O.A.S. (Outdoor Academy of Scandinavia) Experience Winter Sweden 2010

Taking my bags from the airport arrivals to the coach that would take the group that had gathered, to Vålådalen (the mountain Lodge we would be based from), I got a taste of what was to come. The air was cold the ground was covered in ice and in the few yards from the airport door to the coach I nearly fell over several times sliding on the ice.

I had just landed in Östersund, Sweden to take part in O.A.S Experience Winter, a 5 day expedition in snowshoes in the mountains of Jämtland. The 40 or so people that had gathered to take part in the event were retail staff from shops all across Europe. The purpose of the event was to provide training to expand our knowledge and experience to help us better serve our customers.

After the initial briefings and introductions I met the other members of the group I had been put in. The group consisted of 4 Germans, 2 Belgians, 1 Scot and myself. After further introductions (and failing on the pronunciation of peoples names) the group went to collect the equipment and clothing we would be testing during the expedition. The test kit was provided by 5 manufacturers Haglöfs and Klättermusen provided clothing, rucksacks and sleeping bags, Woolpower who provided base layers, socks and balaclava, Hilleberg providing the tents and Primus who provided stoves, pots, head torch and meal kit.

After receiving the kit a frantic packing session ensued and at last time for bed. The last night in a warm comfortable bed for 5 days. In the morning and early afternoon the suppliers ran session on their kit, how to use and look after it. Another packing session later to take out kit that wasn't needed everyone was ready to go. Just before we set off people did have a bit of a laugh at my expense over how heavy my bag was. My choice of food for the 5 days was Wayfayrer meals which are much heavier than the powdered food that everyone else was using.

That afternoon we had a short walk to the first camp-site. It was interesting to see how hot you stayed whilst walking considering it was snowing and the temperature was below freezing. Whilst walking all the clothing I needed was Haglöfs Turbine softshell trousers for my legs and Woolpower base layer and Haglöfs Turbine softshell top for my body. Most of the time I went without a hat and just had a Buff folded into a headband to help keep my ears warm. Gloves went on and came off quite often trying to find the right temperature. When stopped the softshell was swapped for a down jacket Rab Summit Storm and a second Buff made into a beanie to go on top of the headband Buff.

Arriving at the camp site the first thing to do was to stamp down, flatten and compact the snow. Something I hadn't thought of before and quite tiring (especially on the last day). The group tent was the first to go up which is where we did all our cooking and then our own tents. Once the tents were up and our kit organised it was time for dinner. Out with the Primus Omni fuel, pan full of snow and now wait for it to melt and boil. A few minuets later and I'm tucking into a tasty meal.

The first night in the tent was warmer than I expected considering it was well below freezing. The Haglöfs Goga Nordic Winter sleeping bag doing a fine job. Morning comes and time to get out of my nice warm bag and slide on some rather chilly clothes. Breakfast done tents packed away and the group ready to leave at 9, well so I thought. 30 mins later the last of our team Ralf is ready to go.

Even with the delay we are still the first group of 5 to leave. It felt good to be first out and leading the group in untouched snow, looking out over a very impressive landscape. This good feeling lasted all of a couple of minuets when the effort required to break tracks in the snow, sinking 1-2 feet deep with every step, started to to make progress rather hard. Still I was relieved that the group took many breaks to adjust clothing, ask our guides (staff from the suppliers) questions about the wildlife, plants and many animal tracks we came across giving a good 5 min break or more each time we stopped.

The day continued on in much the same way admiring the amazing scenery. Talking and getting to know the other team members (and how to pronounce their names correctly). Asking the guides question about the kit as well as our surroundings. Laughing at anyone who lost their balance, fell over or found some deeper snow than expected and sunk right up to their waist. Reaching the second camp we swapped tents so we could a try a different tent, which we did for the rest of the week, set up camp, ate and early to bed.

The third morning saw us taking part in a round of fun events set up by the instructors to see how much we had learnt so far about the equipment and winter camping. There was a short delay to the start as we were again waiting for Ralf to get himself ready.
After lunch there was a very short walk up to a bank of snow where we would dig out a snow cave and sleep in it for the night. After being shown a demo snow cave (one the instructors had built in the morning) it was time to get the shovels out and dig our own. It was hard work digging out the cave though there was time to rest as you would rotate round who was digging. A couple of hours later and our snow cave was ready.

Our new home was cosy. A central isle with a sleeping ledge for 2 either side and a shelf at the back for our stoves. Again I was surprised at how warm the snow cave was considering we were surrounded by snow. That evening I spent a long time outside looking at the stars as it was quite a clear night. Going to bed, the snow cave became pitch black once the head torch had been turned off. In contrast the cave was quite light once the sun had come up the next morning. Breakfast eaten kit sorted (and another wait for Ralf) it was time for another walk to our 4th camp on a plateau at 1100m.

