Live ChatThe Route
The Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra will take place on snowmobile trails in Swedish Lapland. The start and finish for the 500 km races is in the small town of Överkalix, in the Swedish province of Norbotten.
The 500km route is divided into two loops, the first loop, 185km in length, heads north from Överkalix, crossing into the Arctic Circle, before heading back to town. From there the second loop of 315 km begins, this time heading north-west, and again crossing into the Arctic Circle. On both loops the team will travel on and through snow- and ice-covered rivers, lakes and forests.
The Hazards
Due to the extreme cold that can be experienced, the distance, and the difficult nature of the route, the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra is considered one of the toughest ultra races in the world.
It is impossible to say in advance what the trail conditions will be like. Dead winter in the Swedish Lapland can bring just about any kind of conditions. If our team is lucky they will be trekking over old snow with clear skies and beautiful starlight and even the Aurora Borealis. If our team is less lucky they will be facing strong winds, low visibility, and a path covered in fresh, deep, snow.
The trail will be marked. However, Arctic conditions can descend at any moment, and fresh snow, or winter winds can make it easy to lose the route markers. All team members will therefore be equipped with GPS direction finders.
Of course, with four British veterans forming the team, we expect them to have no problem with navigating the terrain, or facing down even the toughest weather! It can't be worse than Brecon...
Checkpoints
Fortunately for our team, and the other Arctic Ultra competitors, there are several checkpoints scattered along the route which can provide medical checks, hot drinks and food, and a place to rest. These are located about every 50km or so.
Medical checks will be conducted to ensure the team are not suffering from frostbite, or exhaustion. There will be a chance to refill bottles with tea, coffee, hot-chocolate and water, and some checkpoints will have wi-fi, allowing the team to talk to friends and family back home. Most checkpoints will have places to sleep indoors, but a couple will not, meaning any sleep has to be grabbed whilst under a tent or bivvy-bag.