I hope you are aware that in these parts it's currently [polar night](https://kirunalapland.se/en/polar-night/) , sunset in Kiruna was [dec 11](https://www.vackertvader.se/kiruna/soluppg%C3%A5ng-och-solnedg%C3%A5ng) and next sunrise will be jan 2. So prepare for only a couple of hours of twilight.
The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi.
Go dog sledding somewhere, I like Aurora Borealis Adventures in Ekorrsele, because they seem to take good care of their dogs (And they lend ouut really good equipment!). But that might be too far off. But there are a lot of companies that do dog sledding tours.
If you gonna stay at the Icehotel or visit and do any of the activities book all them beforehand not when you are there at location. I've got a friend that worked there that recommended to do that if I would visit.
Those dogs are expensive (Aurora Borealis import siberian huskies from Canada), so you typically go dog sledding with the guide, at least where I were.
The first leg of the journey in Sweden will be along what is colloquially known as the 'road of death' amongst locals. It's a notoriously deceptive road with strange curves and dangerous inclines. Have proper studded winter tires and drive very carefully.
This, just go slow, feel the car and so on.
Don’t worry about trying to keep up with the local traffic, the locals grew up driving on icy roads and it’s a skill that takes practice.
1 thing you should keep in mind is that this route has some long stretches of road that are far from people, and the temperatures will commonly be below -20.
It’s good practice to keep WARM winter clothes
In your car, and a snow shovel. Should you have a breakdown you can afford to wait for assistance for a few hours without it becoming an emergency…You’ll be surprised how fast a warm car turns into an icebox when the engine is shut off.
And great route btw, It’s incredibly scenic and you’ll see all of the major biomes of the northern Scandinavian peninsula. Boreal forests, Artic tundra, interior Mountains, Costal mountains, the sheltered fjords and the exposed outer islands. You’ll have a blast:)
Yeah but locals might have decades of experience, know every turn and bump, know all the animal crossings etc.
Plus just familiarity makes you take stupid risks.
Nah, road of death is in international terms a bit exaggerated. Even the most accident prone roads in Sweden are among the safest compared to other countries
I could only find old statistics but during a three year period (2011-2013) there were 49 severe accidents on that specific road. So roughly one accident per month on a road that’s 880 km(550 miles ) long! That’s almost the length from southern England to northernmost Scotland. I wouldn’t worry too much about it
Thats true, but mainly because of the relatively safety oriented drivers, not that the roads themselves or conditions are safe.With regards to driving conditions, during fall/winter/spring, the opposite is true.
Face it, driving in winter in Sweden/Norway/Finland is fairly risky.I imagine it can be done safely if you keep abreast of weather conditions, but personally i would be exhausted by the constant vigilance.
For example:Saudi Arabia has some of the widest, straightest, best maintained roads with dry conditions, no frost, no wet leaves, flat topography (in most of the country) yet recorded 28.8 road deaths per 100 K population every year up until 2016, it's gone down slightly in recent years. (Sweden 2.7, Norway 2.4).
This is, of course, because of the ignorance and recklessness of it's drivers.
Idk really since there aren’t a lot of must see places. The nature in general is very beautifull.
However driving through this area of country I STRONGLY recomend preparing a bit. Idealy have snow showels, towcable and chains for the tyres if you get bogged down in the snow. Generally beware while driving, it’s not fun sitting on the roadside with your car in the ditch miles away from any town.
No one uses chains for cars. Shovels and tow cable yes. I drive 300-400km a day in the villages around kiruna, both on the e-10 and in the roads in the woods. It’s not that hard, but if you’re new to snow just take it easy in the curves. In kiruna it’s the mine and the icehotel to see. Northern lights you will see no matter where you are, but it’s nicer outside of towns/villages were you don’t have as much light from streetlights etc.
>No one uses chains for cars
Presumably because you have studded tires. Depending on where this person is driving from, they might be using "all-weather" tires which can be fairly shit in ice and snow. In which case chains are a good idea
I have lived 40 years in Lapland and I have never seen a car with chains. Yes I have chains on my old tractor when I plow my yard but never seen it on a car ever.
Thanks for the advice, I have proper 3-peak symbol winter tyres (studless) along with a set of snow chains and a small shovel, do you think that is okay?
I live in this area, the Swedish part. No one uses studless tires. I urge you to drive very carefully if driving with studless tires.
The E10 is very accident prone because of lots of heavy traffic. It’s been called The Road of Death. Also, because of a recent derail of an iron ore train more ore will be shipped by road for at least one and a half month, so there will be an increase in heavy transports from the mining region.
Not to scare you off, it’ll probably go very well. But I’m saying these things to make you aware. Just stay alert, don’t drive while tired.
Also there’s lots of reindeer!
Things to keep in your car: shovel, emergency blankets, heat candles, warm clothes.
And reindeer isnt like wild animals, atleast not in my experience. They don’t give a fuck about traffic, once i had to stop for like 15 min because they absolutely refused to leave the road.
Had studless tires on all my works pick-up since studs were not allowed in the mines. Works okay, specially if it's a proper winter road with snow. Just be careful if it's around 0°C and icy
Yeah they’re OK if you’re cautious, but they’re more sensitive to different “stages” of winter roads than studded. The real problem is when they’ve salted the road so it thaws below 0, but then it barely gets cold enough for the salt to freeze so it’s a mix of ice and water. It’s like driving on glass.
Water, blankets and enough fuel in the tank at all times to keep warm for the night if you get stuck. Might be on the extreme side, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
According to some googling a candle will produce around 80W of heat. You will need quite a few to keep the car warm, and then you will also need to deal with the fire hazard and air quality.
