As a contrast to the heat of Africa my first trip post my big ride across Africa was to Lapland during winter. Cycling and camping at temperatures between -5 and -30 proved to be quite a challenge.
Winter cycling in Lapland pt I
During January and February 2013 I teamed up with Helen Lloyd of Helenstakeon.com to spend three weeks cycling between Kiruna in Sweden and Tromso in Norway. Like all stories there is a start, middle and end. As such I’ll break the story down into three blog posts and later add posts with tips and info. (Many of the photos used here are by Helen and the copyright remains her’s).
“A few hours mountain climbing turns a rogue and a saint into two roughly equal creatures. Weariness is the shortest path to equality and fraternity and liberty is finally added by sleep. “
Nietzsche
Baptism of fire and the steep learning curve.
After the unusual luxuries of an airport transfer and fancy hotel it was time to leave Camp Ripan and hit the road. But first a quick interview for the Swedish national TV, the result of which can be seen here -> http://www.svtplay.se/klipp/987976/ska-cykla-genom-vintersapmi-sam
Due to the interview, last minute shopping in town and predictably getting lost in the throbbing metropolis of Kiruna we didn’t leave town until just before 12. We soon left the busy roads around town and hit the open roads we’d both been looking forward to for months, no more waiting, dreaming and wondering how it would be to cycle in the extreme cold of the Scandinavian Arctic.
At around 2pm the sun was setting so with an enormous distance of 23km in the pocket we thought it wise to use our last hour of sunlight to set up camp, for both of us it would be the first time camping in snow.
Full of enthusiasm we used a snow mobile track to get off the road then dragged ourselves and gear through thigh deep snow to our chosen wild camping spot.
Once our camp was set up it was already dark and almost 4pm, time to get down the the business of snow melting and starting a campfire. Snow melting worked slowly but fine (1L of snow = approx 100ml of water…) with the campfire we failed miserable despite even trying to use my stove to get it started. It seemed the frozen Birch just wasn’t in the mood for making magic.
The slogging through the deep snow while setting up camp and gathering wood had taking its toll and I found myself wishing I’d invested in snow shoes to make life easier. After a pasta meal and our hot chocolate with Brandy we both settled in for an early night. At this point I discovered my enthusiasm for setting up camp meant my boots were full of melting snow and my fleece gloves were also soaked by the combination of melting snow and sweat.Not a problem I thought, I’d just use my spare boot liners and gloves in the morning. Lesson one was to put my ski pants on when leaving the road to keep the snow out of my Sorel boots.
The next morning we emerged from our tents damp and steaming (from sleeping in our Vapor barriers), we’d both comfortably survived our first night camping at -18. The 6am start wasn’t pleasant but we figured we’d need the 3 hours until sunrise to get ourselves packed up, everything in powder snow at -18 takes infinitely longer than in normal weather.
By the time we were back on the road my second gloves were also wet from sweat, snow, coffee etc and would freeze if not on my hands for a couple of minutes. I was going to have to rethink my approach with the gloves considering I didn’t have infinite spare pairs. For the same reason I also put on my boot liners from the previous day rather than new ones, I’d keep the dry pair for when I really needed them.
Cold feet
Two hours into the ride we both had serious issues with our feet, often cycling 2-3km then having to walk 500m or more to get the toes warm again. This problem would haunt us for the next couple of days and force a rethink in sock department. Not allowing snow into the boots just wasn’t enough, sweat would go through all layers of socks and eventually freeze in the boot liners making it almost impossible to keep warm feet, the liners were working as a freezer rather than an insulation layer.
I quickly learned to put the liners between my sleeping bag and bivvy in a plastic bag at night, that way they were at least defrosted in the morning if nothing else. I also learned to place a vapor barrier (plastic bag) between my thin base layer socks and my insulation layer socks. This prevented sweat from gathering in the middle socks or boot liners (this does hugely increase the chance of trench foot though). Feet are a big issue for cyclists in the cold thanks to the combination of windchill and cold pedals sucking warmth out through the boots.
Thankfully my hands were rarely cold due to using Hotpog Poggies. Down to about -10 I could cycle without gloves on or use the first half hour cycling to defrost gloves on my hands out of the wind.
