Monthly Archive for January, 2008

If History repeats itself…

Published on January 27, 2008 in Jokkmokk's Mines and Laponia. 0 Comments

…then the story of the older silver mine of Silpatjåkkå, nestled in a seldom visited area of Padjelanta National Park, could very well have close similarities to today’s Jokkmokk. It’s a story of false hopes, egos and deceit and a dependency to subventions to keep it alive, though the inevitable downfall and abandonment fastly approached. Silpatjåkkå’s story is a 40 year old rise and fall with complicated details and many actors involved, but let’s briefly look at what it was all about…

Firstly, in the 17th century, Sweden had dreams of becoming a great power and was trying to establish a personal Scandinavian empire by attaining control over Finland, Russia, parts of Norway and other Baltic regions through its Great 30-year War. Secondly, we have to keep in mind that Europe’s economic theory during the 17th century was that of mercantilism. With the costs of warfare abroad and the need to be a key economic figure, the discovery of new silver mines, which increased economic values, within Sweden’s territory was a solution to both of these needs.

So, it wasn’t so surprising that, after a small invasion on the Nasa Silver Mine and its destruction by invading Norwegian troops in 1658, that King Karl IX demanded that new silver deposits would be searched for. One Saami scout, keenly knowledgeable of the mountains, the terrain and how to search for precious metals spoke about a new stretch of silver in Jokkmokk’s mountains. The man was Jon Persson, a Tuorpan Saami, and the place was “Kietiewarri”, or what was later to be named “Silbbatjåhkkå” meaning “The Silver Hill” in Saamish.

resize-of-kamajokkview01.jpgPhoto: The Kamajokk Stream gave energy to the smelting works at Kvikkjokk.

A state owned, or royal, company was formed called Luleå Silverworks and was responsible for and in control of Silpatjåkkå and its exploitation. Needing a mining foreman, the earlier mining foreman from Nasa Silver Mine, Isak Tiock, was chosen and sent to the Jokkmokk mountains to start working the prospect. Buildings, smelting ovens and forges had to be built and all this saw the birth of the little village of Kvikkjokk. Here was an ample supply of trees for charcoal and rushing waters for power to drive a water wheel.

The journey to Kvikkjokk was by foot and a series of rowboats. To get to the silver mine, hiking for the workers, horseback for higher ranking people and reindeer with sledges were the more common means of transportation.

The workers were conscripted in the same manner as soldiers at the time. They came from the eastern seaboard of northern Sweden and sent inland to work as miners. Many who were conscripted and were wealthy, paid themselves free of duty by sending someone less advantageous in their place. At the silver mine itself, a dwelling was erected for the miners, who spent most of the winter working in the open mine shafts or pumping out water in the summer months.

The Saami were also conscripted into serving the mine. They were paid for their transportation services, using reindeer and sledges to haul needed supplies to the mine and silver ore on the return trip back to Kvikkjokk. Some wealthier Saami, too, could pay themselves free from duty, sending a replacement for themselves, or many just escaped duty by going to nearby Norway.

resize-of-163-6352_img.JPGPhoto: A cast iron stove from the 1770’s at Silpatjåkkå

Whatever the situation, both workers and Saami had difficult working conditions. Both were to receive wages in the form of felt, sugar, tobacco etc. but the first few years showed that no one was getting paid. Isak Tiock, the mining foreman and known for his harsh treatment of the Saami at the Nasa Silver Mine, where he dragged Saami under the winter ice until they were willing to work or,more often, died of pneumonia, had refused to pay the miners and Saami of Luleå Silverworks and Silpatjåkkå. He cheated them out of their wages and kept this for himself. It wasn’t until after a royal commission visited Kvikkjokk and inspected the conditions there that he was fired from his job as mining foreman, charged and taken to court for his actions and eventually was jailed. Afterwards, both miners and Saami were paid in full for their work.

Through the years, many royal commissions were sent to Kvikkjokk to inspect the mines and the the king’s investments. Almost with each commission, requests for more money were given and more capital was poured into Silpatjåkkå silver mine. In 1672, another mine was opened in Alkavare and increased the investments. At its best, the Sipatjåkkå Silver Mine produced only some 550 kg of silver and 1500 kg of lead over a 40 year period, which ended in 1702. A small fortune for the times had been invested in the Silpatjåkkå Silver Mine but, in comparison, very little had been gained and the whole venture was an economic tragedy.