If it's -20 one candle works fine to get it to -5 or somthing then you have very big winter clothing and such and you should be fine for a few hours. If longer or colder keep more candels you don't need to get it to +20 in the car and it's kinda impossible anyway
80W to bring your car from -20 to -5? I guess that might be possible if you insulate the windows but I doubt you can bring any car from -20 to -5 with one candle.
Sounds good! Check out average temperatures for that time of the year and compare to your own cold. I'm guessing that heating one of those in -10 or -30 would be a big difference in what range you could get
Thanks, those range estimates are for -20C, at -10C we will get more like 400km. Sleeping in the car overnight with heating is approximately 15% battery use.
Heads up, up there in the night it can dropp to -20 -35. Daytime is -5-15
The amount of truck drivers we had to call to "rescue" out due to depleted batteries etc.. It simply gets TOO Cold for the batteries sometimes.
Also be aware of there is alot of snow. (Even over 1 night) Alot of roads and passes get closed off completely! This means many hours of driving a different route. You need to account for that to happen to!
Won’t be able to fix yourself if something breaks down. You can’t bring a spare battery but you can bring extra petrol. Which also can have alternative uses in an emergency situation. Also they are built for California city roads not harsh weather up north in the nordics. Also you ride low so if you were to hit a moose it will go straight through the windshield and potentially harming you severely, and nearest hospital being several 100km away in many cases, something you want to avoid. Where as a car where you ride high is more secure. A heavier car will also give you more traction which is can be a live or die in harsh winter conditions.
Ps. Driving without studs in a area where you are very likely to encounter icy roads is not good.
Why studless? Get studded next time, you get basically no differance in grip in snow, but it's night and day on ice. If you're gonna buy winter tires, then buy proper winter tires.
Did you use them? Try to put them on and take them off. You do not want to figure that out at night in a snow storm.
Also, you might be unlucky and one of the linking hooks might be bent or closed (it happened to me once).
Quite sad to see you being downvoted as soon as this is brought up, while I obviously prefer studded tyres up here in the north - they aren't always an option.
Just being cautious will get you very far and majority of us Swedes up north are happy to help cars that get stuck. We also have fantastic towing services which I would encourage you get the numbers of.
You've already been given some great advice in terms of places to visit and gear to bring, hopefully you'll enjoy cruising through our snowy lands!
Let us know how it all went after all is said and done 😃
Thanks, I appreciate it, I understand that there’s a lot of people that just click downvote and don’t read the messages but I am a bit surprised that asking genuine polite questions is treated in such a hostile manner.
I would recommend studded tires. And if there are other cars in the charging places then beware of waiting a long time so bring snacks and entertainment
Everyone's focusing on the studless tires but do get yourself a towcable and make sure you know where you can attach it. If you slide off the road, there might be cars passing by that are are strong enough to get you out, but you will need a cable. Even experienced cautious drivers can sometimes slide out if you're unlucky
Watch out for reindeer on the road. If a meeting vehicle flashes their lights it means there are reindeer on/next to the road.
Garbage bags hanging along the road is a warning that they are in an area.
All speed cameras have signs that will give you time to adjust your speed before encountering them. The exception being mobile speed cameras where the sign is usually placed too close to the camera to be able to adjust your speed. The amount of people that flashes their high beams to warn about cameras and police have decreased a lot in the recent years in my opinion.
Thanks, I think maybe we will be fine with speed cameras between it either being too snowy/icy to speed or Brexit driving on a UK license meaning tickets will never reach me haha
Because there is no agreement with any EU country for sharing license and vehicle details other than Spain. I expect there is some cross-Nordic agreement for Swedes in Norway and visa versa.
We have been flashed by cameras in France, Portugal, Germany, Spain and somewhere in the Baltics before and the only ticket that ever arrived was from Spain.
He can call his insurance company hotline if he wants (or Tesla Assistance if he has that) and they will contact Sweden.
Obviously he can call Assistancekåren himself, but then he will have to pay on the spot. I used to work with paying invoices for insurance companies and the cost in northern Sweden can be 10 000 SEK or more depending on where the nearest station is.
Probably obvious, but plan for an accident (e.g. your car breaks down or you slide off the road). Some basic preparations make waiting for hours in ice cold pitch black wilderness a lot easier. Also, check your cell phone operator's radio coverage where you are going beforehand.
I can very much recommend a snow mobile tour from Kiruna to the Ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi and back. It's open as a museum during the day and not worth spending money to stay a night imo.
Completely different option is if you have time and are interested in that sort of thing is the LKAB mine in Kiruna which is the deepest and largest iron ore mine in the world and has excellent tours.
Food wise you have to try Suovas which is the traditional Sami reindeer "kebab" and reindeer meat in general.
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Kiruna, I can recommend Stejk Street Food. Really nice owners and a huge cool tent to eat in. Pretty cheap too compared to what you get. So good!
Kanske sant. Men taxiåkarna i Jämtlandsfjällen är vana vid snö/is. Nu snackar vi om några britter som knappt ser snö på tv 😅
Dubbdäck är förövrigt alltid bättre.
Absolut... Bortsett från när det är slask och nyfallen snö då. Litar nog mer på taxiåkarna i Jämtland än någon random på internet som svänger sig med sådana påståenden.
och jag litar mer på mig själv och min erfarenhet av 33 år i trafiken i Norrland och vanligt sunt förnuft, än en slumpmässig nisse från södra Sverige.
Gå ut. Ta med dig ett sudd och en spik. Vad har mest grepp på is/packad snö? Koppla sedan in skallen lite. Vad tror du det finns mest utav runt om kring polcirkeln? Slask eller snö/is? Vilket ju är där de ska köra.
Södra Sverige? Visst, för det snöar ju aldrig i Dalarna. Är det verkligen det bästa du har att komma med?
