Tours › 2010 › Vistas: Day Tours › 20/4

Tuesday 20/4

Stage map 20/4

Šielmmáčohkka

Horizontal distance:17.5 km
Vertical distance:+1240 m, -1240 m
Time:4 h 45 min
Lunch break: 45 min
Dinner:
Night accommodation:
Stage classification:Hard

This time I opted for the telemark skis, and I put on the climbing skins right from the start. Coming to the first slope I chose the steeper one, where I was once again greeted by wind, but the overall temperature was good. Ahead of me the sky was clear, but there were quite a few clouds in the southeast, although I could not yet ascertain whether they were approaching, retreating, or neither. Like before I chose a high course, going above a rather old track (and spotting a not-old-at-all fox track), and now that I had entered Stuor Reaiddávággi I saw that there were a number of people coming down the valley; after a while these resolved into a group of nine. I passed the slain reindeer, which was still present, and now it had been fed upon much more, even though the only tracks currently identifiable around it were those of ptarmigans.

From then on I mostly followed my tracks from before, and although there were a few more lines of stones to deal with the snow was still good. When I reached the tributary stream I saw that the group had sat themselves down in the start of the main ravine, and I also caught sight of the two people with the dog. I proceeded to climb the slope beside Nállu, again being careful to find a safe route, and turning around I saw that the southeastern clouds were indeed getting closer, but they were also breaking up as they did so. The ice on the lake was now covered with snow, and after crossing it I saw three sets of tracks coming down from Šielmmáčohkka – and since they ended blindly they were clearly the result of heliskiing.

Unna Visttasvággi 1
Snow holds still
Stuor Reaiddávággi 1
Better...
Stuor Reaiddávággi 2
...in Stuor Reaiddávággi
Nállu 1
Ah, that Nállu
Kugghjulskammen 1
Kugghjulskammen above the ravine
Reaiddáčohkka 1
Going up again
Stuor Reaiddávággi 3
Crested
Peaks 1
White peaks
Šielmmáčohkka 1
Tracks on and below Šielmmáčohkka

The place where they had come down the last slope was a bit too steep for comfort, so I proceeded up on the side, keeping to the protruding rocks for safety. Rounding the little ridge below the similarly little glacier further up was a bit heavy due to the snow's being deeper and looser than before, but that of course boded well for the descent to come, and comparing to the previous time I had looked upon the mountain from below it seemed noticeably whiter now.

This side of Šielmmáčohkka consists of a shallowly defined hollow of sorts, where the downhilll runs usually take place, and I zigzagged my way up to the left of this, where there were more rocks showing. At first this route was a good one, and I frequently checked the incline, trying to judge whether or not the "main slope" would be safe for a lone skier such as myself – and from my vantage point it very much seemed so. As the view behind me grew I saw that clouds were forming around Čeakčabákti, and they continued to spread among the southwestern peaks.

Turning back to the slope at hand I soon entered a more difficult region where the surface layer was loose, but with hard and polished snow underneath, which meant that I had trouble getting the steel edges to dig in, and since it was also rather steep it took quite an effort to press on. At one point I had no choice but to carry the skis across a small rock field, not being able to go back or around it, but after that conditions improved again, and soon I had cleared the worst of the slope. I proceeded to cross the other tracks in order to both get a better route up and save as much of the untouched snow as possible – snow which was back to ample and loose. Behind me the clouds were both still amassing and approaching, but they were mostly of a lighter nature, and I could see far enough through and/or below them.

Čeakčačohkka 1
Čeakčačohkka in view
Tracks 1
Trial
Peaks 2
Thorn
Clouds 1
Clouds rolling in
Reaiddáčohkka & Nállu 1
Reaiddáčohkka behind Nállu
Šielmmáčohkka 2
Up to the saddle
Peaks 3
Western peaks
Clouds 2
Cloudier in the southwest

At 13 I reached the saddle between the main peak and the southeastern one, at the spot where the helicopter usually drops people off – and was immediately stunned by the sight. On the other side was a precipice overlooking Siehtagasglaciären, the southern edge of which was guarded by a ridge the sharp and bold shapes of which are not seen in full from down Stuor Reaiddávággi, and beyond this ridge the breadth of Visttasvággi spread out. Further away I could see much of the Mĺrma region, with its high and interesting peaks, as well as the lower reaches in the direction of Kiruna. Back in the direction I had come the clouds were not covering as much anymore, even though some had started forming before Nállu as well.