After 1702, several other private entrepreneurs gained rights to mine silver in Silpatjåkkå. Abraham Steinholtz apparently did some work in 1745 and Prof. Jonas Meldercreutz seemingly worked the mines in 1769. Small scale mining interests were shown in the late 19th century, though not necessarily for silver but for other minerals. Some companies are documented and others were unknown “wild cards”. Many came to Silpatjåkkå and went away with shattered dreams of easy riches.

resize-of-silpavy01.jpgPhoto: Hedwigs Mine from late 17th century as it looks today

In the early times of Silpatjåkkå, whoever was involved with wanting to resume mining at the place were granted a general tax relief, but no one could ever make the silver mines profitable nor economically in balance. Was a tax relief a motivation for interest in Silpatjåkkå more so than actually working the mine? As from the beginning, Silpatjåkkå would always be dependent upon state aid or other subventions for its survival. The village of Kvikkjokk had as many as some eighty people living there in the late 17th century. Now, there is only a handful of permanent residents and the village struggles without real signs of progressive development.

It should be added that Silpatjåkkå has been an object of historical interest and research since 1993. The research project The Older Mines of Jokkmokk, founded by Kenneth Awebro and Tim Senften, has successfully carried out extensive archival and field research of Silpatjåkkå and has found new information about the silver mine and its historical significance. The larger mine holes are still there, but new evidence has been discovered showing that a greater exploitation, than what was earlier thought of, has occurred. The original building sites from 1660 can easily be found together with the mine holes at 1250 meters above sea level.

Hiking Tips: A long days hike from Staloluokta. No direct path; use map and compass and follow the eastern side of Viejevagge Valley. The mine area is given on the BD10 map. Often foggy and poor weather at that height above sea level. Difficult to find a level spot for a tent. Please- this is an important heritage place so don’t disturb anything and pick-up/take-out all scrap!

Next: Alkavare Silver Mine- a complement to Silpatjåkkå

Jokkmokk’s Winter Market…

Published on January 23, 2008 in Jokkmokk's Mines. 0 Comments

…officially started with a declaration from, at that time, the Swedish King Karl IX. Officially? Because there is no written evidence that can show a practice of having markets in Jokkmokk before this year, although it is quite probable. A market provided an opportunity for gathering, paying taxes, doing a census of the inhabitants and gave a reason for baptisms, weddings and any court or judicial work.

In 1632, silver was found in the Nasa Mountain region near Norway and was Norrbottens first silver mine. It was a privately owned venture, from owners in Piteå, and acquired a reputation of being harsh and unjust with the Saami, who many were apparently forced into labor to help with transporting silver ore.

resize-of-ruotevaregruvhalvy01.jpgPhoto: Older mine hole on Ruotevare as witness to Norrbottens very first iron mine from 1638

So, it wasn’t so strange that during the 1638 winter market in Jokkmokk, a man by the name of Hans Fillip Lybecker was found walking the path through the old market area of Jokkmokk. He was the regional mine inspector working with the Nasa Silver Mine. Imaginably, he was dressed in a wolf skin winter coat and wearing reindeer boots common for the Saami in winter. Perhaps, too, he was clothed in a wolf skin coat tied in the middle with a knife belt and carrying a pair of skis on his shoulders. Or, had arrived from Luleå by way of reindeer and sled?

However the situation was, Hans Fillip Lybecker was in Jokkmokk. He was waiting for a supply of goods that would be further transported to the Nasa Silver Mine. And not so unlikely, he was sitting in a dimly lit, but warm, dirt hut on Dalvatis Hill, in the middle of the bustling market place, staring into a candle on the table and sipping from a small flask of home brew to keep extra warm with, when two Saami unexpectedly rushed down into the hut searching for him.