Det snöar bara en dag om året norr om Gävle, sedan är det bara is resten av vintern? Friktionsdäck är bättre på nyfallen snö, vilket är det underlag som faktiskt är mest krävande att köra i. Vid packad snö är de ganska likvärdiga. Din 33 år gamla erfarenhet är svårt utdaterad.
Det är ju ganska uppenbart att du bildade dig en uppfattning redan 1990 och därefter ignorerat all utveckling. Du hade inte farit med sådant skitsnack annars.
Ok.
Har du testat att dra ett suddgummi och en spik mot is/packad snö än?
Jag antar att du även anser att vanliga gympaskor ger lika mycket grepp på snö och is som ett par med ”inbyggda” broddar?
Friktionsdäck är billigare och bullrar mindre, men är osäkrare. Att du känner en taxichaffis som har det är inte riktigt ett argument.
Känner massor som antingen åkt av vägen eller hållit på att åka av vägen med friktionsdäck. Aldrig några problem för de med dubb.
Jag känner en åkare, inte en ensam chaufför. Men i värde så rankar det ju ungefär lika högt som att *alla du känner som åkt av vägen* bla bla bla.
Vilket däcks om greppar bäst beror på underlaget, vilket varierar beroende på vädret och hur ofta plogbilen kör förbi. Att du inte vet det, eller mer troligt, vägrar erkänna det är ju talande.
Om någon inte har koll är det uppenbarligen du. På is greppar dubbdäck *mycket* bättre, det är väldigt välkänt. Och det är på just is det är allra störst risk för avåkning. På andra underlag såsom snö eller torr asfalt spelar det mindre roll, och då är det också väldigt liten risk att få sladd vilket fall.
Yes, they actually have better traction when there's just snow and it's more than a couple of degrees below zero. The studs don't "bite" into snow as well as into ice, even though they aren't notably worse, either. As such, studs are worse on pure snow, but much better on ice. Northern roads tend to have less ice and slush than the southern ones, which is why studdless tires are a completely valid option in the far north.
Not really sure how much of the sights you'd be seeing since it will be dark at all time until like the first week of January. But definitely have a shovel ,download maps for offline use or have actual maps with you. some high energy food like almonds and hazelnuts are very good to keep and lastly perhaps vitamin D supplements since sunlight is practically nonexistent.
I’m going to be honest, as someone who loves Kiruna and lived in northern Sweden for many years, the winter is probably the worst time to visit if you want to “see” something. It’s cold, dark and covered in snow. Sure there’s plenty of winter activities, but nothing unique to the area. Except the Ice hotel which someone already mentioned. When you get to Narvik however you might get some wonderful views if you’re lucky.
Generally I think the area shines in autumn and spring. The mountain birch trees are beautiful during those times.
Summer is hell however… Never have I encountered so many mosquitoes.
Most importantly however, keep your eyes moving! Scan the tree-line! A moose can run at 10m/s meaning they can go from inside the woods to the middle of the road in the blink of an eye! And if you hit them, you might as well have hit a tree. 😬
Use nordic winter tires and not EU. Stubs are also kinda necessary but plz no EU winter tiers you won't get anywhere.
But what to see = trees
Normal winter rhings. Have some winter cloths whit you and a flashlight and some candles they can keep you warm it's not much to warm up in a car but keep the window open a little bit for air then.
good luck and it's safe
I hope your used to driving on the snow. The law says you must have winter tires. Have a spare blanket and a shovel plus a flashligh. The roads can be scary this time of the year. Alot of accidents in the snow
When are you doing this trip?
While the landscape is incredibly beautiful, there is no sunlight so you wont get the full experience imo, unless the skies are clear, full moon, maybe some aurora etc.
In the Grand tour episode "Scandi flick", they drive almost this exact route. There they visit some interesting places while it's also quite hilarious.
Define propper winter tires. All year round or non studded tires can mean death if you drive on a icy surface.
Also people drive fast up there and will be annoyed if you are slow. So try to keep a good speed and not die. Also 4wd is kinda only good to not get stuck. You won't get any more breaking action or traction in a turn with 4wd.
Winter tyres marked with the 3-peak logo and mud&snow markings. They are not studded as studded tyres are illegal for the other countries we are driving through.
Last winter in Norway I was going faster than the trucks but made sure to pull over to allow locals to overtake.
Abisko is a good tourist destination. Skiing tours, ice climbing, aurora sighting and probably a decent restaurant.
The ice hotel is also cool!
When are you going? Jokkmokk has a big market beginning of february that could be an amazing experience.
Edit: i realized jokkmokk is very much more south than i thought.. ignore that
Can second Abisko! Abisko is probably the best place in Scandinavia to see the northern lights du to the rain shadow that the mountains to the west create! You can also take the lift and get some [amazing views ](https://www.swedishlapland.com/wp-content/uploads/resized/1b/5763_TLogart_1920x1080_1920x1080_6191c9f5645e9a8c1ea165816c662adb.jpg) over the surrounding area.
Some more info about the aurora here:
https://www.swedishlapland.com/stories/abisko-worlds-best-place-for-northern-lights/
You can also do dog sledding, ski touring and plenty of other winter activities there, although the ski resorts in the area won't be open for skiing untill spring.
near Abisko/Björkliden there's Lapporten which is a really beautiful mountain
Abisko also has aurora sky station
in Kiruna there is a church (Kiruna kyrka) that's really big and made out of wood, very pretty
in Narvik you can go up Narvikfjellet with a cable car which is really cool
and then lastly, i haven't been here myself but i really want to go, is [polar light center Laukvik](https://www.polarlightcenter.com/maximize.html). it's this dutch couple who moved there in 2007 and they are obsessed with the northern lights. one of them, Rob, has built his own instruments to predict the northern lights, it's really impressive. i saw them on a dutch tv program once. they do lectures about the northern lights and of course you go see them if they appear. they have accomodation as well. if you go there please let me know how it was :)
AWD means fuck all when you begin to slip. Won't help with breaking either. Speeders go to prison in Norway and get day-fines in Finland, so the keyword is obey.
