Travel

andy longhena wrote (see)

........so it will be an interesting learning experience.......

I agree with Jim! Whiteout, strong wind on loose snow or loads of newfallen wet snow can make a few kilometres become a hard days work. As I have not traveled the area you are planning to visit, I do not know about cellphone coverage. The rule here noth is that you must NOT rely on cell phones. There could be only a short distance from the road and it's dead. And even if you have coverage it will be impossible to be rescued if there is a storm. Nobody is able to get out to help. Sit it out like Jim says. Btw the best shelter in such conditions is a snowcave. Its warm (never much below 0 even in -30 outside), its safe, and its silent. Only disadvantage is it takes a couple of hours to dig. Always have a sturdy showel with you on winter tours.

A good weather forecast is found here, and snow conditions in Norway is found here. As you are so close to the norwegian border you could use this data as well. Just zoom in and toggle the buttons on the left. Sorry there are no such site in Sweden.

I can read Swedish - so send me what you want translated

There will be a weather forecast at Storulvan prepared specifically for that hut and downloaded from the internet. They will normally display it at the reception desk. If you don't find it - ask. If you don't understand it - ask. Everone will speak English. I can't quite remember, but you can't guarantee mobile phone coverage at Sylarna Hut, but you should have it at Storulvan.

 There is a marked ski trail between the two huts, marked with tall wooden stakes with red St. Andrews crosses on top. The stakes are designed to be visible from one another except in the very worst weather. If the weather is at all doubtful, stay on the marked trail. If you can't see the next stake and you're staggering in the wind, think about digging in.

Best place for a snow-hole is on the side of stream gulley where  a big drift has formed. Go in sideways from within the gulley and dig slightly upwards. It's much easier to get rid of your snow that way, and the slope towards the door acts as a drain for cold air during the night. Trying to dig downwards is exhausting and in really bad weather you'll have problems enough. Make sure you keep your entrance free enough of snow that air can get in - take your shovel into the cave with you. It can't be much fun to suffocate under snow.

I got stuck for 3 days in one of the huts on the Norwegian side a couple of years ago - high winds and heavy falling snow. I had no problem for I was in a hut with a wood fire, a gas cooker and food. I tried to go out one day. It took me two hours to battle 2 km against the wind before I decided that this was daft and went back to the hut. That took me 15 minutes with the wind - just standing on the skis and being blown along.

Start of translation

Left-hand side

Projection, coordinate system
The grid in brown shows latitude and longitude on the reference ellipsoid GRS 80 in the reference system SWEREF 99

The grid in blue shows coordinates of the SWEREF 99 TM grid

The coordinate system marked on the outer frame of the map and with crosses within the map shows SWEREF 99 UTM Coordinates in blue and RT 90 2.5 gon W in black.

The little diagram shows where the transition between UTM zones 32 and 33 at 12°E is on the map.

More information on the map's text page.

Right hand side

Referring to a point in the SWEREF 99 TM Grid
Coordinates (N and E) of a point can be measured starting from the maps southwestern corner (in kilometers) by use of the grid shown on the map. Measure the N-coordinate first (towards the north), then the E- coordinate towards the east.

Example (to an accuracy of 100 metres)
The triangle point Storsnasen
N:70138 E:3666

Z6, edition 4, December 2007

Reconnoitred in 1998. Partly revised in 2007

Scale 1: 100 000 (1 cm on the map represents 1 km on the ground)

end of translation

I don't know what'2.5 gon W' means after RT 90. RT 90 is the Swedish grid corresponding to the British OS grid. Swedish maps normally have that grid on the map andthe UTM grid only around the edges and as crosses within the map. It looks like you have a UTM grid on the map and the RT 90 grid around the edge. Make sure you know which it is when you set up your GPS. If it has just 'Swedish Grid' in the menu, it is likely to be the RT 90 grid.to get the SWEREF 90 UTM grid, just set it up with UTM.

These are a few of my pictures taken from Sylarna Hut. There are more in my folder in the gallery 'Norwegian-Swedish Sylarne'

Thanks Jim! I was hoping to see something about magnetic variation.....could you please check if there is anything in here........

btw.....beautiful pictures........oh!.....we decided to scrap the tent idea and we are going to wait for the 19th when the huts open.......renting a tent was going to cost a fortune anyway.......

Sorry, no. That's all about weather and windspeeds.

 I've had a look at some of my Swedish maps and can see nothing about magnetic declination on any of them. However, the Norwegian map Sylen, that also covers the Swedish area, says that magnetic declination is so close to geographic N that it can be disregarded.

 So orientate your compass with the brown lines on the map

....I guess that make sense being so far up north!!!.........will post some nice pictures when I come back......have a good week end!

.... thanks to all who contributedn to this thread..... 

The magnetic variation does depend on which coordinate system / grid you are working to. When I was up in Tromso in Sep the Norwegian maps I was using were on the UTM grid and the magnetic variation was 7 degrees East of UTM grid.

Try this website http://www.magnetic-declination.com/ which agrees with what was printed on my Norwegian map.

If you look at the back of the map. At the bottom left you see the titel Fjällkartan Z6 (in this case). It says: Kompassens missvisning....Magnetic variation  (difference between magnetic and geographic north) 2002-2006 is +3o to the east. (your map might be a bit newer though)

 The little picture to the right shows from left: grid north, geographic north and magnetic north.

Current daytime high temperatures at Sylstation -22C

If you think the daytime temp is cold then temperatures in surrounding valleys are down around -40oC at night just now!!!!! (the Swedish record is even lower)