As these two stood in front of Lybecker, they held in their outstretched hands a few large rocks. Hans Lybecker took the candle and held it closer to get a better look at the rocks and, to his amazement, found them to be iron ore. He asked the two Saami, “Where did these come from?” They explained that they had found the rocks on a hill some twelve kilometers south of Jokkmokk. The hill had a Saamish name. Kiälmä Åiffde, or Kielm Oiwe, meaning “Iron Hill” it was called and there was more of the rock to be found.

Next day, Hans Lybecker headed south for Kielm Oiwe Hill together with several other Saami who followed to help him. When having arrived, the Saami shoveled snow away from the ground and more iron ore samples could be gathered. It is always bitter cold and very dark during winter market in Jokkmokk and coldly unwelcoming in the nearby forests.

Hans Fillip Lybecker sent these samples by courier to Stockholm and Queen Kristina, who was the head of royalty at the time. She decided that this was an exceptionally rich find of iron ore and sent word back to Lybecker that she would grant tax privileges to anyone interested in mining the iron at “The Iron Hill”.

resize-of-ruotevaretillmakningvy04.jpgPhoto: searching for ore using the bonfire method from early 16th century

And, there were people interested! The richer citizens and farmers of Luleå, at that time Gammalstad or “The Old City”, wanted to exploit the iron in Jokkmokk that coming summer. Hans Fillip Lybecker would keep an eye on their progress and report this to Queen Kristina. The citizens and farmers were very enthusiastic with their attempts to mine the iron out of the ground, but they had no experience with mining and found the work very difficult. Seemingly, they were working the ground with ordinary axes trying to hack-out the iron ore in this manner.

Lybecker reported that the work was difficult for these Luleå citizens. The citizens worked the hill next coming summer, 1639, and finally gave up. Either because it was too much work and not enough profit or that Jokkmokk was too far from Luleå or… We don’t know more than they just gave-up and stopped working. Besides these notes, that Hans Fillip Lybecker wrote about this iron mine attempt, there exists a handwritten map showing where Kielm Oiwe can be found and how to get to it from Luleå.

This was the very first iron mine of Norrbotten. Many others came after and tried their luck at mining iron south of Jokkmokk. Among these could be mining adventurers like Regement Commisioner Olof Uneus, from Boden, who knew about “…Rutivare in Jockmock” and Carl von Linneus wrote about the iron ore in his Lapland travels of 1732. Prof. Jonas Medelcruetz or Abraham Steinholz was probably interested in Ruotevare’s exploitation in the 18th century as well as baron Samuel G. Hermelin och Jon Engström in the 19th century.

resize-of-ruotevareskarpning03.JPGPhoto: signs of prospecting from early 18th century

Lastly, there were many claims for Ruotevare during the 20th century. This time, not for iron but for deposits of feltspat and quartz. These were shipped by train to the smelting works in Porjus.

The last work done on Ruotevare was in the early 1950’s, when mine owner A. Thelin was killed. As he was climbing up a ladder, the charging caps he had in his back pocket accidentally exploded and he was rushed to the small hospital in Jokkmokk where he died. Today, there are plans of making Ruotevare into a nature reservation, but the remnants of over 350 years of mining still remain as an historical reminder for the residents of and visitors to Jokkmokk.

PS- A detailed historical account with remnant examples and cataloging results from research on Ruotevare can be found in a still unpublished report (2005) that Norrbottens Länsstyrelsen, Kulturmiljöenhet has. Call and ask about it! I can’t understand why they have difficulties with making this available to the public i.e. taxpayers? (Could it be that it is so well done, they just want it all for themselves?)

PSS- Today, February 1, 2008, I found a copy of the Ruotevare Report in the mailbox. Seemingly the report will soon be published on Norrbottens Länsstyrelsen website as well as hard copies can be had after it goes through the printers. Hats off for the regional government?

The older mines of Jokkmokk…

Published on January 22, 2008 in Jokkmokk's Mines. 0 Comments

…have, in comparison to other parts of Sweden, a unique history. Yes, the silver mine of Sala, the copper mine of Falun and many other mines in southern Sweden can be older or larger, but, for being in Lapland and in an isolated area such as the Laponia mountains, Jokkmokks mining history is filled with a historically interesting and significant past.

