Climb Kebnekaise

Andreas Leffler is one of the photographers behind our Kebnekaise images. Here he talks about the climb, his thoughts on the images and some good things to know for anyone looking for a strikingly beautiful outdoor experience.

Blocky terrain, steep snowy slopes and a lack of water. Climbing Kebnekaise is a challenging mountain hike for most people. But the road to the mountain peak also offers fantastic mountain environments that range from rushing streams in the valleys to a high alpine glacier at the top. If you are lucky, there are miles of views of the mountain massif and mountain landscape, but just as often it is cloudy, foggy and visibility is poor.

The south peak of Kebnekaise has long been Sweden's highest point, but as global warming has accelerated, the glacier on the south peak has melted away, and the north peak has taken over the title as Sweden's highest mountain peak. If you haven't decided which peak to climb, it may also be worth knowing that the north peak of Kebnekaise is a significantly more challenging climb than the mountain's south peak, and requires both experience and climbing equipment.

The hike from Kebnekaise mountain station to the roof of Sweden offers a total ascent of about 1400 to 1800 meters, depending on which route you choose and how much climbing you are prepared to do. This makes the climb roughly comparable to taking the stairs to the highest public observation platform on the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, three times.

The changing weather creates dramatic changes and plays of light in the landscape, which we have tried to capture on film, so that you can have the feeling of climbing Kebnekaise as a poster on your wall at home. Then let our Kebnekaise motifs inspire you to head out into the mountains yourself. You won't regret it.