Sponsered post by Klingheim.

A few weeks ago, I left to participate in an educational event with Hilleberg the Tentmaker, in Vålådalen in Jämtland.

Only 22 people from around Europe were invited to this event, where we would have a chance to try out Hilleberg’s tents.

Preparations before the tour begins, packing pulkas and performing a last check.

We came from all over Europe and our only real thing in common was that we are all Hilleberg dealers. Because of uncertainty about how well everyone could ski, we set out on snowshoes instead so that we would not take away valuable time from learning about the tents and the company.

Sunshine, snow and clear skies. A good day outside.

So, in minus 20 degrees and sunshine, we set out with snowshoes and pulkas, with the sun in our faces and a small breeze.

I got to use a snow shoe from TSL that was sent to me from Klingheim, an outdoor company that sells gear for mountaineering, skiing and climbing in alpine areas.

TSL Symbioz is a snowshoe for varied terrain that is easy to walk in.

The first day we ended up in a glade, where we first pitched two Altai group tents.

”These tents are big 6 person-tents which are extremely good for groups and lectures in the wild, or just to have somewhere to meet up after a day in the wild.”

First camp of the week. As cold and darkness sweeps in, it´s good to have a reliable headtorch.

Then we had a clinic about how to pitch our tents in the winter cold.

The following day we went out into the mountains, where it was windy but there was not that much snow to talk about, due to a heat period in the area during the last couple of days. Because of the lack of snow, rocks were showing – not a common sight this time of the year in this part of Sweden.

You can see the dark marks on the ground from rocks and grass tufts – signs of bad snow conditions.

The snow shoes came to their own in the lack of snow and the tour was really doable, more so than I think it would have been with skis.

The tents our group had during the week were the following:

Keron 3

A Black Label tent for the most demanding situations, stable in the wind, and a good choice for a tall person. But a little heavy.

Kaitum 2 GT

A Red Label tent, and the thinner/lighter version of the Keron. This was my first tent from Hilleberg and it is still active today in my Hilleberg arsenal.

The red tent is a Kaitum 2 GT and the green tent is a Nallo 3

Nallo 3

This tent was the one I had the most trouble with due to the sloping foot end of the inner tent.

Tarra

This was the biggest and heaviest of the tents we tried, and a little complex to set up due to all its poles that were supposed to crisscross one another in different places.

But inside you didn´t notice the wind at all.

Since the days where quite short, we were able bring some better cuisine and sit down around the stoves during the early nights.

Primus Omni-lite Ti glowing in the dark.

Here follows some of the menus I brought with me:

Teriyaki beef with rice.

Recipe:

Minute beef

Ginger

Leek

Teriyaki sauce

Black pepper

Boil-in-bag rice

Method:

Boil the rice

Fry the beef, add the ginger and leek, fry some more.

Add the teriyaki sauce and black pepper.

Mix in the rice.

Serve!

Lentils with veggie burgers and halloumi.

Recipe:

Lentils

Vegetable broth

Oil

Powder-veggie burgers

Halloumi

Method:

Boil the lentils with the broth (keep some of the water for a soup).

Mix the veggie powder with water and oil.

Fry the mix after forming small balls or burgers.

Fry the halloumi.

Serve!

(It could be nice with a little yoghurt sauce to go with it, but mine froze.)

I thought that the week was awesome, although I didn´t expect the snow level to be so low.

It felt more like a paid, guided tour than a work related tour, due to the pace, the integrity and the enthusiasm of our guides from Hilleberg.

And the whole concept of the week was calm and easy – a good change of pace from ordinary life in Gothenburg – with mountains and wilderness that I haven´t seen since my Mountain Guide education.

Two of my favorite pieces of equipment:

• The Hilleberg Windsack, a fast end easy shelter to bring on all adventures that is useful in changing weather.
• And my knitted yarn mittens, a glove that always follows me in the winter months, due it always staying warm and not really getting wet ever.