As people progressed northwards in their search for a new life, some of the very first Swedes to push into the northern inland areas were miners and prospectors. Many of these came and went, but some stayed on after mining adventures and became the first settlers giving birth to small villages that still exist today. But, the story of searching for natural wealth and new settlements starts even longer ago. In the blog pages to come, let’s take a look at this past and briefly touch upon the stories of Jokkmokk’s older mines. To give a short but decent picture of these mines and better understand the story, we must first travel long ago back in time…

resize-of-dsc_0121.JPGPhoto: Jokkmokk’s and Laponia’s older mines take us into an exciting past

There were a lot of exiting things going on in Western Europe after the fall of Rome in the early middle ages (500-1000 A.D.) and a time when people started to move and explore more of the known world. One popular group at this time where the Vikings and one Viking king was known to have ruled over most of the northern Norwegian coastline and as far inland as the regions of Lapland. This was King Othere from Hålogaland. During his rule, he had declared that he had sole rights to all land between the Atlantic ocean and eastwards into Russia and he had the sovereign right to tax all inhabitants. In this case, the people living in this area were the reindeer breeding Saami.

Throughout history there are people taxing other people and either used force or cunning to reap in personal wealth. With the start of King Othere’s taxation on the Saami people, other groups of people believed they, too, had the right to tax the Saami during the next few centuries. These people were from Finland or eastern Russia and consisted of several groups, all doing trade with the Saami. The more popular of these unorganized groups were called “Birkalar” and were for centuries freelancing entrepreneurs selling their talents to collect taxes for different heads of state as they did trade.

During the 16th century, the Swedish King Gustav Wasa also proclaimed his right of ownership for all land between Russia and “the western sea”, or the North Atlantic, and entered into a contract with the Birkarls to collect taxes from the Saami for his part. Afterwards, the Birkarls worked for other Swedish royalty up until King Karl IX, who started free markets in the north of which the most popular was the Jokkmokk Market in 1604.

To pay taxes, the commodities that the Saami had at hand were natural goods. Furs, dried meats, fish etc. were the most common but, because of the Saami’s unique knowledge of the land and mountains from centuries of migration, they also knew about the value of pearls from freshwater mussels (Margaritana Margaritifera) and the clear quartz of Sweden called “Swedish diamonds”. A very small group of Saami even specialized in finding and collecting these two valuables and it isn’t unbelievable that freshwater pearls and “Swedish diamonds” were used to pay taxes. The latter, “Swedish diamonds”, was used as a substitute for flint to start fires with or flintlock weaponry.

With hundreds of years of taxation and the knowledge of the value of the “Swedish diamond” or quartz and its uses, it seems highly likely that the Saami paid taxes with quartz and mined small amounts of this in areas of Northern Sweden; among these near Jokkmokk in a place called “the iron hill” or Ruovddeváre in Saamish.

Next: Ruotevare- The first iron mine in Northern Sweden

After the bear-killing-moose…

Published on January 17, 2008 in Laponia. 0 Comments

…incident, I continued hiking along the northern side of Miellätno River, passing the reindeer worker’s cabin, where the border of Sarek National Park begins, and making camp for a third night a few kilometres south of this landmark. The weather had now changed and rain showers were going to be with me that night as I laid in my tent with thoughts of the next coming day when I’d pass the Alkavare Chapel.

The chapel itself has its own story and is a well-known landmark of Sarek. The chapel is a ways up from Miellätno, sitting on a small shelf of a hill, and just a few hundred meters south from the Kainaij Stream, or according to the new Saamish spelling on the newer maps, Gáinájjågågsj. (With all respects for another culture’s language, I’m more used to the old maps than the new ones)

I poked around along Miellätno, looking for signs of Saami having stayed in or used the area on their migrations, and diagonally worked my way upwards along the slope of Lánjekbuollda and up until I came to the same level as the chapel. Now, as I approached Kainaij I was thinking of the best place to cross it. The stream was thick and there was plenty of water as it went through a deep ravine.

resize-of-161-6116_img.JPGPhoto: Remnants of silver mining in 1672 at Alkavare. Alkavare Chapel is in upper right-hand corner.