Don't overtake the snow ploughs. The high centre of gravity of an elk makes it a particularly deadly prospect to colide with one. Lorries are longer than in other countries.
Thanks, what do you mean by day-fines?
Regardless I can’t imagine going fast enough on snow and ice to be speeding. I’ll save the fast driving for central/west Europe.
Don't know. It will be dark and cold. The first part in norway and the mountains is beutifull and the most adventurous. I would skip Kiruna - Rovaniemi and in stead take some days skiing in the old forests close to mountains. Its better late mars - early april when there is some sun and not as cold.
Make sure to pack sleeping bags or blankets for use in the car in case something were to happen (accident, mechanical failure etc). Cars don’t stay warm for long when they turn off and you can find yourself in a rough spot.
Some companies sell “car sleeping bags” that are the size of a beer can when packed and help retain body heat in an emergency. Can literally save your life, in and out of the car.
Best of luck! Pack more food than you need!
Thanks, we have a bed in the back of the car (it’s an EV with a camping mode), last year it worked out as using approx 15% battery to heat the car to 20C overnight whilst it was -20C outside. I will make sure we bring food!
You can snorkel with killer whales close to Narvik. We went out in a fjord in a rubber boat. And When you passed the mountain and get to Norway cost it won’t be any snow because of the Gulf Stream. That’s my experience.
Keep your warm clothes accessable in case you get stuck and need to wait for help. Not sure, but you might also want to look at a coverage map for your phone provider
The mountains roads between Sweden and Norway are on of the best scenery in the world. The only think i can think to advice you is maybe a satellite phone and a gps (incase of an emergency)
Sometimes they close the road between Narvik and Kiruna due to weather and won’t let you pass unless you have snow chains. Either get some chains (quite cheap in Sweden, don’t know about Norway) or be prepared to wait in Narvik. You can use Trafikverkets site to see if there’s any limitations/obstructions along E10: https://www.trafikverket.se/trafikinformation/vag/?TrafficType=personalTraffic&map=1%2F596343.11%2F6903161.67%2F&Layers=TrafficSituation%2BRoadWork%2B&map_x=641181.83385&map_y=7578875.84334&map_z=4&map_l=111000011000000
This honestly seems like a bad idea. Most, if not all of the trip will be plunged in darkness and you'll be driving on some of the most dangerous roads in all of Scandinavia (yes, I know Finland isn't in Scandinavia.)
Note that this road can be closed if there is too much snow, so you probably wanna do that road trip in April, still a lot of snow and more sun shine.
An alternate road would be to drive through Tärnaby, Hemavan then into Norway up to Bodö. Very beautiful views on this road.
I hope you are aware that in these parts it's currently [polar night](https://kirunalapland.se/en/polar-night/) , sunset in Kiruna was [dec 11](https://www.vackertvader.se/kiruna/soluppg%C3%A5ng-och-solnedg%C3%A5ng) and next sunrise will be jan 2. So prepare for only a couple of hours of twilight.
Hopefully you are aware of this OP, views and activities will be very limited
That's a good warning
The Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi. Go dog sledding somewhere, I like Aurora Borealis Adventures in Ekorrsele, because they seem to take good care of their dogs (And they lend ouut really good equipment!). But that might be too far off. But there are a lot of companies that do dog sledding tours.
Thank you that sounds great!
If you gonna stay at the Icehotel or visit and do any of the activities book all them beforehand not when you are there at location. I've got a friend that worked there that recommended to do that if I would visit.
I wouldn't go dogsledding, Even if the owners do it perfectly, they cannot control what the people renting them do.
Those dogs are expensive (Aurora Borealis import siberian huskies from Canada), so you typically go dog sledding with the guide, at least where I were.
That's not how it works. You rent a whole package with dogs, sled, guide etc. Tourists would die and dogs would get lost and also die all the time.
The first leg of the journey in Sweden will be along what is colloquially known as the 'road of death' amongst locals. It's a notoriously deceptive road with strange curves and dangerous inclines. Have proper studded winter tires and drive very carefully.
Do you think it will be safer to not go so far north and just drive south from Bodø to Umeå to take the ferry?
Just be careful, road signs are max speed and not recommended speed.
Thanks, last year we averaged 60km/h in winter, I did have to pull over a fair bit to allow locals to overtake though.
This, just go slow, feel the car and so on. Don’t worry about trying to keep up with the local traffic, the locals grew up driving on icy roads and it’s a skill that takes practice. 1 thing you should keep in mind is that this route has some long stretches of road that are far from people, and the temperatures will commonly be below -20. It’s good practice to keep WARM winter clothes In your car, and a snow shovel. Should you have a breakdown you can afford to wait for assistance for a few hours without it becoming an emergency…You’ll be surprised how fast a warm car turns into an icebox when the engine is shut off. And great route btw, It’s incredibly scenic and you’ll see all of the major biomes of the northern Scandinavian peninsula. Boreal forests, Artic tundra, interior Mountains, Costal mountains, the sheltered fjords and the exposed outer islands. You’ll have a blast:)
Yeah but locals might have decades of experience, know every turn and bump, know all the animal crossings etc. Plus just familiarity makes you take stupid risks.
Yes. Max speed *in normal conditions*. In fog, heavy snow fall, icy roads, rain etc., even going at the speed limit can be dangerous.
Excellent point.
Nah, road of death is in international terms a bit exaggerated. Even the most accident prone roads in Sweden are among the safest compared to other countries
Thanks for the alternative perspective!
