Finally another spring tour! I have missed them, for sure, and this one marked a stellar return to form, short though it was – I could hardly have asked for better weather. To be sure, temperatures were colder than they have usually been, and the snow depth was greater than during the past few years, so it is perhaps more fitting to call it a winter tour – save for the fact that the sun was as warm as it was.

It was great visiting Gåsen again, not least – also again – under such perfect conditions. Can't get enough of that place! In retrospect the decision to go to the summit in the morning rather than the afternoon was a good one, since it both made for more evenly distributed daily efforts and offered a (slight) change in light from the usual time. Going to Stensdalen was always going to be a bit of a gamble since it was almost guaranteed that a large number of people would be out and about given the weather, even though I judged that spending Saturday night there would have been more crowded still. As it was, it worked out all right, and on the whole I am quite satisfied with my choice of direction and starting time for the tour.

This time there was no shortage of snow whatsoever on the last leg to Vålådalen, and once again the detour to Kyrkstenen was most worthwhile. Having travelled the woodland trail so many times at this point I really like to avoid it if possible, and visiting the standing stone is a good way of doing just that, offering much better views and an increased feeling of adventure. Good show.

As for the afflicted edge, it never gave me any trouble – or seemed about to do so – even though it was a bit of a shame that it prevented me from trying proper telemark turns when conditions so allowed (which, to be fair, was not too often). Still, the skis may have some life left in them yet. I was also happy to find that the ski boots, which have been giving me trouble on several tours before, now behaved well, much thanks to updated lacing techniques and the use of different soles. So, equipment-wise: check.

That's it for this winter, I believe. The coming summer will see me taking care of the Vaimok cottage as warden for a while, which marks another return to form, as it were...