It was here I happened to look up and looked around me. With a little experience, one learns to tell when the ground area is natural or has been disturbed in some way. Small telltale signs of things that aren’t a natural phenomenon are often obvious to sharpened eyes.

For me, standing on the northern side of the stream and having the Alkavare Chapel a few hundred meters on the other side, I immediately noticed that someone long ago had apparently been digging holes in the ground. The holes were very evident and the age was determined by the lichen growth and wear of the rock. And, I stood there thoroughly amazed at what I was seeing and not knowing anything about these holes. Who dug holes in such an isolated place? Why did they do this? Was it the Saami and these were hunting pitfall holes? How did these happen? When did this happen? What happened afterwards?

The questions just flew in my head. With backpack off, I walked around and found more holes and more disturbed rocks and a huge ditch that was dug out of the side of the ravine and another hole and…and… Signs of something having happened were all over the ground and I was completely absorbed with these holes in the ground.

Although it was a little tricky, I managed to cross Kainaij Stream and climb up the steep bank only to find more holes and disturbed rock and even a foundation from a stone building. After looking at the map, I now saw that this area was designated as a mining area, but when and how this happened, I wanted to know the whole story.

resize-of-161-6127_img.JPGPhoto: Foundation of a building from 1672

Because of this first experience of a mining area in the mountains, I couldn’t let it rest. Once back in Jokkmokk, I went to the library and searched for as much information as possible about that mining area in Sarek. Finally, several years later, I met Kenneth Awerbro, who had written a detailed history book about the first silver mines in the mountains. We started our friendship with a common interest…old mines…and the last 15 years have allowed me to research these mines giving me more and more answers to the questions I first had at Alkavare in 1988. My interest in older mines has only increased since then.

So, after finally getting around to the subject, I plan on writing about these mines and a brief history of those which were important and influential for the early development of Jokkmokk. The very first mine in Jokkmokk is from 1638 and is Norrbotten’s oldest known iron ore mine. An interesting story concerning the small hill south of the town of Jokkmokk called…Ruotevare or “Iron Hill” in Saamish.

Unexpected things can happen in Laponia…

Published on January 15, 2008 in Laponia and Personal. 1 Comment

…almost at anytime. A solo hike in 1988 had unexpectedly given me two things; a fantastic memory and the development of something I never would’ve believed would have such an impact on me for future years. Allow me to explain the first.

Working together with two other people on a project to rediscover possible campsites of an older Saami migration route, just one of many that often snake themselves through the mountainous passageways and valleys of Sarek and Padjelanta, I was asked to photographically document possible campsites or reindeer milking pastures along the way. I had never hiked alone nor been in such an isolated situation before and I felt anxiety for my safety and testing my “solo” mountain skills, as I prepared for my departure.

After arriving in Staloluokta with one of the last Cessna airplanes used in the hills before helicopters became common, I headed out towards Arasluokta and made camp for the night. Next morning, I veered eastwards, after crossing the bridge, heading in the direction of Alkavare hiking along the north bank of the Meillätno River.

resize-of-alkajaurview01.jpgPhoto: Alkajaur Lake in Sarek National Park and start of the Meillätno River

I had trouble sleeping that second night. The August weather was hot and hiking in hot weather requires drinking a lot of water. I woke up in my tent, sometime in the middle of the night, and heard an uncommon slushy noise coming from the river nearby. I listened. It wasn’t a reindeer passing because that sounds different. So, I got out of my sleeping bag and opened the front of the tent to take a look.

The sun is under the horizon at this time of the year, but it still gives plenty of light in the evenings. I looked downstream for the sound and saw a moose, a cow, moseying along near the riverbank and pulling up grass and chewing it as she peacefully worked her way upstream. She didn’t seem to have a care in the world that night and, for me, I drank some water while I watched her pass by and eventually closed my tent and went back to sleep.

The next day was a little cooler and with a north-westerly breeze, making hiking much easier. I started out and, when it felt necessary, took off my pack, sat on the ground up against a rock and made a morning stop along the river bank. I like to look around a lot when hiking. I get acquainted with my surroundings this way instead of rushing and not seeing things.

