In the middle of Kalvefjellet, and with helicopter or snowmobile as the only means of transport, it's a challenge to plan the logistics and turn tons of produce into delicious meals for hungry hikers. 60 people work here -- two miles from the nearest road.

The journey up to Kebnekaise Mountain Station starts in Nikkaluokta, where the road ends and the wilderness takes over. After 19 kilometers of hiking we reach the foot of Sweden's highest mountain.Here there is a full service, restaurant and 220 beds. For more than a century, the station here has existed as a safe haven amid the Lappish mountain world, to offer shelter and rest to weary hikers. People come here to seek adventure, excitement and to enjoy the peace and tranquility. Place manager Marit Sarri welcomes us with a warm smile. She is the third generation Sarri to work at the mountain station.

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Kebnekaise in the heart

The love of the mountain has always been present in Marit's life. According to Marit, now being able to meet people in this wonderful environment as a site manager is the best thing. She's proud to be able to show what's here. His grandfather built the first house in 1907 and was hired as an overseer, and his father has worked as a guide and mountain guide in parallel with his own business. For Marit, it feels like coming home when she comes here to Kebnekaise, or Keb as it's called.

With the background I have, I'm almost brought up to host and meet guests who come here. I joined already as a child when my parents were active entrepreneurs for STF. My professional experiences in the emergency health service have given me valuable leadership skills and when the opportunity to become a site manager arose I applied for and got the job. It is quite difficult to work here if you do not have the knowledge and experience, you notice it quite quickly.

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Everyone is welcome

During the summer season, the mountain station welcomes 220 residents every day. With everyone camping in the area, the number of guests will be even higher. And no one is denied a place even if it is fully booked. If the weather is bad or if you are too tired to move on, the conference room, rest area and dressing room are also filled with floor beds.

Life at the mountain station can offer tough conditions with demanding mountain hikes, rock or ice climbing courses, ski climbing, glacier walks and off-road races over the mountain moors. But it can also be an almost spiritual stay with walking in the valley under the open horizon, walking along the Kungsleden, freedom and complete tranquility. Therefore, it is easy to understand why more and more people are attracted to experiencing the Swedish mountains.

With its 2097.5 meters above sea level, Kebnekaise's south peak is Sweden's highest mountain and climbing is on many people's “bucket list”. During the high season of June-August, the guest pressure is enormous and it is a challenge to create balance in order to be able to offer what many actually come here for: the nature experience, the silence and the remote tranquility. It's important to grow thoughtfully and to work strategically smart to get more people to come here in the early summer and fall.

It's time to be active on vacation, to discover and challenge yourself. Hiking is something everyone can do based on level. When it's at its most crowded, we advise hikers to head to the side of the trail, to look up and discover more than just the south peak. There are various summit hikes based on different levels of difficulty and many fine mountain hikes in high alpine environment. One way to create a better balance is to get more students and young people to come here in early summer, when the midnight sun enables night-time walking and there are fewer mosquitoes. We also have a lot of old “mountain foxes” who know which weeks there are fewer people here. We are very interested in the group that has so much knowledge to share. I wish that both groups could meet more often, explains Marit.

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Master of Fine Dining and Logistics

After a day of perhaps many meters of altitude, you can settle down for a while and enjoy the warmth of the fire. Then a delicious three-course dinner awaits before falling asleep. Before the next trip, a hearty breakfast with freshly baked bread is offered. Mats Svedberg and his team of eight people make sure that guests' stomachs are as happy as their minds in the fresh mountain. What many do not know is how much work lies in planning, purchasing and transporting goods.

The first summer when I came here everything was already bought in and I had to start with what was available. Everyone in the kitchen was also new, so it was “learning by doing” and I was able to estimate how much to order in addition to what had already been transported here during the winter,” says Mats.

Mats quickly learned to find several solutions to improve logistics. In winter, as many as 50 tons of food, dry goods and store goods are delivered to the mountain station by trail machine. During the summer, all transportation of goods from Nikkaloukta takes place by helicopter and when it returns it takes with it all the garbage to be burned. Glass, sheet metal and plastic are collected and driven in winter by trail machine. Food waste accumulates in the compost and turns into soil.

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“When it was at its peak last summer, we had six helicopter turns twice a week,” Mats reveals.

Mats must always be one step ahead in planning. Due to the weather forces, it is not possible to count on the fact that the helicopter can fly on a specific day. The restaurant relies on fresh produce deliveries, so inventory and inventory control are essential. Most of the raw materials are ordered from Nores suppliers, and to give a regional touch, reindeer and moose meat is purchased from a local butcher.

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