Once again at around 2pm with no more than 30km done we headed into a pine forest to camp before the sunlight was totally gone. Once again it was a tough slog through deep powder snow. I was able to gather some dead pine trees to make the fire this time. The fire was a moderate success but involved too much time and effort to gather wood then keeping it going that we decided not to bother any more after that evening.
The next morning I woke feeling snug and warm inside my sleeping bag and tent. As I unzipped the tent door I was rudely brought into the reality of the cool morning air, it was -23. Packing up proved to be a tedious process, the necessity of gloves to touch anything but also the inconvenience of trying to do stuff with bulky frozen gloves. Once or twice I made the mistake of laying my gloves on the ground for a minute or so while doing something fiddly only to end up with cold hands that had to go inside frozen gloves. Thanks to our lack of routine in such conditions it once again took us 3 hours from alarm clock to road. It goes a little against my principles to use an alarm clock on holiday but it was necessary to get up at 6am to be on the road at 9am when the sun came out to play.
What followed was another day of tough cycling and cold feet. It seemed that under -20 our Rohloff gear hubs were filled with pea soup rather than oil and the rolling resistance of the tires was equal to cycling through sand. Our only refuge and chance to warm up a little was a small petrol station where we hung around for an hour nursing our coffee until our feet defrosted again. After the break it was time to get the goggles out, our eyes were getting sore and eyelashes were freezing together at -28.
Easy life
Campsite three bought luxury in the form of a well worn snow scouter track into the woods. No lifting bike and gear through deep powder snow and thanks to us not making a campfire the evening was fairly relaxed. We took it in turns to watch over our melting snow, dinner and going for a walk to stay warm ( a five minute walk every 15-30 minutes makes the difference between cold and comfy).
The next morning we were packed up slightly quicker as our drills got slowly more efficient. Our reward a beautiful Lapland sunrise and a crystal clear sky. For the first time I thought WOW this is why I came here in winter.
A day of kindness and the blunder
With the temperature once again around -20 two hours into the ride we were feeling a little chilly. The map said we would hit a village around lunch time and my google research had show there should be a small shop. We’d been eating much more than expected so really needed the shop for a lunch stop, what we hadn’t considered was the fact that it was a Sunday.
We arrived in the small village at around 11am, found a man clearing snow from his drive and asked if there was a shop around. He pointed to a small building 100m away and mumbled in his broken English that it was Sunday. Seeing the desperate look of disappoint on my face he pointed out that there was smoke coming out of the chimney so the owner was probably home and might open up for us.
Five minutes later we were rummaging through a small country shop finding something for lunch and dinner. Ewoud asked how things were going. We said fine apart from our feet. “Do you want to come into my kitchen and warm up before you continue?” An hour and a half later we left with warm feet and full bellies after a glimpse into the life of a lonely village shop owner. I suspect these things only really happen when cycle touring, but its always a relief when it does, once again a random and unexpected act of human kindness saved the day, restoring faith in mankind.
After the luxury of the snow scouter track the previous evening we’d become lazy and didn’t fancy a slog through the deep snow to a camping spot. Instead endlessly cycling looking for the classic signs for easy access, both of us constantly scanning for forest tracks, mobile phone antenna access roads, power cables crossing the road etc.
It was almost dark when we stumbled across an abandoned house and we were getting cold. I kind of insisted that it would be good to be indoors out of the wind and Helen reluctantly agreed. We’d made our first and only big mistake of the trip. Half an hour later we’d moved all our gear inside through the broken window, and were feeling the cold. The climb back out was a bit of a pain so rather than go for a walk or run to warm up we had to get our sleeping bags out. Things went from bad to worse and our hands become almost too cold to be of any use at all, luckily after an hour or so in our sleeping bags fully dressed we came to life again. We ate dinner in our bags and I at least had a cold cold night as the temperature rocketed down to -30. Had we slept in our tents at least they would of warmed slightly, the living room we slept in the house was too big and cold soaked to change in temperature.
In four days and nights we’d learned a lot about cycling and camping in the extreme cold, it was time to get indoors for a day to dry/defrost our gear then start afresh with the new knowledge. Moral was low after the cold night in the not so magic house. On the morning of day five we went guts and glory and by lunch time were in Karesuando though too cold from pushing ourselves to get to town. Apparently I was very hungry as I charged into a burger bar and had ordered food for both of us before Helen knew why I’d turned off the road.
