Winter Week in the Navar Valley

We tour on skis in nearby nature reserves, including the vast forests and frozen wetlands of Norra Mora Vildmark. This is true wilderness, where we make our own tracks across the snow. Old spruce and pine stand close before thinning into wide mires where the horizon stretches beneath the unbroken blanket of snow. The terrain is softly rolling rather than mountainous. We're stepping into a wild winter landscape – in a way that’s easy, unhurried, with a warm sauna waiting for us back at the cabin. One evening, that turns into something more – a proper sauna ritual. I’s a sensory experience shaped by the same elements as the day: cold, warmth, and stillness.

Another day, a local guide joins us for several hours of traditional kurbits painting, learning the flowing organic forms and colours rooted in Dalarna’s heritage. The style is surprisingly approachable – even simple shapes and patterns quickly come together into something beautiful. We sit inside by wood-fired heaters and candlelight, focused and relaxed.

For those who feel drawn to spend more time outdoors instead, one of our guides leads a more demanding outing than our other ski days. We head to the remote heights of Anjosvarden–sometimes called Sweden’s southernmost alpine peak. In truth, it’s a fell, rising high enough to stand above the tree line. Our journey to the top includes some steeper inclines, but is mostly flat, crossing broad frozen mires. Along the way, we pass low, solitary trees completely covered in snow, "opplega", forming fantastical shapes and silhouettes. If the weather is clear, we get sweeping views of the Transtrand and Fulufjället mountains to the west.

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