On this day I also volunteered to take the Pulka (large sled) which had the group kit and the rucksack of whoever was pulling it. British Rail complain they get the wrong type of snow and so was I on this day. Not only was it mostly uphill but the snow had become very sticky and the pulka did not slide over the snow as it should, but kept sticking on the snow. Just to top the day off we also had the worst weather of the exped with strong winds and heavy snowfall. Still with all these problems making my life rather hard at this point it still beats a day in the office by far!

Reaching the camp site feeling rather tired we began the usual arduous process of stamping down the snow in preparation of putting up the tents. This was going to be fun considering we were on a high plateau with nothing to block the strong winds that had been blowing all afternoon. Swapping the tents as usual we found ourselves with the biggest tent the group was using. Great once you were inside but not the best to pitch in the conditions we were in.
Despite the size of the tent and the winds that were blowing the tent was going up quite well. This was until we noticed a small problem....we were only given 12 snow stakes, and the tent needed 14. If we were lower down with less winds this would not have been a problem and would have just left 2 guy ropes loose - this was not an option for where we were now.

In the end the solution was quite easy, where we just used our walking poles as very long pegs.

Happy with our hotel (in comparison to the other tents) it was time for dinner and some much needed energy. Tucking into my tasty Chicken and Pasta Wayfayrer meal I had a little smile as there were a couple of comments regarding the not so appetising dehydrated meals the others had. With the winds blowing hard the group tent had to be taken down after everyone had finished eating before retiring to bed.

Waking early the next morning, the winds had died overnight and the sky was clear. Opening the door to the tent revealed a stunning sunrise against a fantastic landscape which had been hidden the day before. Warm and cosy still in the sleeping bag I lay there and watched the sun come up before rousing myself to get up and start the day. By this time my boots had got wet and had frozen overnight. Sliding my feet into the solid boots, I had to wait till after breakfast before the laces had thawed out and I could do the boots up properly.

With the group tent being taken down the rest of the group were cooking breakfast in there own tents. With the fine weather Steve (my tent mate) and I decided to sit outside and cook breakfast and enjoy the amazing scenery. Sitting in the ring where the group tent had been I cooked and enjoyed my most memorable breakfast.

Having reached the highest point of the exped it was now mostly downhill. After a bit of a discussion about which direction to go it was decided we would go the long way round which was not as steep as the direct route. Once we had descended into the valley we could see the other teams struggling with the steeper more direct route, either falling over or loosing control of the Pulka and having to let it go and then chase after it. Laughing we carried on our route down the valley.

Lunch was spent in a lodge along the trail where we had a talk from the warden. The lodge (and others elsewhere) have a few rooms with beds and a basic kitchen and dining area. For a small fee you can stay in the lodge on a first come first serve basis for the rooms and if more people turn up they have the option of any floor space they can find. After sitting down in a warm comfortable room for a couple of hours it was hard to get motivated to leave and go back out in the cold. Still it had to be done and off we went to our final camp site.

The last night we had the smallest tent, which really did feel small compared to the tent we had the previous night. It felt quite awkward to get all our kit organized once we had pitched the tent and for packing in the morning.
Dinner and breakfast did give me the last laugh as more comments were made about the dehydrated meals the others had brought along. They had laughed at me when they saw how heavy my bag was when we set out, but for me the weight was worth it. Now laughing at them as I was enjoying my food while they were rather fed up with theirs.

Setting out on the last morning our journey coming to an end, even Ralf was ready on time to start the walk back to the mountain lodge. A couple of the team were beginning to suffer with blisters and sore knees so it was a nice steady pace keeping the group together. The weather was fine yet again as it had been the past day. Relaxing in the sun for the last time the girls entertained us during lunch by taking off their hats displaying some very interesting hair styles.

Arriving back at the lodge exhausted, I felt a mixture of emotions: satisfaction, achievement, relief, happiness, sadness and so many more that I can not put into words, that our journey had now, come to an end.
All that was left to do now was pack for the journey home, enjoy a sauna, the outside hot tub with snow falling down, a really good hot meal and an evening of drinks and merriment.

It had been an amazing 5 days where I have met many new friends, learnt so much about winter camping, the kit and even myself looking back over what had happened. It is a trip I will never forget and will bring back a smile every time I think of it.

For more photos of the trip please visit our facebook page: Photos

By Craig Carter, Customer Service Manager.