A Nordic Winter Journey

..¨I learned that even a seemingly hostile environment, like the snow-covered wintery world of Scandinavia, offers protection and safety to those who know where to find it and how to work with it. Going out on skis for several hours and making a fire for lunch gave me a glimpse of how the idea of ‘luxury’ changes when you are out in the wild and looking for warmth and food. This was really exciting to experience. My respect for those who are brave enough to do this as a lifestyle has grown.¨ – Annemieke (57), participant.

A night-ski took us up to the cabins that we would be calling home for the 6 days to come. Once arrived we settled in, familiarized ourselves with the land, the temperatures, with the discomfort of moving around on sliding planks of wood (ski’s), ventured out onto the neighboring Fell, dove into the precise art of igloo building, practiced balancing perseverance and surrender as we faced the challenges of learning, found our ways into communal cabin life, practiced fire making skills and enjoyed bright fresh skies with abundant sunlight and star filled nights.

Thanks again to Sjöviks Folkhögskola for granting access to the the cabins, for the land to host us, to each participant and the facilitators Manuel Sturm and Inte Koster to enabling this experience, and to Stephan for capturing our experience in photographs!