60 km into the wilderness with a snowmobile and an ice fishing rod, Stig Strand is the perfect guide. “When the sun’s shining and you’re out on the mountain, you shouldn’t need to go home,” says Stig with a distant look in his eye.
For Stig, the snowmobile is a mode of transport that provides access to everything the mountains have to offer in the winter, covering around 5,000 km in a season. He has been running guided fishing tours since 1986 in both summer and winter. “I could do this full time,” he says. “I even have to turn down groups I don’t have enough time for.”
As we stop after 60 km, it could be an area of tundra. Impossible for the uninitiated to know that right now we’re actually standing on a lake. A lake where hardly anyone goes fishing. A lake almost 900 metres above sea level, high up on the bare mountain.
Everyone takes their places by pre-drilled holes, while some choose to drill their own. It’s not long before the fish start to bite, and a few Arctic char are caught. Agneta takes the first one, closely followed by Jacob. As the afternoon draws on, it’s time to head for home. We all mount our snowmobiles and follow our guide Stig Strand, keeping to his tracks. Beautiful views, glistening snow and in one place fresh wolverine tracks. The day leaves a host impressions.