After the mystery meat junk food lunch and after a lot of running around town getting disappointed by hotels we found a crazy cat lady that would rent out some rooms for two nights.
Finland awaited, but first rest, warmth, cloth drying plus half a dozen pizza’s, some beer and 1kg of bacon. Only then could journey continue. …….
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Winter cycling in Lapland pt II
“Life is not a problem to be solved, it is an adventure to be lived.”
John Eldredge
Our rest day in Karesuando had done wonders. Once again our cloths and gear were warm and dry, our bellies full of pizza and bacon sandwiches. We’d spent the afternoon, repairing gear that had failed in the first days (long live duct tape and my foresight to bring spare plastic clips for my panniers). We also went for a walk around the sleepy village and had a laugh at the British tourists in their his and hers matching ski suits, many escaping for a mid week break hoping to see the Northern lights and do the predictable dog sledding and snow scooter trips.
Looking at our map we became concerned about cycling the remaining 600km to Tromso in just under two weeks. Normally a distance that could be covered fairly easily in 6-7 days but in the previous five we’d covered less than 200km. In the last 24 hours during our rest day half a meter of snow had fallen too.
Once back in the saddle we left Karesuando in light snow with a tropical temperature of -15 degrees C. I have no idea what was in all the chocolate Helen had eaten the previous day but she rode like a woman possessed and cracked the wip all day and continued to set the pace for the rest of the week until Alta. By just before sunset at 3pm we were sitting in a petrol station cafe with almost 70km in the pocket despite the snow. We hung around until well after dark, filled our water bottles to save melting snow then ran the gauntlet for 10km cycling in the dark during “rush hour” traffic ( 20 cars/trucks in 10km).
Once again we set up camp 50m from the road and made life more comfortable in and around the tents by digging snow trenches. The trench means you can sit up in your tent better and makes many chores while cooking, dressing etc much easier, it also means the coldest air inside your tent is no longer at floor level where you sleep but in the trench.
The next couple of the days the cycling was far from inspiring, the road gently undulating and only brief glimpses of the scenery between the constant falling snow through steamed up goggles. Often visibility was only 2-300m. I found the scenery in this part of Finland shockingly similar to cycling through Botswana or the Caprivi strip, Helen commented that it was just like Mauritania expect white instead of yellow We saw the occasional reindeer crossing the road instead of a camel or elephant.
Though we lacked stunning scenery in this part of the trip we were both much happier than the previous week. Our cold feet issues were considerably less, the temperature generally stayed warmer than -20 so the cycling was relatively easy again apart from the 2-4cm of snow that constantly stayed on the road. Our camping routing and drills had become quite slick often packed up in the morning in around two hours. It was finally starting to feel like a relaxed trip rather than the tough expedition style of the previous week.
We’d planned to take a half day off when we arrived at the home of the worlds only “outdoor drive in snowmobile ice cinema”(or whatever they call it) in Kautokeino. We found the place a little depressing so after a quick lunch in a garage staff room between tires and smoking mechanics we pushed on and saved ourselves €80.
The evening before arriving in Alta we’d become so confident and comfortable in our cold camping and with a weather forecast for -10 that night we decided to just sleep in bivvy’s and hoped to spend a night watching the Northern Lights.
Sadly the Northern lights were a no show that night and I had a restless night as the occasional snow flake fell on may face giving me an itchy nose. The next day we were however rewarded with a beautiful ride mainly down hill into Alta where our Warmshowers.org host Julian and our next rest day in civilization waited. After five days outdoors it was time to defrost indoors again.
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Winter cycling in Lapland pt III
Once again warmshowers.org had provided us with a wonderful host, our only regret is that we didn’t stay longer. Julian had been kind enough to let us sleep in his barn and even put the heating on so the 5 degrees was tropical compared the previous nights, the reindeer skins giving that extra bit of comfort.
One of the few things I dislike about cycle touring is the inevitable good bye and walking out of someones life after connecting so well in such a short time.
The first day back on the road we cycled most of the way out of the Altafjord, and just before sunset moved into the woods near the road as usual. Though not too cold that day there was a chilling North East wind so we quickly dug a hole to get out of the wind, which would become our second bivvy night.
The coming days we would perfect the art of using the snow for shelter from the wind and also gradually make ourselves more comfortable with luxury furniture, kitchen and walkway to the outside bathroom. No longer satisfied to just sit in the snow or stand cooking, a couch next to the kitchen was a must (very handy for cooking breakfast from your sleeping bag).
