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.

Jokkmokk’s Market 2026 Feb 10 2026

How time flies! It has been eight years since I visited Jokkmokk’s Market, the traditional Sámi market in Swedish Lapland that took place for the 421st time this year. This year I was lucky, because my friend Sascha had moved to Jokkmokk and so I had not only good company but also a place to stay. The weather was just perfect: the sun shone from a perfect blue sky and the air was calm with temperatures between -15 and -20 °C.

Thursday, 5 February

I had started my drive in Tromsø on Thursday morning and was pretty tired when I arrived in Jokkmokk the same day. It is almost 600 km of driving and the conditions in Finland had been rather bad: -4 °C and freezing drizzle. In Sweden, however, it had slowly started clearing up.

Friday, 6 February

On Friday I was up early. At eight o’clock the market was empty; it would open at ten. I went to the lake Talvatissjön, enjoying the crisp air and the sunrise colours. When I went back to the market the first stalls were open.

The market is famous for the Sámi culture being presented there. You can, for example, attend Sámi concerts and you can buy Sámi handicraft – often made of natural materials such as leather or reindeer hides.

But don’t let yourself be fooled by these images, because a market is a market and even on the Jokkmokk Market you can find cheap plastic clothing and plastic toys, made in you-know-where. I don’t like it but it is part of the market as well.

At 10:20, the sun peeped over the tents. And at 12:15 the traditional renrajden crossed the market.

The market gets its special atmosphere when it gets dark. I had my tripod with me and made some long-exposure photos to catch my favourite time of the day at the market.

Saturday, 7 February

On Saturday I joined Sascha while he was walking his dog Roxy. Next to the lake Talvatissjön there are countless ski trails and winter footpaths. We went up Storknabben (The Big Knob) from which you have a wide view of Jokkmokk and the surrounding forests. We were completely alone until we were almost back at the lake.

Then I went back to the market, this time to the elementary school Västra skolan. In the sports hall you can see arts and crafts from local artists. In the corridor and outside you can see arts and crafts from the local children. Which of them will become a professional artist later on?

At lunchtime I met friends from Umeå who visited the market this day and we went together to Talvatissjön to watch the reindeer race. I watched it with mixed feelings. It looks like fun for us humans but it seems pretty stressful for the reindeer.

Will I visit the Jokkmokk Market again? Very likely, but not every year.

Just a walk to the supermarket Jan 30 2026

I couldn’t find my small Sony RX100 camera so I took photos with my mobile when I took a walk to the supermarket on my lunch break today. In wintertime there are some hidden beauties on the walk there.

Bonus photo – taken at 16:55, just before my first Friday winter swim at Telegrafbukta beach. We were a group of around twenty people. Today’s challenge was not the swim itself (water temperature: 3 °C), but the vicious wind and the long walk into swimmable water due to the low tide.

Some afternoon photos of hoar frost in Tromsø Jan 22 2026

A weekend ski trip to Trollvassbu Jan 18 2026

It’s not the first time that Annika and I have visited the mountain cabin Trollvassbu. This time our friend Christine joined us on this ski trip.

At 10 o’clock we set of, Christine and Annika with backpacks and I with my camera backpack and pulka. And since there is a lot of space in a pulka – for example for all our sleeping bags – we could bring lots food with us for the evening and next day’s breakfast.

Navigating there has never been easier. Since it hasn’t snowed for twelve days the backcountry ski trail was not snow-covered and was very easy to follow. I have taken pictures of all the mountains already last year, but that’s no reason not to take more:

And there lies the mountain cabin Trollvassbu.

At first it was pretty crowded inside, but many were just on a day trip and didn’t stay overnight. Nowadays the head torches are so bright, that skiers can leave in the afternoon as well after it had become dark.

Like many mountain cabins, you heat Trollvassbu with a wood-burning stove and fetch water from the river nearby. It seems to be open all winter.

While I was taking long-exposure shots of the river, Christine was preparing a luxury dinner: reinskav with Spätzle. Reinskav is shaved reindeer meat and Spätzle traditional egg pasta from Swabia in the southwest of Germany. Thanks for cooking, Christine – so delicious!

In the evening it got warmer, and during the night the wind strengthened and turned very gusty. The next day showed that Yr, the Norwegian weather forecast, had been correct: it really had started raining.

