Låktatjåkka – - Abisko, April 2004

Låktatjåkka train station: fixing the last details on our 20 kg backpacks, tightening our shoes, finding the suitable high of our telescopic poles, the team was finally ready for some up-hills skiing. The sun is shinning, the sky is absolutely blue, the temperature is just below zero and the fresh snow is just perfect for a rondonnée tour. Slowly, we make our way on some 20 % steep slopes, having some breaks every 45 minutes, and enjoying the magnificent view over the Swedish Laponia that our eyes were discovering progressively.

After 4 hours of intense efforts, we finally reached our first stop at the Låktatjåkka refuge, Sweden highest station at 1228 metres over sea (Bjorkliden Info). We enjoyed a marvellous meal of reindeer meat with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam as a main course, and the very well known pancakes from Låktatjåkka with cloud berry jam as a desert, I think nobody can avoid this! 1 hour eating, 1 hour power napping in the sun and it was the final downhill part to the refuge of Kårsavagge on the other side of the mountain. You really have to be careful on the way down; stability is not so accurate with heavy backpacks. Fortunately the slopes are gentle at the beginning, but the end is really steep, and avalanches may occur. We were then forced to take off our skis, and walk down the slope on the grassy part. 5 km more and we reached our refuge for the night. A 25 m2 room shared by 6 people, lightened by a couple of candles, 3 bunk beds at each corner of the room, a large and long wooden table in the middle where everybody can seat, a very little spice where guests can cook, wet shoes and socks hanging over the wood stove on the fourth corner made a unique atmosphere in this cosy wooden house. Just the perfect place to enjoy a good meal of pasta and bacon followed by some shots of Jägermeister as a digestive, and as a reward of a tiring day, we admired a fantastic northern light dancing in the sky.

After a good night of sleep, a heavy breakfast with a porridge bowl, fruits and coffee, we were back on our skis for the final and slightly downhill part, down to Abisko which took us around 5 hours. This last skiing tour let us admire the gate of Laponia from the north side. A recommended tour, summer or winter!

How to get there:

By train:

Narvik-Kiruna-Boden-Luleå

See: Connex

By car:

Follow the E10 unill Abisko, then possibility to take the train to Låktatjåkka

By plane:

Plane to Luleå or Kiruna

See SAS

or Flynordic

Where to stay:

Camp Abisko

Tourist station