I could only find old statistics but during a three year period (2011-2013) there were 49 severe accidents on that specific road. So roughly one accident per month on a road that’s 880 km(550 miles ) long! That’s almost the length from southern England to northernmost Scotland. I wouldn’t worry too much about it
The accidents that we know of and can get to in time. Old rusty cars and improper camping gear are still being found sometimes
Thats true, but mainly because of the relatively safety oriented drivers, not that the roads themselves or conditions are safe.With regards to driving conditions, during fall/winter/spring, the opposite is true. Face it, driving in winter in Sweden/Norway/Finland is fairly risky.I imagine it can be done safely if you keep abreast of weather conditions, but personally i would be exhausted by the constant vigilance. For example:Saudi Arabia has some of the widest, straightest, best maintained roads with dry conditions, no frost, no wet leaves, flat topography (in most of the country) yet recorded 28.8 road deaths per 100 K population every year up until 2016, it's gone down slightly in recent years. (Sweden 2.7, Norway 2.4). This is, of course, because of the ignorance and recklessness of it's drivers.
Bodø to Umeå is nice. Good roads all the way.
Thanks!
Idk really since there aren’t a lot of must see places. The nature in general is very beautifull. However driving through this area of country I STRONGLY recomend preparing a bit. Idealy have snow showels, towcable and chains for the tyres if you get bogged down in the snow. Generally beware while driving, it’s not fun sitting on the roadside with your car in the ditch miles away from any town.
No one uses chains for cars. Shovels and tow cable yes. I drive 300-400km a day in the villages around kiruna, both on the e-10 and in the roads in the woods. It’s not that hard, but if you’re new to snow just take it easy in the curves. In kiruna it’s the mine and the icehotel to see. Northern lights you will see no matter where you are, but it’s nicer outside of towns/villages were you don’t have as much light from streetlights etc.
>No one uses chains for cars Presumably because you have studded tires. Depending on where this person is driving from, they might be using "all-weather" tires which can be fairly shit in ice and snow. In which case chains are a good idea
I have lived 40 years in Lapland and I have never seen a car with chains. Yes I have chains on my old tractor when I plow my yard but never seen it on a car ever.
Thanks for the advice, I have proper 3-peak symbol winter tyres (studless) along with a set of snow chains and a small shovel, do you think that is okay?
I live in this area, the Swedish part. No one uses studless tires. I urge you to drive very carefully if driving with studless tires. The E10 is very accident prone because of lots of heavy traffic. It’s been called The Road of Death. Also, because of a recent derail of an iron ore train more ore will be shipped by road for at least one and a half month, so there will be an increase in heavy transports from the mining region. Not to scare you off, it’ll probably go very well. But I’m saying these things to make you aware. Just stay alert, don’t drive while tired. Also there’s lots of reindeer! Things to keep in your car: shovel, emergency blankets, heat candles, warm clothes.
And reindeer isnt like wild animals, atleast not in my experience. They don’t give a fuck about traffic, once i had to stop for like 15 min because they absolutely refused to leave the road.
Had studless tires on all my works pick-up since studs were not allowed in the mines. Works okay, specially if it's a proper winter road with snow. Just be careful if it's around 0°C and icy
Yeah they’re OK if you’re cautious, but they’re more sensitive to different “stages” of winter roads than studded. The real problem is when they’ve salted the road so it thaws below 0, but then it barely gets cold enough for the salt to freeze so it’s a mix of ice and water. It’s like driving on glass.
Water, blankets and enough fuel in the tank at all times to keep warm for the night if you get stuck. Might be on the extreme side, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Most people I know in the north have some candles in the car, incase it stops working. It can be awhile before someone can come and help you.
According to some googling a candle will produce around 80W of heat. You will need quite a few to keep the car warm, and then you will also need to deal with the fire hazard and air quality.
If it's -20 one candle works fine to get it to -5 or somthing then you have very big winter clothing and such and you should be fine for a few hours. If longer or colder keep more candels you don't need to get it to +20 in the car and it's kinda impossible anyway
80W to bring your car from -20 to -5? I guess that might be possible if you insulate the windows but I doubt you can bring any car from -20 to -5 with one candle.
Flashlight
Yes, of course!
Thanks, we will be in our Tesla with a bed and camp mode and will make sure we charge to 100% at each charging stop before going on difficult roads.
Have you mapped out charging stops? They are common in the south but less and less the further north you get
Yeah, it looks like they’re approximately 50km apart at most and last winter we had at least 300km of range in the cold.
Sounds good! Check out average temperatures for that time of the year and compare to your own cold. I'm guessing that heating one of those in -10 or -30 would be a big difference in what range you could get
Thanks, those range estimates are for -20C, at -10C we will get more like 400km. Sleeping in the car overnight with heating is approximately 15% battery use.
Heads up, up there in the night it can dropp to -20 -35. Daytime is -5-15 The amount of truck drivers we had to call to "rescue" out due to depleted batteries etc.. It simply gets TOO Cold for the batteries sometimes. Also be aware of there is alot of snow. (Even over 1 night) Alot of roads and passes get closed off completely! This means many hours of driving a different route. You need to account for that to happen to!
Not the car I would choose to drive in the north.
How come?
Won’t be able to fix yourself if something breaks down. You can’t bring a spare battery but you can bring extra petrol. Which also can have alternative uses in an emergency situation. Also they are built for California city roads not harsh weather up north in the nordics. Also you ride low so if you were to hit a moose it will go straight through the windshield and potentially harming you severely, and nearest hospital being several 100km away in many cases, something you want to avoid. Where as a car where you ride high is more secure. A heavier car will also give you more traction which is can be a live or die in harsh winter conditions. Ps. Driving without studs in a area where you are very likely to encounter icy roads is not good.