After a long breakfast we got ready to leave Trollvassbu and ski back to the car park. This time the landscape looked colourless in the rain and the photos came out nearly black-and-white.

To our relief the wet snow did not slow us down and soon we arrived at the car park apparently guarded by this snowman with the top hat.

Now came the most dangerous part of our ski tour: crossing the car park that has transformed into a huge area of wet ice, which was almost frictionless. But no one slipped and fell, and we packed the car with all our wet stuff and left.

The parking place – bring out your ice skates

The weather on our way back could have been much better (and much worse), but it was fun to be out together. Shall we do it again later this winter?

Ski premiere 2026 in Tromsø Jan 11 2026

What do you do when it is Sunday, you sleep until 10 o’clock, have a long breakfast and want to go skiing, but the amount of usable light is quite limited? You take the car to the mainland, park by the Elvestrand Cemetery and ski to the lavvo of Gutta på Skauen (The Guys in the Woods). That’s what my wife Annika and I did today, when we slept until 10 o’clock, took a longer breakfast and wanted to go skiing.

With -15 °C it was significantly colder at the parking lot than in town. It took a while until the fingers got warm when we started skiing.

Behind us: the town of Tromsø on the island Tromsøya. In front of us after 2.6 km: the wooden lavvo.

It is an attractive destination amongst the locals, not only because it is near and the ski track is easy but also because the lavvo is open on Sundays between 12:00 and 14:00. A fire is burning and men – the guys in the woods – serve coffee and hot juice. The “lavvoboller” – the cinnamon rolls – that lie by the fire, you take yourself. Everything is free but a donation is always welcome.

Frozen water bottle from campers by the fireplace

We sat there for a while and then headed back taking a slightly different route. It had become darker and the light had changed.

At the parking lot we put our stuff into the car and I drove back. Around 15 minutes later we were back at the flat in Tromsø, where I took a final photo of the view from the balcony.

The time from deciding “let’s do it” to being back in our flat in Tromsø was less than three hours. Another reason why Tromsø is a cool town to live in.

Crisp and clear winter Jan 4 2026

After ten centimetres of snowfall, the sky cleared during the night and temperatures dropped. I woke up at one o’clock simply to see the full moon with a halo and Jupiter nearby. I resisted the urge to go back to bed and went outside to take a photo. What a beautiful sight, especially in combination with the wintry coast.

I also took some photos of the snow and the ice at the coast tonight. Nine hours later the sun managed to climb above the cloud layer that had gathered on the open sea. Time to take a photo of the same scene again.

I guess this is my favourite combination of winter weather: first snowfall and wind, then a clear sky and cold air. I took two other pictures from the same place. You can see the sunlit ice fog on the horizon, which forms when very cold air meets the open sea.

At noon my wife Annika and I took a promenade to the beach Vitskärsudden. The sea was still open, but a layer of ice had begun to form along the beach. The small harbour on the other side of the breakwater was covered with ice floes. When the sun is low ice and snow in the shadow often look blue, while in the sun they look orange.

Vitskärsudden – the beach starts to freeze-beach

13:52 – fifteen minutes before sunset – the landscape became even more colourful. We were back at our house in Obbola and I took some photos through the windows of the winter garden that were covered with frost. The temperature had dropped to -16 °C.

Now it is 17:37 and I sit writing this blog article. The temperature is now -20.4 °C. When you are outside at minus twenty degrees and inhale through your nose it tickles, because your nose hairs freeze. If you think that is cold, in Gielas in the Swedish mountains -40.7 °C were measured at 10 o’clock.

Tomorrow I will travel back to Tromsø. Then it will be a while before I see the sun again, as the polar night lasts until 15 January. It will also be less cold, but more snowy. At the moment there are 67 cm of snow there. And the great thing: winter has just begun!

Low water level in Obbola Dec 30 2025

On the evening of 23 December, it got colder and frost patterns formed on the windows of the unheated winter garden.

It takes some effort to cross the new layer of ice in the bay when my wife Annika and I go kayaking on the morning of Christmas Eve, but we manage and most of the sea is free of ice.

Two days later – on 26 December – the situation has changed. It has become much warmer – up to +7 °C – and the ice is gone.

Yesterday – on 29 December – the water is gone as well, maybe caused by the storm Johannes that crossed Sweden two days before.

