CROSSING THE SAREK
CROSSING THE SAREK
Travelling through hostile lands, far from civilisation, in total autonomy but also as part of a group, is an epic journey full of lessons to be learnt.
Well protected by our Cairn equipment, our 6 Saint Cyr officers, all mountain enthusiasts, tell us about their expedition into the heart of this wilderness.
EXPLORING THE SAREK
The Sarek, right in the centre of Lapland, isn't called "Sweden's most beautiful natural area" for nothing! It's Sweden's most mountainous area, with 19 peaks over 1900m, covering more than 2000 km². It welcomes a very limited number of visitors, so you soon feel very isolated and charmed by the grandeur of nature!
Our goal: to cross the Sarek, linking Saltoluokta to the east and the village of Ratsem to the north-west. It's almost 150km of completely self-sufficient trekking, in the snow and with significant differences in altitude, so you'll need warm clothing and don't forget your ski gloves and hat!
THE FINEST TEAM
We are 6 officers from the Ecole Spéciale de Saint Cyr aged between 20 and 23, (from right: Ralf, Alban, Clément, Quentin, Thomas; below, Loic and Adrien. Szolt, our guide, had become a photographer and is behind the camera), mountain enthusiasts with a taste for a challenge, accompanied by Ralf Graf, a German soldier, and Zsolt Osztian, our high mountain guide!
It's because it's difficult to get to, but also a complete change of scenery, that we wanted to take on this challenge together! To do this, we underwent rigorous training in the French mountains, between the Alps and the Jura, to prepare ourselves as well as possible for this environment. So we arrived in Lapland ready both physically and mentally!
GROUP LIFE: A GREAT ATMOSPHERE
We're all passionate about the mountains, and we've developed a real sense of group cohesion.
Solidarity was a real strength and the desire to discover this environment an unfailing motivation.
The collective spirit clearly contributed to the success of the crossing, with each member giving their best, solidarity was always present and the good atmosphere followed us from start to finish!
More than just a group of climbers, we were a real group of friends!
AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY
One of the things that struck us most on our arrival was the immensity of this territory, the feeling of being really isolated from everything, cut off from the world and when even our satellite phone wasn't receiving properly with no possibility of a call, it totally illustrated the isolation of the Sarek.
Each ascent of a pass, though difficult, offered us magnificent images.
And when we finally reached the top, we were treated to images we'll never forget! Imagine snow-capped mountains as far as the eye could see, like a desert of snow above the clouds - it was truly fantastic!
Another thing that really struck us on this trip was the relationship between distances.
The plains are so vast and open that, with the snow cover, we had the impression that the passes were only a few hundred metres away, whereas it sometimes took us 30 or even 45 minutes to reach their base.
Finally, for those who still think you can't get sunburnt in the snow, lost in this ocean of snow, it's better to wear sun cream and sunglasses.
MEETING WITH SAREK
Although we had been well prepared for this crossing for several months, the brutal confrontation with this environment was not easy and required us to adapt quickly. We'll remember our first day in the Sarek for a long time.
The day got off to a good start at 8am, when we set off by snowmobile from our gîte in Saltoluokta towards the entrance to the Sarek. After a 2-hour ride, our drivers wished us good luck and headed back to Saltoluokta while we prepared our equipment.
Finally, at 11am, our pulkas were ready and we set off for our first kilometres into the Sarek, to the first bivouac. While everyone was setting up their tents, we heard a sound like metal banging against metal, followed by a human grunt! It was Ralf, who had broken his tooth on a peg while putting up his tent. The peg had been loose because of the cold and had jumped in his face.
After eating and setting up camp, we set off for our first ascent: Mount Spijka (1000 m ascent and 15 km distance). Once we reached the summit, we were completely stuck in the fog, it was cold and we had very little visibility. As the fog intensified, we had to get back to camp quickly. We put on our skis and began the descent, except that on the first bend one of us fell... it was Ralf, whose binding had failed in the first few minutes... Clearly, it wasn't his day... We then had to do some repair work to fix his ski to his boot!
Finally, on arriving at the camp, one of our comrades realised that his pulka cover had blown away in the wind. He and Quentin started looking for it, while the others melted snow and prepared the meal.
In the end, Quentin and Loïc never found the tarpaulin, but they did come across a few wolves along the way. Needless to say, they didn't take long to get back.
This complicated day clearly got us into the swing of things, and served as a lesson for the rest of the crossing.
A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
It was a unique crossing. We've come away from it with our heads full of images, but also with some valuable lessons, such as solidarity, mutual aid and the importance of good preparation.
A whole range of lessons that we can apply on a daily basis, so that every day is like the Sarek crossing for us, a successful adventure.