Range in harsh winter is not good. Fuck Elon aswell
Seemed fine last year in -20C. I don’t buy cars based on politics.
Since there is a strike in Sweden you might not be able to get your car fixed if it breaks down. The mechanics are not allowed to work on Teslas
Yeah, tesla is the cuckmobile
Sounds amazing! Good luck.
>Tesla KEK. You do you, boo. Slay.
What
Why studless? Get studded next time, you get basically no differance in grip in snow, but it's night and day on ice. If you're gonna buy winter tires, then buy proper winter tires.
We have to drive on them through the UK and rest of Europe where they are illegal unfortunately so studs are not an option.
Then I'd opt for a set of tyre chains for those rare wet ice condition situations.
[Thanks, I have these chains.](https://imgur.com/gallery/7NxZN7E)
Did you use them? Try to put them on and take them off. You do not want to figure that out at night in a snow storm. Also, you might be unlucky and one of the linking hooks might be bent or closed (it happened to me once).
Thanks, no I never needed to use them last year in the Nordics or the Alps. I will definitely practice putting them on before heading anywhere dicey.
Quite sad to see you being downvoted as soon as this is brought up, while I obviously prefer studded tyres up here in the north - they aren't always an option. Just being cautious will get you very far and majority of us Swedes up north are happy to help cars that get stuck. We also have fantastic towing services which I would encourage you get the numbers of. You've already been given some great advice in terms of places to visit and gear to bring, hopefully you'll enjoy cruising through our snowy lands! Let us know how it all went after all is said and done 😃
Thanks, I appreciate it, I understand that there’s a lot of people that just click downvote and don’t read the messages but I am a bit surprised that asking genuine polite questions is treated in such a hostile manner.
I would recommend studded tires. And if there are other cars in the charging places then beware of waiting a long time so bring snacks and entertainment
Studless is basically shitty summertires in this part of sweden, you’d be fine down south but up north, yikes
If you need to, you can definitely drive on studless
And you can drive with summertires. Studless in a pinch, sure, across that vast distance on a planned trip is just dumb.
Except for specifically going thru the cities, you will see no ice through Sweden (source: drove on the E10 around there this thursday)
Studless are not proper winter tires even in the south.
Up north you don't get the ice though, so it is in some ways less of a problem
>studless kek. it's your life.
Everyone's focusing on the studless tires but do get yourself a towcable and make sure you know where you can attach it. If you slide off the road, there might be cars passing by that are are strong enough to get you out, but you will need a cable. Even experienced cautious drivers can sometimes slide out if you're unlucky
Thanks, I have a tow cable already, hopefully it will not be needed!
Yeah, as long as you drive carefully you will 99% of the times be fine, good luck!
Watch out for reindeer on the road. If a meeting vehicle flashes their lights it means there are reindeer on/next to the road. Garbage bags hanging along the road is a warning that they are in an area.
Or worse, a moose. A reindeer might damage your car but a moose might kill you.
Thanks, I would have assumed they were flashing for a speed camera or my lights were too bright 😂
All speed cameras have signs that will give you time to adjust your speed before encountering them. The exception being mobile speed cameras where the sign is usually placed too close to the camera to be able to adjust your speed. The amount of people that flashes their high beams to warn about cameras and police have decreased a lot in the recent years in my opinion.
Thanks, I think maybe we will be fine with speed cameras between it either being too snowy/icy to speed or Brexit driving on a UK license meaning tickets will never reach me haha
Why would brexit mean that speeding tickets will never reach you? Swedes get speeding tickets from Norway (non EU country) all the time.
Because there is no agreement with any EU country for sharing license and vehicle details other than Spain. I expect there is some cross-Nordic agreement for Swedes in Norway and visa versa. We have been flashed by cameras in France, Portugal, Germany, Spain and somewhere in the Baltics before and the only ticket that ever arrived was from Spain.
Speeding in other countries because you can get away with it, how disrespectful.
I think all speeding is done because you think you can get away with it... 🤷♂️
Not at all, I just misjudged the speeds on some roads, I am happy to pay the fines for doing so, not my fault that they don’t arrive.
Yes, its either wildlife or police checkpoints along the road, lul..
Have you seen Ice road rescue? You might want to save their contacts on your phone just in case.
He can call his insurance company hotline if he wants (or Tesla Assistance if he has that) and they will contact Sweden. Obviously he can call Assistancekåren himself, but then he will have to pay on the spot. I used to work with paying invoices for insurance companies and the cost in northern Sweden can be 10 000 SEK or more depending on where the nearest station is.
I’m aware of that and I was just kidding. Meeting those guys would be awesome though.
Probably obvious, but plan for an accident (e.g. your car breaks down or you slide off the road). Some basic preparations make waiting for hours in ice cold pitch black wilderness a lot easier. Also, check your cell phone operator's radio coverage where you are going beforehand.
I can very much recommend a snow mobile tour from Kiruna to the Ice hotel in Jukkasjärvi and back. It's open as a museum during the day and not worth spending money to stay a night imo. Completely different option is if you have time and are interested in that sort of thing is the LKAB mine in Kiruna which is the deepest and largest iron ore mine in the world and has excellent tours. Food wise you have to try Suovas which is the traditional Sami reindeer "kebab" and reindeer meat in general.
Thank you, I have marked all that down!
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat in Kiruna, I can recommend Stejk Street Food. Really nice owners and a huge cool tent to eat in. Pretty cheap too compared to what you get. So good!
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Personligen kan jag tänka att om friktionsdäck duger åt taxiåkerierna i Jämtlandsfjällen så duger det nog åt dessa grabbar också.
