Peak: Christmas full moon 24th December 2023. Darkest month of the year.
More people have summited Mount Everest, than climbed Kebnekaise during midwinter (one story “Kilimanjaro was a walk in the park compared to this” it was end of March and they failed) (webcamera)
Kebnekaise is Swedens highest mountain. It is only 2100 meters high, but its still 1600 meter to ascend and it is above the arctic circle. Summertime it is just a hard trek with hostels at the base of the mountain.
Wintertime it is a real challenge. Dark (5 hrs light a day), cold as fuck and possible storms, and no hostels open. 2016 I failed reaching the top, (and I am a person that has climbed Everest to 7000meters). Not even Swedish mountain military commandos train here during this month, they wait until march to play around here.
So this means one has to be trained and prepared, and with the right gear.
We are inviting team members… the more the merrier. But you must abide the rules, do the training and bring the ´gear.
I suggest only aiming for the south top (its a few meters lower). North top is bloody dangerous, especially during winter.
Schedule Two schedules (alternative schedule to reach peak at shortest night and slower pace)
17th Weather check + start travelling to HFA (14th)
18th team assembles at Hastekasen (15th)
20th leave Hastekasen farm — (17th)
(20th camp out, 21st booked hostel)
22rd Park Cars at Nikaluokta (camp out or hostel (500skr)) — (19th)
23rd 05.00 start ski to base camp (K station: closed?) — (20th)
Peak at: 2023 December 24th at the fullmoon — (22nd)
(or one day later, we may need to make an ABC camp)
25th camp below — 23rd
26th reach cars – mega sauna, dinner, bed at Hotel (800-1000skr) — (24th)
29th return to Hastekasen — (28th)
+ 3 extra days if weather goes bad.
Weathercancel: 18th December decision (15th)
– If rain = cancel
– If colder than -20 = cancel or delay
– If more than 13 m/s = cancel or delay
Alternative activity if weather cancel?
Route
Hastekasen – Nikaluokta 1600km (to bring the Van will cost about 9000skr) (4 maybe 5 people = 2500 skr travel costs)
Nikaluokta – Base camp 20km skies
Summit attempt + 17km and 1600 height meter
(Strong people create ski tracks, carry shared gear / sled and set up first tents, boil hot water)
First stage:
Skiing 20 km in one day with heavy gear in deep snow, darkness, maybe in bad weather is – tough. We should seek the scooter trails, head for the lake and ski on the lake. We may want to use the full moon whenever we can.
Camp with tents in lee of the station. Dump gear here.
Second stage:
Start of with skis, that may only work a few 100 meters. With special skis one may be able to go higher. Switch to snow shoes.
Walking 1600 height meter in heavy snow in darkness is probably impossible to do in one day. Lets bivouac 2/3 up. Dump more gear and do the last stage whenever weather and moon says yes.
Third stage: Summit attempt. Trick is not to get lost and fall down the ravine (east side), visibility can be low. We may have to walk very slow. Weather can change in a few hours. We must make it back to the bivouac.
Any attempts at North top must be done alpine style, crampons, ice pick e t c in good conditions.
Fourth stage: going down, can be done pretty fast, stay together – this is when people get injured and die. We may have strength to just short rest at base camp at the station and then ski non-stop to Ninaluokta and a hot shower/dinner.
Level of training video
Many compare the effort of the climb SUMMERTIME as running a marathon!
If you join, make sure you can do the following:
10k under 1hr
4.5 hrs walk with 20 kilo back pack (in the same boots as intended)
Treadmill 15% elevation, 4km/h for 1h
Ski for 4h (also added training with roller skies)
Use the walkie treadmill in the gym to train ski movement (use your boots)
Walk 30 km with 15kg backpack (in the same boots as intended)
Everyone must be able to memorize the route without map
Gear
Cars must have winter tires (dubb)
Goose feather clothing + goggles
Skies & snow shoes and crampons
(Randonnée ?) (Ice axe ?) (transceivers for avalanche ?)
– 18 sleeping bag
Map, compass, super headlamp, one carbine hook
Fully charged mobile with powerbank
Personal kitchen + 4 kilo food + snacks
e t c
(HFA has: tents, maybe gas kitchens, compass, whistles, sled, 5 seater car, walkie talkies some sleepingbags (but not that warm).
Lavin tecken:
– Mycket snöande
– Plötsligt varmare väder /regn
– Laviner har nyligen skett
– Ljud av snömassor
– Att gå i läsluttningar är farligt speciellt om det är en nord/nordöstsluttning.
1 av 4 dör i laviner
Utrustning: – Sändare – Lavin ryggsäck – Lavin sond, Typ pinne
Shared gear:
Sled
Two snow shovels
30 meter rope with “puller”
Walkie talkies
First aid bag
Rules
– Each person turns when ever they want (live to fight another day).
– Know your limits, don’t be macho and destroy he expedition.
– Be ready to turn even if its just a 100 meters left.
– See the weather cancel rules.
– No body goes alone.
– We may split up in two man teams.
– We can change teams along the way, depending on ambition.
– If some one is injured we may split the team, some continue, some return.
– If some one dies we abort.
Facts
1800 m a small hut (only protects for wind)
2040 m a small hut (only protects for wind)
The western route takes you to the plateau and a glacier, here it gets dangerous until the south top, from there to the north top is VERY dangerous.
Moon rises around 3PM and is up all night until 9.00 in the morning. Fullmoon is at 27th.
Team
Sebastian
Max
Rami ?
Axel ?
Peter ?
Mati ?
Daniel ?
Questions:
Will there be mobile connection? Probably not always.
How accurate will GPS be?
Are we ready to build a bivouac half way up and sit there and wait out a possible storm? For how many days?
Which road up? Coast or inland?
When does the moon rise?
Om man behöver stanna innan toppen kanske punkt C är lämplig, just innan den värsta stigningen börjar.