery.

In the afternoon Annika started to make food. Although we forgot the chicken filet we still had loads of other food, among others feta cheese, peppers, zucchini, and onions, all of them dried at home by Annika in the weeks before. This home-dried food has to be soaked in water for hours, so the resting day was a good opportunity to use it. In the evening we got a very delicious dinner.

Thursday, 12 March

Time to return to Kvikkjokk. The mountains were cloud-covered and it had snowed over night. Just one centimetre or two, but enough to make the scenery look a bit more wintry and more important: to make the icy track a bit smoother to ski. Before we started I fetched water from the river. About 200 metres away the river is partially open and there is a bucket to fetch water with and a funnel to pour it into the canister. I pulled the heavy canister after me back to the cabin. Now there was water and wood for the next guests to come.

Then we packed our things, cleaned the room and said goodbye to the friendly warden. And off we went, taking a slightly different track in the beginning. I only took some photos on our way back and none at all in the forest.

This day we realised again that of course you can ski here, but the omnipresent vehicle is the snowmobile. We met about fifty on our way back. In the last kilometres most of river was more or less covered with their tracks. But then we saw other skiers gliding effortlessly on the other side of the river. We skied there and right: there was a freshly prepared cross-country ski trail that we used until we were in Kvikkjokk.

A zillion snowmobile tracks on the river

A freshly prepared ski trail on the river

Here we picked up the forgotten chicken filet, bought something to drink and put everything into the car. This night we would stay in Solberget, the touristic wilderness retreat that I visited the first time in 2005. We had three-hour car drive ahead of us but it was still early and probably we would make it not only for the dinner but also for the sauna before. And yes – we made it. The smoked reindeer in creamy sauce was delicious!

Sunday, 15 March

Annika was back in Obbola, I was back in Tromsø. I finally fried and ate the chicken filet.

Ski tour in the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park – day three Mar 8 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-03: Ski tours”.

4 March 2026

Today is the third and last day of the ski tour Annika and I are doing in the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. We slept in the hut Hannukuru. We expect to ski about 15 km and parts of it will be on groomed cross‑country ski trails. Day one of our tour was snowy and windy, day two was foggy, but today the sun is shining.

After our morning routines – breakfast, packing, cleaning – we set off at 09:45 local time. (Finland is one hour ahead of Central European Time.) We follow the trail back a hundred metres, cross the small lake and to our surprise we already meet the cross-country ski trail.

I expected to ski at least half the distance without any groomed trail, now it feels like “civilisation”. At the same time the calm weather and the blue sky give a completely different impression than the days before. First we have wide views of the snowy landscape and the mountains in the distance and many trees are covered in hoarfrost and snow.

We slowly descend into a large conifer forest and the terrain gets a bit hilly. A sign says “Vaarallinen lasku” which means dangerous slope. I walk a small section of this stretch but most of the trail is easy to ski.

We take a short break in the Varkaanjärven kota, not because we need to rest but because it’s there. Two young skiers arrive, looking for matches. They want to ski up to Hannukuru. As most skiers here they have cross-country skis, not the broader backcountry skis that we are using. Probably they are four times faster uphill then we are downhill.

Now we can see the first huts, houses, a snowmobile trail and then we arrive in the village Vuontispirtti. At the hotel Tunturihotelli we take a cold coke and I eat a sandwich. Our ski tour has come to an end. Not the planned one but a good one.

The distances: 17 km + 11½ km + 13½ km, summing up to 42 km.

Our speed: 2.8 km/h in average including all shorter and longer breaks.

Will I – or we – do another ski tour in Finland? A few days ago I definitely had denied this idea. Now, while blogging I see the tour and the landscape much more positively. So my answer: I don’t know. Ask me again a bit later.

Ski tour in the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park – day two Mar 7 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-03: Ski tours”.

When I wake up in the hut Sioskuru in the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park the scenery has changed since yesterday. Thick fog makes the world small and the few visible trees are all covered with frost.

Time to light the stove in our small room.

Yesterday we started our ski tour in Hetta, today we want to continue on to Hannukuru, the next cabin. The distance is shorter than that of the previous day and although it is foggy the weather is calm. At 9:45 we set off. We pass the wooden bridge and ski into the fog.

It is like skiing through a contemporary art exhibition with us being the only visitors. There is fog and there are some frosted trees, some of them are real beauties. And there is silence.

Slowly we gain elevation. Fewer and fewer trees grow here. I’m glad about the wooden waymarks, it would be an effort to navigate through the fog in this featureless landscape.

After crossing this plateau, we descend a bit and are below the timberline again. The fog has started lifting, but it is still grey.

I am still a bit exhausted from the day before but I cannot explain why it is so hard to ski today. It is as if the landscape is bewitched and sucks all my energy, motivation and happiness from my body, my mind and my soul. More and more I have to stop, lean forward on my ski poles and ask myself why I should ski another metre. We are getting slower and slower and it feels like Dementors from Harry Potter’s magical had gathered here in this bleak nothingness. I stop and shout my frustration into the void with words not suitable for publication. Then another nine and a half metres of skiing. A stop. Some more steps. And so on.

After two hours something happens. The clouds have started breaking up and all of a sudden the sun is coming out. It is maybe only half a minute but it helps me to look ahead again. I’m still exhausted but I can see the beauty of the landscape again and of course I know that we will reach the next cabin.

There are more and more trees and in another small hollow we even spot something we yet didn’t see: rocks!

After 11.7 km (and more than 5 hours) we reach the hut Hannukuru, or rather the wilderness village of Hannukuru. There are several huts, woodsheds, outhouses and a sauna. We search our pre-booked shared rental hut, unlock “Hannukuru Hanna” – the room on the right – and inside I spot the most beautiful collection of kindling I’ve ever seen in my life.

