Sunday 18/2 – Thursday 22/2

Sunday 18/2

I arrived in Kiruna at 10:30 – on schedule, for a change. The passengers who were either set to continue north or were planning to embark were out of luck, however, as for some reason buses were to convey them from that point. Since the chartered bus to Nikkaluokta would not depart until 16:00, due to the late arrival time of the train carrying the majority of the staff-to-be, I had many an hour to kill. I spent the first few by sitting in the calm of the train station, reading and listening to radio, but eventually I went out for a stroll through the city (during which I acquired and ingested a burger). It was –20°C, there were ample amounts of snow and frost, the air was crisp and fresh, and the sky was a clear blue. In short, a beautiful winter's day.

Going up into the city...

...with the mine behind

The city hall with its famous clock tower

Another tower, not as famous

Kiruna's church, ...

...which was elected...

..."Best building of all time, built before 1950" in 2001

Ice sculptures at a square

Fjeld view

More ice sculptures in a park, ...

...created as part of...

...a "snow festival" (the text on the arch)

The late train was indeed late, so everyone went straight out to the waiting bus. Since it was absolutely clear the familiar shapes of the Kebnekaise mountains were visible through most of the transport, wielding their attractive powers on us. Upon arriving in Nikkaluokta we were greeted by Hans, one of the station managers, and then we were given a welcome snack (equivocality intended). After a quick presentation/introduction we were stuffed into a tracked vehicle which would carry us the final 19 km to the station.

This took about 1 h 15 min, and by the end of it many of us were feeling weary; such a ride is not exactly smooth, and we had all travelled far already. When we emerged into the open air it was pitch-dark and rather cold (around –25°C), but it was still clear and all the stars were twinkling in the sky. We dumped our respective packs in the vestibule of the personnel building (called Skarta) and then proceeded directly to the canteen and a late dinner. Afterwards we were shown our living quarters, and later in the evening there was a general presentation round down in the common room (cake included).

And thus it was started.

Monday 19/2

A still...

...and clear but not so cold...

...and very beautiful...

...first morning at the station

The day began with a formal introduction in the common room of the main building, followed by a tour of the whole facility. I knew most of it from my previous three visits (the third was back in 1995), but some things were new. After lunch we were split into groups depending on our function, and internal education started. For me, this meant spending time in the restaurant learning how to use the accounting system, while clouds were coming in from the east and a wind picked up outside.

Having finished for the day I put on my skis right away and went out for a short tour in the immediate area. I started out in a northeastern direction, making my way through the plentiful snow in the small forest that surrounds the station grounds. With almost no delay I was joined by the very large dog of Emma, a firefighter who was to educate us on fire safety later in the week. After exiting the trees I gradually turned around to the northwest, and started climbing Personalbacken (Personnel slope) – a pair of snow-filled brook grooves in the slope directly behind the station that see much use by the staff (hence the name).

The wind had grown to hard, and progress was tricky here and there; since I had no real plan when I set out I had not brought my climbing skins, so I had to rely on muscle force and turns. The dog was still with me, and I also spotted a pair of skiers – clearly with skins – going up a bit below. These turned out to be Emma and Linda, and we all proceeded some distance upwards. Weather conditions were worsening and dusk was falling, so there was no point in pushing it – the other two had come a little ways higher than I, but we starting going down at the same time. Snow conditions were pretty good, but of course I had to work a bit given that I had cross-country skis and boots; the other two had alpine/telemark equipment.

The evening was a calm one as activities go – the most noteworthy one was a sauna session – and the clouds broke apart again, revealing the star field. Oh, that's right – it also happened to be my birthday, so there was cake at dinner.

Tuesday 20/2

Group activities continued, with a thorough cleanup of the whole restaurant. Outside there was a fairly hard easterly wind blowing and it was very cloudy, and both worsened during the day. When we were released from our duties, as it were, it had cleared enough that the western peaks were just free. I then went out for another ski tour, this time going due west. The snow cover in that direction was scant, and the crust was hardened by the wind. When I reached the first arm of Jökelbäcken I turned down towards the bridge over Giebmejohka, and from there I followed the marked trail back east, where it was much better. During the return I saw three large elks, which is not at all that uncommon a sight in those parts.

Lack of snow

Eastwards

Lillberget and the way to Singi

Kitteldalen

Siŋŋičohkka and Duolbagorni

Elks...

...on a rise

Back

The wind had abated somewhat, but to compensate more clouds were settling. It seemed for a while as though it was about to clear, but then it went in the opposite direction instead. Before dinner there was a voluntary snowshoe hike up onto the adjacent cliff Kaipak, which pretty much everyone participated in. By then it was blowing very hard from the east, which turned the activity into something of a test.

Wednesday 21/2

Clear morning

Reddened peaks

Tinted Duolbagorni up close

Approaching dawn

Dampened sun

Fire day! Not surprisingly, much of the info and exercises I recognized from the course a few weeks past. We also finalized the restaurant.

Thursday 22/2

After breakfast (which Linnéa and I had the honor of preparing) the guides had a briefing about fjeld security, the handling of map and compass, etc. After lunch we went outside in the cold but beautiful day and had practical exercises in the handling of wind sacks and performing self-arrest – a technique which allows unfortunate mountaineers to stop their downward motion on a snow slope after a fall – all on the back of Kaipak. The latter is, apart from a vital piece in the security puzzle, extremely fun, and everyone had a great time.

Darfálčorru behind the auxiliary buildings

The main building seen from Skarta

Siŋŋičohkka by itself

Duolbagorni and Vierranvárri

Self-arrest exercise

Afterwards two members of the fairly well-known Sarri family (Erik, who runs the transports between Nikkaluokta and Kebnekaise, and Anna, who is the executive director of the family company that runs the visitors' center in Nikkaluokta) spoke about themselves and their respective lines of work, and then we all prepared for the inaugural dinner. As for us in the restaurant staff, we got to practice our serving skills by bringing out the food to everyone, and the remaining tasks were divided between the other departments. Most people stayed behind for a long time, enjoying the last night before guests would (presumably) start to arrive. The evening itself was clear and starry, but there was a haze lying across the valley, and it was almost –30°C.