Today I have a day off and used the sunny weather to take a long stroll by the coast. The water level is even lower at –66 cm, so I walk part of my route in the Baltic Sea. Air temperature is around -8 °C and so you can see ice on the sea and on land, as well as huge fields of boulders that normally are underwater. Some photos from this morning:

Larger parts of the shallow bay Nagelhamnsviken by the camping ground Fläse have completely fallen dry. That looks pretty strange, when you know how it normally looks like.

Large parts of Nagelhamnsviken have fallen dry.

The only thing we do not have at all in Obbola is any snow, but it seems to be a matter of days before it snows. And Tromsø – I’ll travel there at the end of the week – has 60 cm of snow right now.

30 days – 30 photos Dec 20 2025

19 November – Obbola, Sweden

The morning is cold. -14 °C. The sea has been freezing over. At the horizon lies a layer of clouds. Will they bring snow? Ice fog indicates open water. Later this morning I walk Spåret, the local circular hiking trail. There is hardly any snow, but the ice on the ponds is covered with frost patterns.

27–29 November – Obbola, Sweden

The weather has changed back from winter to autumn. Rain and storm dominate. The crushed sea ice gathers in our bay and big waves roll up the beach of Vitskärsudden. Even the last tiny bit of snow has gone.

1–2 December – Obbola and Umeå, Sweden

We got some centimetres of snow and Vitskärsudden looks completely different. Our plan to take the car to the inland with our German guests however was stopped by the weather. Too slippery the wet and icy roads. At least we make it to Umeå, where parts of the river Umeälven are frozen over.

3–4 December – Obbola, Sweden

The snow is gone. On 4 December my wife Annika and I leave our house behind …

4–5 December — Obbola, Gagsmark, and Pajala, Sweden / Palojoensuu, Finland

… and we are on our way to Tromsø. First stop is the village Gagsmark in Sweden, where we visit friends and stay over night. Next morning we continue our journey. We pass Piteå and Luleå, leave the E4 in Töre and take lunch in Vippabacken, a small restaurant with a back-room museum. We buy food in Pajala and cross the border to Finland. We stay the night in the village Palojoensuu.

6–7 December – Skibotn, Tromsø, Norway

The road between Palojoensuu (FIN) to Kilpisjärvi (FIN) is lonely. Beside of the village Karesuvanto (population: 140) hardly anyone seems to live here and only a few other cars pass. As soon as we cross the border to Norway snowy mountain ranges come into view. Near Skibotn we see the first fjord and at a quarter past two we arrive in Tromsø.

Next day is the second Sunday of advent but I only have a single candle. I have to cheat with a mirror.

7–13 December – Tromsø, Norway

I am member of two choirs and Christmas is near. That results in a pretty busy week, where I have three rehearsals and three concerts beside of my regular work. The first concert is in the hospital, which is in walking distance. While Obbola was free of snow 60 cm lie in Tromsø.

After the second concert, this time with the Sami choir Romssa Rástát we got Northern lights. Annika and I watch them from the balcony. I try to make photos with my Nikon and a tripod as well, but the aurora has weakened and I had some camera issues.

On Saturday we open the skiing season. It is polar night, so we ski round noon, when it isn’t dark. In the evening I am singing the last concert, this time with the choir Ultima Thule in the Tromsø Cathedral, a wooden church in the very centre of Tromsø.

15–18 December – Tromsø, Norway

On Sunday Annika travels back to Obbola. I will take bus and train a week later (that’s tomorrow) and spend the rest of the year there, too. Will we get a white Christmas? Probably not. It is plus degrees and rainy weather both in Tromsø and in Obbola. While the Christmas decoration in the office building looks cozy, the streets in the centre of Tromsø don’t. Brown ice and sleet and water puddles dominate and it is extremely slippery.

On Thursday I have a special workplace: The research ice breaking vessel Kronprins Haakon lies in the port of Tromsø for two days. I walk down with my spiked Icebug shoes. On board of the ship I test some of my software components that read from the ship’s systems. It is always a relief to see your software to work in real life, not only with simulations. And I get a free lunch :-) . I get a bit nostalgic. I joined three scientific cruises on board of this ship. Will I ever join a cruise again, standing on the helicopter deck while we break through the ice? I hope so.

A photo of another Northern light in the evening ends this photo series.