While Sioskuru was pretty small and more a mattress room, this spacious room provides bunk beds for twelve people and a giant wood-burning stove.

I am eating part of the chocolate that I forgot we had with us. Annika is soaking dried potatoes and vegetables for the dinner: frittata. Delicious!

Before dinner we plan the next day’s route. We cannot change it – the skiing distance to Nammalakuru, the next hut is 21 km with a tedious ascent in the end. We are considering to change our plans and ski east instead. Reason one: the long distance, likely in untracked terrain. Reason two: the weather forecast that predicts warm temperatures with sleet and freezing rain.

A Finnish couple in the other room knows the area well and shows us the options. We decide to ski east to the small ski resort Vuontispirtti. This also means that we can sleep longer the next day. When three other skiers invite us to use the sauna after them we gladly accept. What a wonderful end of a quite strange and tiring day. And yes – Finnish saunas are hot!

Ski tour in the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park – day one Mar 6 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-03: Ski tours”.

08:50 – everything is packed for starting our ski tour through the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park. My wife Annika wears a backpack, I’m dragging a pulka. Today’s destination is the hut Sioskuru.

We ski down to the lake and turn left onto one of the cross-country ski trails. The weather is grey, it has started snowing.

Skiing on the trail is easy. We soon enter the national park and after two hours we reach the hut Pyhäkero.

The Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park has a whole network of open wilderness huts, where you can stay for free. There is a wood-burning stove or fireplace, a gas cooker and a platform to sleep on. No mattresses, no luxury, but everything you need on a tour without the need for a tent and a cooker.

Some of the huts have locked rooms that you can pre-book for a small fee.

Outside of the hut Pyhäkero there is a signpost with all the destinations you can reach on foot in summer and on ski in winter. And since we are in Finland the names are quite long, such as Onnasvaaranreitti, Sammalvaaranreitti, or Postituvaniärvet. We have only 8 km to ski to Sioskuru today, where we pre-booked two beds. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

A piste groomer is passing the hut. Will it groom our trail? No, it just turns back. At the same time the wind is increasing, and so is the snowfall. Unfortunately the weather forecast was correct.

First we traverse a gorge that leads slowly uphill.

Then we reach more open terrain. The wind is pretty strong, it is snowing and you cannot make out anything except the trees, that look like being placed randomly in the plateau. Luckily, the path is well marked with wooden crosses.

The snow gets deeper, the terrain steeper and each metre we ascend is extremely exhausting. Again and again we have to rest to catch our breath. It takes us two hours until we finally spot the hut Sioskuru. Two hours, in which didn’t take a single picture in these two hours.

It takes some effort to unlock the frozen lock, then we are inside. Now it is time for us to defrost our faces, change clothes and enjoy the shelter of the hut. While the wind and snowfall are slowly declining, we are settling in, making fire and cooking food. We skied 17 km, but I am very exhausted, my legs hurt and I am very glad to have arrived.

The next day we will continue to Hannukuru, which is, fortunately, a shorter distance.

Reindeer on the road Mar 5 2026

This article is part of the series “2026-03: Ski tours”.

On Monday my wife Annika and I took the car from our house in Obbola, Sweden to Hetta in Lappi, Finland’s northernmost region. It was almost given that we would see reindeer on our 676-km drive. And we saw a herd of at least one hundred reindeer from the car.

However, we didn’t spot them in Överkalix, Pajala, or Palojoensuu, we saw them right in the beginning, just 2 km from our house. That is not a common sight at all, but it can happen when the Baltic Sea is frozen.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Hetan Kota, our accommodation for the night. The next day, we would start our first ski tour in Finland, directly from the doorstep.

Ice, ice, spring, ice and snow Mar 1 2026

It is mid-February in Obbola in Sweden. Dear friends are visiting us. The Baltic Sea is frozen. On the ice there is a layer of snow. On 16 February we walk from our house to and across the sea ice to a nearby beach. Three days later we do the same with skis.

Three days later I see the sea from above, because Annika and I are visiting part of my family in Augsburg in Germany. 100% sea ice coverage in the northern Baltic Sea, open water near Stockholm.

Augsburg is a striking contrast. First, it chilly and rainy, but then it gets warm. On our last day we are sitting outside for lunch, enjoying the warm sun while bees and bumblebees are visiting the thousands of spring flowers. It’s like another world!

Two days later we fly back the same way. The sea ice is segmented by many shipping lanes. I can even spot one of the Swedish icebreakers – probably the vessel Ymer – which keeps these channels free of ice during the winter.

In the afternoon we are home again in our house by the sea in Obbola.

However we are not here for long. For the next two weeks we will be on our backcountry skis, first in Finnish Lapland, then in Swedish Lapland.

The sunset was too early Feb 15 2026

Today we had another clear morning with a temperature of -23 °C and not a single cloud. According to SMHI and The Photographer’s Ephemeris sunrise at our place in Obbola was at 07:32 today. While I was still walking on the sea ice to have a better view of the sunrise the sun already appeared – three minutes too early. The reason for this is atmospheric refraction due to an inversion above the ice that bends the light and so “lifts up” objects in the distance.

$Sunrise and atmospheric refraction$

To the right in the photo: The lighthouse Storbränningen, which I visited two days ago. It is about 4 km away. I could also spot the lighthouse Väktaren – 7 km away – although the distance to the horizon is technically only 4.5 km. I can even still see some construction far, far away on a bearing of 140° but I haven’t worked out what it is. Finland perhaps … ?

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