Amphibious Mtb, Sickla, Sweden

Out on Sicklaskiftet again, might as well focus on the best area that is just around the corner from where I'll be living only for a few more weeks.. Joined by GF today who took some pictures when I tested the bike's amphibious abilities which was great fun but rather chilly for the feet afterwards, it was just above freezing point with some snow-stained rain at the end of the ride..

Mtb, Sicklaskiftet, Sweden (Sunday 9th)

Another 2-hour session on Sicklaskiftet, mostly on the central and northern side.. A lot wetter than yesterday so more slippery and a lot more mud, but still I had a better flow and fewer near-crashes.. Finished with grinding to the top of Hammarbybacken again..

Mtb, Sicklaskiftet, Sweden

Spent about 2 hours zig-zagging around on the numerous trails on Sicklaskiftet.. It was a mixed bag of surfaces ranging all the way from completely dry on sunny spots, to slippery stones and roots, deep mud holes, to ice-covered rocks and water puddles.. Despite (or because of?) a lazy pace I had a couple of proper skids that tested the spd exit reflexes.. Finished off with pedaling up to the top of Hammarbybacken to get some leg burn and heart rate going..

Bouldering, Kärsön, Sweden

Went to Kärsön for bouldering, first time there in a long time.. First picture: IT-geek and outdoor-geek! :-) Forgot to print the route chart before the weekend, so I checked online betweek climbs.. Without a spotter (I'm too heavy to land on my GF), no crash pad, and the rock being rather slippery after rain the night before, I stuck to the easier routes and was done some 40 minutes after starting.. The bystander in a tree (a squirrel) probably (correctly) concluded "I'm way better than that odd fellow in a baby-blue hat!"..

Bouldering, South of Hellas, Sweden

A few kilometres south of Hellasgården, along Sörmlandsledens first section, there is a fairly large rock side that I wanted to try out.. So I went there with my GF on mountainbikes and she took some pictures while I had a go at it.. Some parts of it have decent potential for a couple of boulder problems and possibly top-rope climbing with rope secured in trees above the rock side.. A number of loose stones that could be easily wripped off the rock.. If the floor was cleaned up a bit from branches, stones etc and the rock was properly brushed to remove all the moss, it could be a decent little climbing area.. However, it is located in a nature reserve, so it's probably not very legal and a bad idea..

Mtb, Fornstigen, Lovön, Sweden

A Sunday ride in fairly relaxed pace (Altough I was worn out the second half) with 5 guys from the Happymtb forum.. Parts of the 18 km trail had sticky mud that sucked a lot of energy, but it was nice to be out on a new bike in good company, I guess the form will return eventually.. Spring would be nice too..

Mountainbiking, Sörmlandsleden 4-3, Sweden

A fairly short ride with GF on Sörmlandsleden, section 4 and about half of section 3 and then back again.. Mostly to try out the new mountainbike before longer and faster rides.. It works fine, just need some tuning of the fork.. This section is fast and easy, and part of it goes through a community, other parts next to highways, so not very scenic.. Back at the car after about 2.15 hours, including a lunch break at a gas station..

Snow-shoing, Jämtland, Sweden

A short visit in Northern Jämtland, the morning after a night with some snaps and long discussions, we headed out into the forrest and out on the bogs.. My friend was hunting for birds, I was walking along with my snowshoes, taking some photos and enjoying the serenity.. In the afternoon we came past a dead fox hanging in a tree.. We wondered if it was a natural death due to a hunting for bird accident and being trapped in the tree and strangeled (!), or if it had been run over by a snow mobile and hung there afterwards.. A quick lunch in a cabin next to the Gåxsjö lake, and then we were done, it was dark before 3 pm..

Ice skating on Storsjön, Jämtland

Headed to the island Andersön in the lake Storsjön in Jämtland with brother Trond and friend Markus for a few hours of ice skating.. We parked the cars at around 09.30, about half an hour before the sun raises above the horizon.. (Days are only 4-5 hours in mid-winter this far north.) The ice was really smooth and nice with a few inches of snow that fell the night before.. A few cracks was pretty easy to navigate past, and we had a rest break with soup and chorizo on the island Norderön.. Back at the cars at around noon..

Mountainbiking, Sörmlandsleden 1-2, Sweden

An afternoon ride on Sörmlandsleden 1-2.. A few degrees above 0 and the trail was wet and muddy after a couple of days of rain and snow.. With a few bruises and a slight cold, I took it slow and easy.. Stopped on the way back and cooked a late lunch and coffee.. On the last way back it was pretty dark so I tried the new set of lights, that worked ok-ish.. Pretty fun to be out in these conditions, but cold feet in the end and the bike looking like a gritty mess afterwards is the downside..