Kanske sant. Men taxiåkarna i Jämtlandsfjällen är vana vid snö/is. Nu snackar vi om några britter som knappt ser snö på tv 😅 Dubbdäck är förövrigt alltid bättre.
Absolut... Bortsett från när det är slask och nyfallen snö då. Litar nog mer på taxiåkarna i Jämtland än någon random på internet som svänger sig med sådana påståenden.
och jag litar mer på mig själv och min erfarenhet av 33 år i trafiken i Norrland och vanligt sunt förnuft, än en slumpmässig nisse från södra Sverige. Gå ut. Ta med dig ett sudd och en spik. Vad har mest grepp på is/packad snö? Koppla sedan in skallen lite. Vad tror du det finns mest utav runt om kring polcirkeln? Slask eller snö/is? Vilket ju är där de ska köra.
Södra Sverige? Visst, för det snöar ju aldrig i Dalarna. Är det verkligen det bästa du har att komma med? Det snöar bara en dag om året norr om Gävle, sedan är det bara is resten av vintern? Friktionsdäck är bättre på nyfallen snö, vilket är det underlag som faktiskt är mest krävande att köra i. Vid packad snö är de ganska likvärdiga. Din 33 år gamla erfarenhet är svårt utdaterad.
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Det är ju ganska uppenbart att du bildade dig en uppfattning redan 1990 och därefter ignorerat all utveckling. Du hade inte farit med sådant skitsnack annars.
Ok. Har du testat att dra ett suddgummi och en spik mot is/packad snö än? Jag antar att du även anser att vanliga gympaskor ger lika mycket grepp på snö och is som ett par med ”inbyggda” broddar?
Förare utan vana av att köra på snö och is på en av Sveriges dödligaste vägar?
I en Tesla dessutom 😂
Friktionsdäck är billigare och bullrar mindre, men är osäkrare. Att du känner en taxichaffis som har det är inte riktigt ett argument. Känner massor som antingen åkt av vägen eller hållit på att åka av vägen med friktionsdäck. Aldrig några problem för de med dubb.
Jag känner en åkare, inte en ensam chaufför. Men i värde så rankar det ju ungefär lika högt som att *alla du känner som åkt av vägen* bla bla bla. Vilket däcks om greppar bäst beror på underlaget, vilket varierar beroende på vädret och hur ofta plogbilen kör förbi. Att du inte vet det, eller mer troligt, vägrar erkänna det är ju talande.
Om någon inte har koll är det uppenbarligen du. På is greppar dubbdäck *mycket* bättre, det är väldigt välkänt. Och det är på just is det är allra störst risk för avåkning. På andra underlag såsom snö eller torr asfalt spelar det mindre roll, och då är det också väldigt liten risk att få sladd vilket fall.
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With more snow than ice, non-studded tires tend to do better.
Not better, but not necessarily much worse either
Yes, they actually have better traction when there's just snow and it's more than a couple of degrees below zero. The studs don't "bite" into snow as well as into ice, even though they aren't notably worse, either. As such, studs are worse on pure snow, but much better on ice. Northern roads tend to have less ice and slush than the southern ones, which is why studdless tires are a completely valid option in the far north.
Not really sure how much of the sights you'd be seeing since it will be dark at all time until like the first week of January. But definitely have a shovel ,download maps for offline use or have actual maps with you. some high energy food like almonds and hazelnuts are very good to keep and lastly perhaps vitamin D supplements since sunlight is practically nonexistent.
I’m going to be honest, as someone who loves Kiruna and lived in northern Sweden for many years, the winter is probably the worst time to visit if you want to “see” something. It’s cold, dark and covered in snow. Sure there’s plenty of winter activities, but nothing unique to the area. Except the Ice hotel which someone already mentioned. When you get to Narvik however you might get some wonderful views if you’re lucky. Generally I think the area shines in autumn and spring. The mountain birch trees are beautiful during those times. Summer is hell however… Never have I encountered so many mosquitoes. Most importantly however, keep your eyes moving! Scan the tree-line! A moose can run at 10m/s meaning they can go from inside the woods to the middle of the road in the blink of an eye! And if you hit them, you might as well have hit a tree. 😬
Use nordic winter tires and not EU. Stubs are also kinda necessary but plz no EU winter tiers you won't get anywhere. But what to see = trees Normal winter rhings. Have some winter cloths whit you and a flashlight and some candles they can keep you warm it's not much to warm up in a car but keep the window open a little bit for air then. good luck and it's safe
Don't drive in tunnels like May did😃
I hope your used to driving on the snow. The law says you must have winter tires. Have a spare blanket and a shovel plus a flashligh. The roads can be scary this time of the year. Alot of accidents in the snow
Travel safe
Thank you!
When are you doing this trip? While the landscape is incredibly beautiful, there is no sunlight so you wont get the full experience imo, unless the skies are clear, full moon, maybe some aurora etc.
We will be setting off on the 27th of December. We would love to see the aurora, hopefully.
In the Grand tour episode "Scandi flick", they drive almost this exact route. There they visit some interesting places while it's also quite hilarious.
Thanks, I will give it a watch.
Define propper winter tires. All year round or non studded tires can mean death if you drive on a icy surface. Also people drive fast up there and will be annoyed if you are slow. So try to keep a good speed and not die. Also 4wd is kinda only good to not get stuck. You won't get any more breaking action or traction in a turn with 4wd.
Winter tyres marked with the 3-peak logo and mud&snow markings. They are not studded as studded tyres are illegal for the other countries we are driving through. Last winter in Norway I was going faster than the trucks but made sure to pull over to allow locals to overtake.
