Herrklumpen

Linda Sandgren enjoying soft snow on the backside of Herrklumpen with the Sylarna massive in the background.

1/1000s, f/8.0, ISO 100, 17 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

When in doubt, go out.

Forced back once again by high winds, Kaj Söderin and I chose not to venture further due to the 100 km/hr winds blowing over Sylarnas summit.

1/640s, f/8.0, ISO 100, 35 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

Racist!

STF, the Swedish Tourist Federation, is a non profit organization that runs the Mountain station in Sylarna. As such, STF is not a hotel or they would hold a monopoly being the only service provider on public land. I broached this issue with one of the climbing instructors from Girls Get Higher, a SKF initiative to encourage women to climb in the alpine. Catering, to me at least, seems to be an obvious move toward a for profit organization, it's just a stone's throw from flying in suits from Stockholm for an exclusive dinner in a mountain setting. The instructors response was beyond anything I could have expected, "If you don't like it here maybe you should go live in a different country."

I had no idea, even after the Swedish Democrats took 6% of the popular vote in the last election, that I was living in a country where there are people who seek out the mountains that are racists. I couldn't help but ask if she'd voted for the bigots...

1/100s, f/2.8, ISO 1600, 35 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

All that snow...

Morgan Englin pondering how he can continue to trudge on past all those incredible runs...

1/640s, f/7.1, ISO 100, 16 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

Storsola, Sylarna

Linda Sandgren and Oscar Wahlund enjoying the view from the top of Templet, Sylarna, after climbing the Pinnacles.

1/640s, f/7.1, ISO 100, 16 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

Templet, Sylarna

Linda Sandgren contemplating just how stable the snow is on the south face of Templet, Sylarna.

1/500s, f/9.0, ISO 100, 21 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

Approach, approach, approach...

Just getting there, in this case to climb the Templet pinnacles in Sylarna, takes it sweet time in the Swedish mountains.

1/250s, f/9.0, ISO 100, 30 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

Retreat!

Retreat, due to 100 km/hr winds on Pyramidan, during an attempted ski ascent of Lillsylen, Sylarna.

1/640s, f/8.0, ISO 100, 16 mm © 2011 Shawn Boye

Schlager is like opium for the people

After a quick run up Sjuan (Seven), the snow field in the background shaped like a 7, that was almost disastrous when the field started rumbling and cracked with Oscar and I on the wrong side, we decided there was just enough light left to make an attempt on the west face of Herrklumpen, Sylarna.

The route follows a vertical chimney to the left of the bare rock in the middle of the face starting about a third of the way up Sjuan. Without any ice, climbing involved hooking frozen moss and slightly frozen loose blocks with the crux a body sized bloc covering the chimney.

We (Shawn Boye, Ulf Renman, Kaj Söderin and Oscar Wahlund) climbed Schlager är som ett opium för folket (Schlager is like opium for the people), 4, M5, Moss 4, IV, in a howling blizzard in two 30m pitches toping out in fading light. We believe it to be a first ascent.

Oscar and Kaj enjoying a rare moment of sunshine with Herrklumpen in the background.

1/1000, F5.6, 32 mm, ISO100 © 2010 Shawn Boye

Whiteout!

Oscar Wahlund staying afloat, Herrklumpen, Sylarna.

1/1000, F7.1, 105 mm, ISO100 © 2010 Shawn Boye

Low Visibility...

But with a half meter of powder, what does it matter? Kaj Söderin enjoying the backside of Herrklumpen, Sylarna.

1/1000, F7.1, 105 mm, ISO100 © 2010 Shawn Boye