Winter Adventure in Northern Dalarna

In a remote valley completely surrounded by tall wooded hills, we find lake Navar. On the banks of the lake is a charming grand cabin, a cottage and a sauna - the Navardalen wilderness lodge.

Navardalen is located northwest of Mora in the Dalarna region. We are in the land of boreal forests, mountains, lakes, mires and folklore. This is the part of Sweden we have in our minds eye when thinking of a time long gone, where many of our traditions have their roots.

We have the whole lodge area to ourselves and it's a lovely rustic and cosy atmosphere. Wood-fired heaters will keep us warm. Lanterns and candles give us light. A sauna and melted snow is our "bath". And a wild magical winter landscape right on our doorstep.

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Rännkölen is a stunning open landscape of snow-covered frozen mires and sparse trees, surrounded by deep boreal forests with tall ancient pines. It's an ideal area for our first steps on touring skis with small variations in altitude and actual tracks to follow.

We filled our thermoses with coffee and tea this morning, packed some firewood and find somewhere along the tracks to grill sandwiches on the fire along with a warming cup of soup.

Down in the valley after our skiing trip, we take a stroll around the Ribbåsen “Fäbodar”. They are small log houses, where farmers used to bring their cattle for grazing. Farmhands would stay in these little cottages all summer long, and most of them date back to the 1700s. A whole culture emerged from this way of life with cooking traditions, superstitions and folk music. This region is famous for these idyllic settings and their cultural heritage.

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We drive further north to the Anjosvarden nature reserve, a true wilderness, that is sometimes called Sweden's most southern alpine mountain peak. In truth, it's not really classified as such, but rather a fell with a high enough altitude to lack trees, the highest point is 764 m.a.s.l.

Our journey towards the peak offers some steeper inclines, but mostly quite flat terrain over frozen mires.

Mother nature offers up many types of snow. Maybe the crust is hard enough to tread on top, maybe the snow is powdery and deep. Perhaps the wind has created beautiful ripples across the snowy expanses. Either way, our touring skis are perfect for moving slowly through this amazing white landscape.

Along the way we’ll pass low lonely trees completely covered in snow. They create fantasmic shapes and forms often depicted in photographs from this wild and unique nature reserve.

Once at the top we enjoy lunch at the log shelter and if the weather is clear, we get a beautiful view of the Transtrand and Fulufjället mountains to the west.

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If everyone feels pretty confident on their skis and the weather is right, we’ll head off for a three day expedition across the Fulufjället mountain plateau, close to the Norwegian border.

The skis have built-in "skins", which gives them a good grip when going uphill and it's surprisingly easy, but strenuous. After a 3 km ascent, an expansive plateau of wind-swept snowy plains awaits. These are true alpine conditions, white as far as the eye can see, no trees and an amazing vista of the lowlands spreading out below.

Each of us pull a sled with everything we need to stay warm while winter camping.  A lightweight yurt gives us a sheltered place to cook, hang out & be merry in the evenings. The solitude up here and the sounds of the wind sweeping past our tents is hard to describe in words.

We may also dig a bivouac for those who are keen to spend the night in a cosy little hut made of packed snow instead.

Downhill is the tricky part of tour skiing and we're not expecting you to master any fancy manoeuvres. We take our time and move as slow as we need to, zigzagging down to the valleys below. Once completed, you are sure to feel an amazing sense of achievement - a true winter expedition!

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This is a very much a maybe on this trip, but if weather conditions are too severe to ski one day, we may head to the lowlands and lake Orsa.

Flying across frozen lakes on touring skates is one of the best feelings winter has to offer. Yet so few outside of Scandinavia ever get the chance to experience it. There is a reason - Nordic skating requires goldilocks type conditions. The ice has to be thick enough, but it cannot be covered with snow. It also takes a bit of practise to be able to move fast.

In this particular spot we're in luck! The ice on lake Orsa will definitely be very thick, but it may be snow-covered. However, the skating club around here plows a long wide track on the ice. It's not the same as glistening clear ice, but the surroundings are very beautiful in their own right. It's a perfect opportunity to learn, and we're quite sure you'll be prepared and inspired to return a different time to ideal skating conditions. We're planning Nordic skating tours further south in 2024, but you do need to be comfortable on a pair of skates to join.

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