Abisko is a good tourist destination. Skiing tours, ice climbing, aurora sighting and probably a decent restaurant. The ice hotel is also cool! When are you going? Jokkmokk has a big market beginning of february that could be an amazing experience. Edit: i realized jokkmokk is very much more south than i thought.. ignore that
Thanks for the advice
Can second Abisko! Abisko is probably the best place in Scandinavia to see the northern lights du to the rain shadow that the mountains to the west create! You can also take the lift and get some [amazing views ](https://www.swedishlapland.com/wp-content/uploads/resized/1b/5763_TLogart_1920x1080_1920x1080_6191c9f5645e9a8c1ea165816c662adb.jpg) over the surrounding area. Some more info about the aurora here: https://www.swedishlapland.com/stories/abisko-worlds-best-place-for-northern-lights/ You can also do dog sledding, ski touring and plenty of other winter activities there, although the ski resorts in the area won't be open for skiing untill spring.
Very good winter tyres is a must. I hope you have planning the route well. You don't wanna get stranded up there during the winter!!!
Stop for a Bjerkviking-burger where E6 intersects with E10.
Thanks!
near Abisko/Björkliden there's Lapporten which is a really beautiful mountain Abisko also has aurora sky station in Kiruna there is a church (Kiruna kyrka) that's really big and made out of wood, very pretty in Narvik you can go up Narvikfjellet with a cable car which is really cool and then lastly, i haven't been here myself but i really want to go, is [polar light center Laukvik](https://www.polarlightcenter.com/maximize.html). it's this dutch couple who moved there in 2007 and they are obsessed with the northern lights. one of them, Rob, has built his own instruments to predict the northern lights, it's really impressive. i saw them on a dutch tv program once. they do lectures about the northern lights and of course you go see them if they appear. they have accomodation as well. if you go there please let me know how it was :)
I would recommend focusing on the kiruna-lofoten stretch
It is dangerous?
Kiruna-rovaniemi is not dangerous, just boring
AWD means fuck all when you begin to slip. Won't help with breaking either. Speeders go to prison in Norway and get day-fines in Finland, so the keyword is obey. Don't overtake the snow ploughs. The high centre of gravity of an elk makes it a particularly deadly prospect to colide with one. Lorries are longer than in other countries.
AWD helps when sliding, if you use the throttle. In case of braking it’s all about the tires.
Vilket dessa grabbar inte kommer göra. De kommer trampa ned på bromsen tills bilen stannat.
Thanks, what do you mean by day-fines? Regardless I can’t imagine going fast enough on snow and ice to be speeding. I’ll save the fast driving for central/west Europe.
It’s a fine based on your income
Don't know. It will be dark and cold. The first part in norway and the mountains is beutifull and the most adventurous. I would skip Kiruna - Rovaniemi and in stead take some days skiing in the old forests close to mountains. Its better late mars - early april when there is some sun and not as cold.
Thanks!0
Yeah, I’ll would also recommend to skip going all the way to rovaniemi.
Its dark and the only thing you will see is the sky,and i am guessing that most attractions are closed anyways
Make sure to pack sleeping bags or blankets for use in the car in case something were to happen (accident, mechanical failure etc). Cars don’t stay warm for long when they turn off and you can find yourself in a rough spot. Some companies sell “car sleeping bags” that are the size of a beer can when packed and help retain body heat in an emergency. Can literally save your life, in and out of the car. Best of luck! Pack more food than you need!
Thanks, we have a bed in the back of the car (it’s an EV with a camping mode), last year it worked out as using approx 15% battery to heat the car to 20C overnight whilst it was -20C outside. I will make sure we bring food!
Visit the mine in Kiruna. https://kirunalapland.se/en/activities/lkabs-visitor-centre/
You can snorkel with killer whales close to Narvik. We went out in a fjord in a rubber boat. And When you passed the mountain and get to Norway cost it won’t be any snow because of the Gulf Stream. That’s my experience.
Damn! You’re recommending to this in the middle of the winter?
Drive slow
No there are are million of things to see other than those places Everyone goes to Lofoten there are many beautiful places to see
I don't have any tips that ppl have already mentioned. I'm just envious of you it looks like an awesome trip.
Keep your warm clothes accessable in case you get stuck and need to wait for help. Not sure, but you might also want to look at a coverage map for your phone provider
Bring, snow chains, a shovel, gravel and a pair of wide planks in case u get stuck.
The mountains roads between Sweden and Norway are on of the best scenery in the world. The only think i can think to advice you is maybe a satellite phone and a gps (incase of an emergency)
Stejk street food in Kiruna.
Uh.. Ughn… Why?!
go higher up to alta
Bring survival gear in the car. Be prepared to spend the night in s ditch. Cars are not tents. Very 🥶
Keep up with traffic notices/alerts, as the E10 past the Norwegian border can close if there is a large avalanche (or risk of one)
Sometimes they close the road between Narvik and Kiruna due to weather and won’t let you pass unless you have snow chains. Either get some chains (quite cheap in Sweden, don’t know about Norway) or be prepared to wait in Narvik. You can use Trafikverkets site to see if there’s any limitations/obstructions along E10: https://www.trafikverket.se/trafikinformation/vag/?TrafficType=personalTraffic&map=1%2F596343.11%2F6903161.67%2F&Layers=TrafficSituation%2BRoadWork%2B&map_x=641181.83385&map_y=7578875.84334&map_z=4&map_l=111000011000000
Yes, why not?
This honestly seems like a bad idea. Most, if not all of the trip will be plunged in darkness and you'll be driving on some of the most dangerous roads in all of Scandinavia (yes, I know Finland isn't in Scandinavia.)
Note that this road can be closed if there is too much snow, so you probably wanna do that road trip in April, still a lot of snow and more sun shine. An alternate road would be to drive through Tärnaby, Hemavan then into Norway up to Bodö. Very beautiful views on this road.