In mid-May, freeriders made their way to Lapland in the far north to enjoy the last powder days of the 2010 season 200 km above the Arctic Circle. That was the plan, but instead they experienced the heaviest snowmelt for many years in Riksgränsen. But even this couldn't stop them from climbing Nordalsfjäll, heliskiing in the midnight sun and, of course, exploring the off-piste area of Riksgränsenfjället!
During the 130 km bus ride from Kiruna Airport to Riksgränsen, we had time to chat with the bus driver from Kiruna. He said that the temperature was currently around +10 °C above normal. There were only patches of snow to be seen in Kiruna. Not a good omen for a week of freeriding in Riksgränsen...
From our apartment, we then had a breathtaking view of the huge frozen lake below us and the surrounding snow-covered mountains. Finally arrived in Riksgränsen after a journey of over 2,000 km!
Extreme snowmelt and treacherous avalanche situation
We immediately began to gather information about the current freeride situation. An avalanche warning level 2 was issued, but Andreas, a mountain guide who was present, explained to us that this was only valid for the ski area and that all areas outside the ski area should, in his opinion, be assessed as avalanche warning level 4-5 due to the heavy soaking of the snow cover. He also told us that we were currently experiencing an unusual rise in temperature within two days. This information put an abrupt end to our dreams of spring powder in the far north.
The temperature actually rose by over +15 °C within a day. It hardly cooled down at night either, which resulted in exceptionally heavy snowmelt. This caused streams of meltwater to form under the snow cover and pockets of water formed in the flatter terrain, posing a high risk of collapse. Flooding at the bottom station of the chairlift also damaged its electrical system, which meant that the lift could not operate for two days anyway. Kindly, the cost of the ski passes for both days was refunded in full.
But that wasn't enough. The road to Riksgränsen was also flooded shortly after our arrival and the telephone network and internet were also down for a whole day.
With these first impressions and a few Swedish beers, we began our adventure in Riksgränsen.
Freeride at Riksgränsenfjället
The enormous snowmelt and the failure of the chairlift didn't stop us from skiing. Instead, we got out our skins and walked along the slope to the upper part of the ski area. Mattias, a local mountain guide, showed us the surrounding area as we ascended. The ski touring and heliskiing area is easily visible.
After about 1.5 hours of ascent, we arrived at the highest point of Rikgränsenfjället (909 m above sea level). All the freeride runs that can be reached with the lifts start from here. The terrain offers something for every freerider: wide slopes, steep steps and cliffs. The runs to Riksgränsen are moderate in the upper section with several steep steps that invite you to drop. In the lower section, the terrain becomes noticeably steeper and the cliffs higher. The slopes in Börjnfell are consistently steep at the top and interspersed with cliffs. Unfortunately, there was not enough snow to ski and explore them. The descents to Katterjakk are wide open flat slopes.
You can let off steam here for several days and get your money's worth. After several off-piste runs and an initial orientation, we decided to explore the rest of the backcountry and climbed Nordalsfjäll.
Nordalsfjäll, the mountain of the Scandinavian Big Mountaion Championship
A path trodden by the participants of the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championship (SBMC) led us about 150 meters up through steep terrain to the Nordalsfjäll (1,051 m above sea level). Once we reached the top, we had a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains. From here you can see the glaciated mountains of Norway and Sweden. If there is enough snow, you can ski as far as the Norwegian fjord, which can be seen from here.
The extreme rise in temperature also had a massive impact on the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships held here. The snow cover on the Nordalsfjäll, already heavily destabilized by the heat, was followed by fog and rain. This led to the first qualification day being canceled. This year, around 140 freeriders took part in the Alpine Men, Alpine Women, Telemark and Snowboard categories. One qualification run took place on the northern slope of Nordalsfjäll. We were able to watch some impressive runs by the riders in very steep terrain with 10 m cliff jumps. As the weather situation did not improve, the contest the next day was only held for the telemarkers and snowboarders.
Due to some 'fish mouths' we decided on relatively moderate downhill lines from Nordalsfjäll. Once we skied the north side and another time the east side. We are convinced that with good snow conditions even more great runs can be made from Nordalsfjäll. The runs on the north side in particular can be classified from extreme to easy. Downhill runs with a gradient of over 40-45° are definitely possible here. If you are as fearless as the SBMC participants in incorporating cliff jumps into the line, then an adrenaline rush is guaranteed!
With skins, other surrounding mountains such as Vassitjokka can also be climbed. However, the weather did not permit any tours into the backcountry. Climbing under your own steam protects you from the infamous "heli-belly", but such a heli flight has its very own charm here in Lapland...