At this particular moment, sitting against the rock and both legs stretched out in a crossed manner, a Bluethroat landed on my right boot. Just like that and without any indication given, I had a beautiful mountain bird standing four feet from my nose on the tip of my boot, wagging its tail and looking at me as if to say “good morning”. It was there for what seemed to be a long time and I really enjoyed his visit and courage. But, things must end and he flew off on his own adventure.

For me, I continued to sit resting and studying the hill across from me, on the opposite side of the river from me.

Doing this, I noticed some dark thing running fast diagonally downhill. “Well, wha…”, I thought, and took my binoculars hanging on my neck to get a better look. Running down the hill was the moose cow I had seen last night and she was going very fast. Catching up to her and hot on her hooves was….a bear!

I followed the incident with my binoculars. The bear was getting closer and closer as they both came downhill and closer to the river bank and brush across from me. As the moose entered into the brush, the bear was right behind her. The brush slowed the moose down giving the bear the advantage of the situation. And, more suddenly than one would expect, I watched the bear jump up from behind onto the moose and, holding hard onto her back loins with his paws and claws, tackled and dragged the moose down into the bushes. Both disappeared.

I saw a lot of rustling in the bushes, but everything went very quicklt and soon these stopped moving. For a long time I sat there and waited, watching for any movement, but there was none. As I watched, I realized how swiftly the chase, and then the kill, happened. I was awed with how fast the bear could run and the strength and power he had when pulling the moose down to kill it. And, to have sat there alone and be a witness to the whole event was something I felt almost blessed with.

I don’t have any pictures of this. I didn’t have the time to open my pack and get my camera. It was over with so quickly. In afterthought, it’s sometimes wiser to just observe than to take pictures. Also, I was glad I had the Meillätno River between me and the bear.

And, ever since that day, when I think of watching the bear kill a moose in the mountains, I often wondered if not the Bluethroat on my boot was trying to talk to me and prepare me for what I alone would see. Unforgettable!

PS- Coming up/ The start of older mine research

Swedish Touring Skis vs. Snowshoes…

Published on January 1, 2008 in Laponia. 0 Comments

…is a subject that too few people in Lapland take even a breath of a moment to think about. Ever since the 16th century, when Gustav Wasa did his famous ski trip to become the first king of Sweden, skiing has been a so dominating means of travel in the country that consideration for an alternative has been out of the question. Skiing has always been the root to effective and reliant winter travel in Lapland. So much so as the development special ski museums dedicated in preserving hundreds of years of Swedish ski culture nostalgia and development. But, what about snowshoes in Sweden?

resize-of-dsc_0102.JPGPhoto: The toes of a touring ski are easy to entangle in low-lying forest brush or thick birch tree growths

Basically, there is no snowshoe tradition in Sweden. Without greater research, snowshoes came about with the horse. With thick and heavy snow conditions in wintertime, people found it necessary to provide their horses with better footing. Otherwise, horses would sink to their stomachs as they pulled sleighs through forests. These first snowshoes were wooden rectangular creations with leather bindings that criss-crossed around the horse’s hooves and were just minimally larger than hooves.

Later, as the forest industries advanced, workers cutting trees during wintry months would otherwise wade in deep snow without some type of snowshoe. They used small rectangular shoes, bent upwards at both ends and strapped on with a toe and heel binding. These had been developed years ago by the military and basically have held the same design up to and into the 1970’s. They largely looked like “modern” horse snowshoes and were not popular because they weren’t very effective. Better with skis!

Comparatively, skis are great in the open and treeless terrain, such as the higher mountain areas, and with these conditions prove to be a quicker transportation method. Depending upon different snow conditions, skis of different width and length are appreciated. For example, the longer or wider a ski is, the less you sink in loose snow. And different bindings provide different varieties for individual preferences.

But, skis have their problems. One is just the fact that a few different lengths and widths are necessary for changes in snow condition or terrain. With too short or thin skis one can sink deep in snow just as easily as without. Skis should be waxed for the conditions of the day. Wax wrongly and you will easily slide backwards when attempting an uphill journey or need to put on/take off, what I call, “sealskins”. (sorry, I forgot the correct word for these things that attach to the toe of the ski and underneath to provide a grip)

Just using skis in thick lowland forests give problems. The upturned toes of a ski are very easy to get tangled into brush and thick wooded areas and one has to continuously plan very short routes for the best results and not get entangled or, dread, break-off a ski toe while balancing a slight downhill route in thick spruce forest.