Though the temperatures on the coast are a lot milder due to the gulf stream we did get a little caught out one morning when our hands and gloves seemed to freeze within minutes. Helen thought I was being my usual soft self but a check of my thermometer after breakfast showed it was once again -24. Apart from that one morning most of the week to Tromso was a very pleasant -10 to -15. Though even at -10 you shouldn’t breath on your camera lens.
Holiday time
After the first week of hell, then a moderate second week, the third can only be described as a cycling holiday. With 6 full days to get from Alta to Tromso (250km) we had briefly considered doing a sprint to the North Cape from Alta but would then need to take a bus or ferry to Tromso to catch our flights on time. Going to the North Cape felt a little too much like a box ticking exercise which neither of us found necessary. Instead opting to just take it easy to Tromso.
The days now had two hours more sunlight than two weeks previously, we were fitter and more acclimatized. After Helen’s wonder woman antics of the previous weeks I put her on half rations and deflated her tires slightly which slowed her down nicely. With a daily aim of 50km we were able to stay in bed longer, drink more coffee in the morning and enjoy the stunning views along the Norwegen coast and still get 11 hours sleep a night.
One day we bumped into a couple of British overlanders on a rather epic journey to Australia via Vladivostok. They were kind enough to stop to make sure we were ok and we returned the favour by helping them empty their fridge. Check out their journey at siroccoverland.com.
The only downside of this impromptu lunch break was that we then only had one hour to get to our ferry. Usually 12km in an hour would be a laughable distance, but along a coastline on this kind of road it was a challenge.
I’d initially been very skeptical about the Schwalbe Ice spiker pro but they proved priceless. On some of the steeper hills I had little to no traction with my shoes if walking but could still cycle.
Reflection
With stunning views of the Lyngsalpen, lazy morning starts and early finishes we had time to reflect on our trip, what we’d learned and make a comparison with our experiences in Africa.
As our trip drew to its close we both found ourselves appreciating the pure luxury of cycling and camping at -10/-15 instead of +30/40
- No flies, mosquitoes or ants.
- Its always possible to make a flat spot to camp on, it just takes a few shovel fulls of snow
- Snow furniture
- No tourists
- The ability to carry cheese and meat (I have never eaten so well while touring)
- And possibly the biggest luxury of all compared to Africa, an endless supply of water.
Our last couple of nights we slept in our bivvy’s hoping for a view of the Northern lights. I also took the opportunity to get some photo tips off Helen (turns out the reason why I could never get my camera to take these kind of pics is because the auto focus was still on).
Our last night, camping only about 20km from Tromso we were finally rewarded with a good view of the Northern Lights. Kind of special really.
And thats about it……We stayed with friends of friends in Tromso (thanks guys) packed our boxes and went home with our bank accounts a lot poorer and ourselves much richer for the experience.
The future:
Whats next? Good question
Would I cycle and camp in winter again? Yes, Down to -15 for me now is not alot different to camping up to +30. Anything in that temperature range now is do-able without too much extra effort, outside that range things require more attention and can get complicated quickely. Below -20 cycling gets tougher and less pleasant exponentially.
Where next? This is tricky, I find Scaninavia too expensive, Russia doesn’t appeal to me so that just leaves North America/Canada and I’m not sure its possible to find a pleasant route on quiet roads that are ride-able there in winter (tips are welcome).
I have plenty of time to think about another trip but its nice to know that winter won’t hold me back now. It’s quite ironic really, a year ago this week I was cycling the last days in the Namib desert towards the coast, at that time I had no idea that one day I’d be quite happy to “chill” outdoors at -15….What a fascinating life we have….
What a great bike tour. Thank you both for posting this inspirational winter travel story. Your words make
this cycle tour possibility a little less daunting for others. Kind regards.
Hi! Great tour! congratulations, Nice pics and inspiration.
I leave in Montréal (Québec), would you have any picture with your bikes on the bridge in Tromso, we’re looking for pics with bikes in winter and snow renowal Equipment on the side for pedestrian on this particular bridge.
Montréal Bike Coalition is making pressure to let the bridge Jacques Cartier open all year for cyclists and pedestrians.
Thank you!
Claudine
Sorry, no photos in or near Tromso, we were in a hurry to get indoors:)