Thursday 3/1

The hard winds continued through the night, but I mostly slept well anyway. Come the morning the inside of the cottage – and especially the kitchen, since it directly faced the wind – was fairly chilly, so I fired up the stove straight away. Soon enough other people began showing up, and then the warden came with a prognosis that held no significant differences compared to the previous days. I had a calm breakfast and then turned to packing, while the wind roared outside; visibility wasn't too bad, however, and right above there was a hole in the cloud cover. By the time I got going (09:45) it had also started snowing lightly, and this time the couple with the dog had already left for Vålådalen.

I was surprised to find that just after the first downhill slope the wind all but died down altogether. The fairly extensive amounts of snow that had fallen in the past few days was easy to ski on/through, and the tracks from the people ahead of me facilitated things further. These I again caught up with after a few kilometers, and after another chat I took the lead once more. There were light gusts of wind here and there, but on the whole the hard variety seemed confined to the upper reaches. As the result also this time was that my clothing was perhaps a bit warmer that necessary I fell into a slow pace, enjoying the wintery landscape which was at times tinted by that weak but warm indirect light.

To the east a large patch of clear sky was to be seen, but along the trail there was no cessation in the snowfall. I then met one skier so from there on I had tracks to follow again, and after passing the trail to Grönvallen the clouds extended their range further. Just after one of the prepared ski tracks from Vålådalen showed up I chanced to glance upon a stone formation in the shape of a low wall, and saw fit to set up lunch camp there around 11:15.

Rough start

A warm light...

...on the silent snow

Steady snowfall

Nice enough tracks

Still snowing

Back support

I had not been on my behind for long before the dog-couple passed me by, without detecting my presence. I sat there for quite some time, oblivious to the snow that fell on me. When I finally decided that it was time to get up I heard sounds, and two other guests from Lunndörren emerged. These did detect my presence, and since they too were about to make lunch camp they simply opted to adopt my site. Myself, I started off along the northbound trail again; the weather seemed on the verge of clearing, but then it turned worse instead, with only a patch of sky showing. I met a dogsled some distance down, and when I got closer to Vålådalen parts of Ottfjället started showing. It was a bit warm, but there were also some easterly wind every now and then which alleviated such sensations. Once at the foot of Vålåsen I crossed paths with a snowmobile, and then there was only a short bit to go up to the station.

Worse visibility again

The ski slope of...

...Vålådalen

I took off my skis outside the main building at 13:30, immediately running into a familiar dog with owner. Since I had about an hour to spare before the taxi-bus to Undersåker was to arrive I walked around both inside and outside the complex. Outside, however, there was more snow and wind than before, so I kept that to a minimum. One has to say, though, that Vålådalen has a very welcoming as well as soothing atmosphere; the interior of the main building is not to be missed. I had a final snack during which the two who had taken over my lunch camp came in, and then it was time to go out to the waiting transfer vehicle, and subsequent train back to Östersund.