So, let’s be honest! A touring ski in lowland forest terrain with changing snow conditions, needing correct and daily waxing, having to choose an appropriate route with not too much uphill nor downhill and a straight line to manoeuvre along… doesn’t allow for an enjoyable outing and are like having two sticks stuck to your feet. They often are just a “necessary” big pain-in-the-butt!

resize-of-dsc_0110.JPGPhoto: Snowshoes or Swedish touring skis? The skis have a length of 8 ft and are commonly found in Sweden

Ah! Then let’s consider an alternative…the modern snowshoe!

Now, why do I use “modern” snowshoe? After having lived in Maine, I had the opportunity to learn about snowshoes from that snowshoe culture having plenty of snow. For snowshoe romantics, the wooden framed and leather laced traditional type of snowshoe fits the romantic’s dream image. But, most of these traditional shoes are poorly stringed, or laced, and nowadays don’t hold very long. Maine outdoors people are changing to modern snowshoes due to the lack of competent makers. You have to find a snowshoe maker that knows how to lace them correctly with the right material. Besides, the good quality snowshoes cost an arm and a leg! Too little demand, too high of price!

Then, there is an array of modern snowshoes with varied degrees of practical use and quality. In Sweden, a type of French-made snowshoe is being marketed by most companies. Snowshoes are marketed using the Alps or Mount Everest image trying to attract, what I would call, buyers with little-experience-in-the-outdoors or “wannabes”…possibly even the romantics, who just like the look of a pair of snowshoes hanging on their house porch.

My purpose here is not to start comparing different brands and makers but rather to promote an alternative to skis; if even with a combination of both for appropriate conditions and purposes

The snowshoe I’ve been experimenting with is an aluminium and synthetic shoe made by Tubbs. My boots are a traditional L.L. Bean brand. The snowshoes were second-hand through an Internet site. They are an earlier model Eclipse and not made for my body weight nor the conditions I had wanted snowshoes for very loose and new snow deeper than 90 cm and with a 17 kg. backpack.

And here’s something important! Firstly, when considering a snowshoe, consider your body weight, pack load and the normal snow conditions you’ll most likely to use them in. Secondly, find snowshoes that can be temporarily repaired to keep functioning (wire, string, rope, old jeans) should these break in extreme isolated terrain. Then, whatever manufacturer you choose isn’t that pertinent! Mainly ordinary consumer expectations such as material reliability, cost and quality or back-up when something goes wrong are satisfactory expectation demands on manufacturers. Don’t go for the first plastic-made constructed snowshoe that the local sport store has on its shelf! Do a little research!

resize-of-dsc_0109.JPGPhoto: Be smart with choosing snowshoes and choose for your body weight and usage

I’ve used my Tubbs snowshoes the past few months with different snow conditions and must say that snowshoes impress me as an alternative. Yes, I sank in loose snow in the beginning, but I knew I had under dimensioned equipment. So, that’s O.K. And, as the snow conditions changed and the layer compressed, I found snowshoes working better in the forests around Jokkmokk.

But, what really impressed me with snowshoes was in the thick spruce lowlands near the Västerbotten mountains! Snowshoes aren’t very long and are much lighter than skis. Having compressed snow with a slight crust, I found it to be a piece of cake walking in this terrain. I didn’t break through the snow. I had no problems with uphill climbs. I purposefully walked across deep ditches and really thick birch areas, places where snowmobiles would think twice about, and all without the slightest problem. I never got stuck in thick brush. I did not feel intimidated with walking “bowlegged” but walked almost normally and only tripped over my own feet…once! I do think the bindings must be better, but I have an earlier model so…!

With this experience, I will continue to test my snowshoes and continually compare these with my Swedish touring skis. But, for now, I’m impressed with their compatibility to the lowland forests of Lapland and being outdoors during winter. They are well worth trying and hopefully can change Lapland traditions. Snowshoeing in Lapland can truly be… a walk in the park!