Swedish couple Anna Wassdahl and Joachim Johansson are a little over 600km into an attempt to ski the 1,300km White Ribbon in Sweden. The walking/skiing route runs from Grövelsjön in the south to Treriksröset, where Sweden, Norway, and Finland meet, in the north. The Ribbon crosses several national parks and mountains running through Sweden.
Wassdahl and Johansson aim to complete their journey in 75 days. Typically, the Ribbon is completed without outside support, but it is not clear if they are doing the same. Interestingly, Johansson had not skied until this year, but this doesn’t appear to have affected the pair’s progress.
The mountains are calling. Photo: Anna Wassdahl
Although mid-March usually brings a comfortable -5˚ to -10˚C to their current location, the couple has recently endured strong winds and poor conditions. Some time ago, Wassdahl also had to ski over slushy ice, one of the worst surfaces for a cold-weather traveler. The slush can freeze even to sled bottoms, and drying boots in the field is difficult.
The White Ribbon is not a single trail but offers multiple routes. It begins in west-central Sweden and continues to the country’s northern end.
The couple’s most recent location of Borgafjäll (64˚N) is the setting for the popular Swedish crime thriller series, Black Lake, which has had some success in the UK and Europe. Wassdahl and Johansson will now ski north into southern Lapland, on the border of Jämtland, a large upland.
A recent storm. Photo: Anna Wassdahl