I sat down against a little cairn to have lunch, during which the clouds went back and forth in density and extensiveness – and when I had eaten everything suddenly turned white, but it passed almost immediately. The remaining distance to the main summit was not very long, but the ascent thus far had taken more time and effort than expected, and now that I stood looking upon the last bit I did not quite feel up to it. I did walk a little ways up along the ridge, finding that underneath the loose snow that almost covered the rocks there was a hard and slippery surface, and with my telemark boots and everything a full climb did not feel safe at all, so no peak this time.

Quite frankly it was the downhill run I was really after, and the view from the saddle was certainly nothing to sneer at; even the clouds, which at first I had looked upon with dismay, only added to the grandeur of the scene. Thus, I returned to the skis and removed the climbing skins, preparing to embark upon the anticipated descent.

Ridge 1
The jagged ridge
Šielmmáčohkka 3
The summit of Šielmmáčohkka
Vássačorru 1
Looking across Visttasvággi, with Siehtagasglaciären extending below
Clouds 3
More clouds
Šielmmávággi 1
Šielmmávággi and surroundings
Clouds 4
Sudden mist
Kalle 1
Warden
Panorama 10
Panorama southeastwards from the saddle
Clouds 5
The clouds starting to lift
Clouds 6
Ridge upon ridge to the south
Peaks 4
Clearer

By then visibility was restored to ~full, but there were still clouds nearby that could sweep in at any moment. As expected the snow was just wonderful, and I made my own tracks on the side of the existing ones. Also as expected another fog quickly passed by, but then I had a clear view again. I had a truly terrific time down to an intermediate boundary of sorts; the slope consists of two parts, both of which are vaguely concave, and the upper one is less steep than the lower one. From there I made wider turns, looking for safe stretches, all the while being conscious about the slant. Here the snow was a bit rough in the surface, but it was still very good, and it felt stable all the way down, so no worries.

Having reached the base of the slope I glided around the ridge to a good snowfield I had previously found, which offered some more great turns. I continued across the slope to the others' tracks and then made short turns in the flatter slope down to the lower lake. At the crest of the slope down to Stuor Reaiddávággi I stopped in what would have been sunlight had a cloud not parked itself above Nállu to have a cup of hot chocolate, registering no movement in the valley below.

Kalle 2
Trick shot
Tracks 2
Stage one
Tracks 3
Stage two
Tracks 4
My tracks to the left
Čeakčačohkka 2
More clouds on Čeakčačohkka
Tracks 5
All tracks
Tracks 6
Next slope...
Reaiddáčohkka 2
...and then...
Tracks 7
...the one after that

This slope was also good, but I did not go in a straight line so as not to end up in the steeper (as in riskily so) parts. At one point I fell, and in getting up I realized that I was not entirely OK, so I rested until the ache had subsided – which did not take long, thankfully. The snow was good all the way down, and after I had passed a fresh jumble of reindeer tracks I switched into walking mode, going just below my own tracks. It was somewhat warm but not overly so, and behind me the peaks were shrouded in clouds. As I was skiing across the flat part leading out of the valley it was warm and still, and then I came to a fresh snowmobile track which I glided upon down to the crest of the last slope – where there was some wind as usual. From there I could see that someone or at least something was present at the cottages, and the slope was full of turning tracks – and, sure enough, when I made my way over to the stream after 15:15 I saw that there were both people and snowmobiles among the buildings.

Tracks 8
Yet another slope
Vistas cottages 1
Home sweet home

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