So now that’s done – I’ve skied to the top of Ånnfjället! I’ve wanted to summit the mountain with home as the starting point almost since I moved here. And since the mountain has quite friendly slopes on the south side, it is perfect for cross-country skiing. And that makes it much easier to do in the winter than in the summer! On paper it sounds a bit tough to constantly ski uphill for 10 km to go from 580 MASL to 1301, but honestly it’s not that bad. I took it very very slowly, and those 10 km took me three hours.
The speed makes all the difference, I’ve finally learned the right pace for the long trips. So even these 20+ km trips with a whole load of ascent are not draining me completely out of energy, just because I manage to keep my pulse down. And I have also learned to have plenty of snacks with me to avoid a blood sugar drop.
But then of course when you get up, you have to come down. Even those friendly slopes I mentioned become less friendly when the snow cover varies from soft to ice hard with a good measure of big wind pattern, so it’s a big challenge for the balance. Sometimes I’m glad I’m doing this alone, because nobody needs to wait for me. Can you believe it took me almost as long to glide down the off-trail part than it did to go up… but I stood on my feet all the way, and that’s what matters to me!
So proud I did this. Finally!
