Snowmobiling
One of the activities from the Ice Hotel is a snow mobile tour. All the clothes and equipment are supplied, and we were well wrapped up against the cold.
The Snow Mobile Group
After some instructions, we mounted our snow mobile and tried to look like we knew what we were doing!
Us on the Snow Mobile
The tour starts from Kiruna, and goes out into the countryside. At our first stop, we had views back to the city which is dominated by the iron mine – the largest in the world. The mine is the reason why the city of Kiruna exists in the first place, but it is also endangering the city due to subsidence. Plans are therefore in place to move the city 3kn eastwards away from the mine – a process that is expected to take until 2035.
Kiruna Iron Mine
Our second stop felt like it was in the remote wilderness, although we had not actually travelled very far. From this stop e had a view westwards towards the mountains in Norway.
Out In The Wilderness
The snow mobiles were not too difficult to control as we were on prepared tracks, travelling across flat ground. With a bit of practice and confidence, we could pick up some speed over the flat open terrain on the return journey.
Dog Sledding
The day after the snowmobiling, we had the chance to try out some dog sledding. We were kitted out like Arctic explorers, which was actually a bit excessive as it was not as cold as usual for the time of year.
Carol and Gordon Dressed for Winter
We then met up with the dog teams and were given instructions on how to control them before we set out into the woods. The dogs knew the route, so required little direction, other than a bit of help pushing up some of the slopes. We were surprised that the dogs were quite small, but they seemed very strong for their size, and we were told that they could run all day long if necessary.
Gordon And The Dogs
Out in the woods, we stopped at a campsite for some well deserved hot soup, heated over a proper wood fire.
Hot Soup and a Fire
We took a few pictures around the campsite before heading back.
Carol and the Dog Team
Resting Huskie
After the dog sledding, we transferred to the small town of Abisko for the next three nights. This would be our main location for viewing the aurora.
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