JCI ADVENTURE ARCTIC EDITION

20. FEB. 2022 ¤ KIRUNA, SWEDEN

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Hours

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Do you want to really challenge yourself and gain personal development outside of board meeetings, conventions and contests? Perhaps you already challenged yourself climbing Kilimanjaro with JCI Adventure?

JCI Adventure aim to offer jaycees the opportunity for self-improvement in a more physical way aimed at those who see a challenge of the body as just as important for personal growth as a challenge of the mind.

Come with us when we travel to Kiruna for an 6 day challenge and a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive a husky sled all by yourself from hut to hut.

Along with experienced trainers and professional helpers, you will lead your own team of huskies across the arctic: Wild and untouched nature, wildlife, and hopefully, the opportunity for Northern lights (aurora borealis).

You will learn how to care for the huskies and in the evening, we will socialize around the camp fire with hot drinks or perhaps, a visit to the sauna.

location

We are going to the far north. More exactly, we are going to Kiruna in northern Sweden and will begin our journey at the Husky Lodge (67.8812714, 20.191698).

itinerary

Day 1

Our guide face up you in Kiruna Airport and take you to the Husky lodge to settle in. Here we are living together with all our sleddogs which you have the opportunity to familiarise you with. We enjoying playing a common dinner over open fire. We sleep the first night in the Husky lodge.

Day 2

While drinking a warm cup of coffee boiled on open fire, you will have the chance to familiarize with your guide, which will give you all the information about the trip and will be more than glad to answer all of your questions. After a steady breakfast, getting geared up and saying Hi to our lovely and super friendly dogs, the guide will give you a short lesson, explaining how to drive a sled, harness a dog and attach him to the line. Once all dogs are ready, we head out for a nice four hours ride that will make you familiar with the dogs, the sled and all your equipment. We have lunch outside in the wilderness and in the afternoon around 3PM we head back to the Husky lodge. At the Husky lode we will relax and have dinner together. We spend the night in the Husky lodge.

Day 3

The days starts of course with a substantial breakfast in our Husky lodge afterwhich you are more than welcome to come outside and assist or just watch the guides taking care of the morning chores in the yard. It is now time to pack the sleds with all the food and equipment needed for the adventure and head out into the wilderness! On this day we will travel 40-50 kilometres through forests, snow-covered swamps and across frozen rivers and lakes towards the Wilderness Cavin by Rautas River with no electricity and no running water. Some of the participants sleep in cabins while other stay in wood heated tents.

Day 4

We start the morning with a big breakfast followed by a full day outside with the dogs and a chance to see wildlife in the area. Lunch is made over open fire and we work with some survival skills in the wilderness camp to get to know how to survive in the winter together with your guide. Some stay the night in the Rautas Cabin while other stay in wood heated tents. There is also chance for sauna in the evening!

Day 5

Today is our long day towards Alajarvi Nature Reserve. The area is gorgeous and it is moose winter pasture land, so we will have chances of encountering the king of the forest and other wildlife. After taking care of the dogs and setting up the Wilderness camp, we will have a nice warm dinner. We will spend the night in tents tucked in in our warm winter sleeping bags.

Day 6

First thing in the morning is of course to take care of the dogs. Once they are all fed, it’ is time for our breakfast afterwhich we pack our stuff and hit the trail again. Day 5 will cover a distance around 40-50 km and we will come by some of the best fishing spots in the area. Today’s ride will get us to our hut on the Rautas river, where we will enjoy a tasteful dinner and spend the night either in our Rautas River cabin or heated venor tent. Here we even have a sauna waiting for us!

Day 7

It is the last day of our arctic adventure and just like all the others we start it with a nice meal for dogs and people. After breakfast it is time to head back towards our base and to civilization, but not before enjoying the last beautiful ride that after about 30 km will get us back to the kennel. Once again, we will meet in our hut for a last snack and coffee, sharing thoughts and memories from the trip with your guide.

Day 8

This is our last day together. It is possible to visit the Icehotel or have a ride on the snow mobile. After, there is transfers to the airport.

Good to know

What do we expect of you?

The trip is physically challenging and you will need to be in a decent shape with primary focus on cardio. You will be active all day.

You are expected to take part in feeding, bedding and preparing the dogs and also with general chores including cooking. You must be up for this – this is not a spa vacation.

It will be cold! – average temperature in Kiruna is 0 degree Celsius and you will be outside and on your feet for most of the day. Bring suitable clothing. However, parka, bib trousers, snow boots and suitable sleeping bag will be provided for you.
Days are interchangable and the routes and distances may vary depending on trail and weather conditions, so be prepared for changed plans.

Note: Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any special needs, such as food allergies, special medical conditions etc.

Note: If your weight is more than 95 kg, you will have to let us know in advance as you might not be suitable for the trip.

What is not included?

Flights not included. You must book a flight to Stockholm and add either domestic flight or night train to Kiruna.
Tips and gratuities.
Alcoholic drinks.
Personal travel insurance.
Other personal buys.

Further, it is possible to add extra activities:

Snowmobiling. A 3 hours tour is 1295 SEK per person. In addition, you will recieve 15% in discount.
Ice-fishing. A 3 hours tour is 1595 SEK per person including fishing equipment, fishing licence and something to eat. In addition, you will recieve 15% in discount.
A visit to the famous Ice Hotel (seriously, check it out: https://www.icehotel.com/). Entrance ticket is 349 SEK per person.

What do we provide?

Clothes for extreme weather: parka, snow pants, boots/overshoes, mittens, balaclava.
Winter sleeping bag and liner, mattress/ reindeer skin.
Full board from dinner on day 1 to lunch snack on day 7: food and drinks, no alcohol.
Accommodation for 7 nights.
Own sled with 4-5 dogs.
Professional guide for the entire duration of the trip.

COVID-19 is still here

We all know, the virus. COVID-19 is still here and we have to cobe with it.

We will continusly follow the regulatory guildeline from the forign ministraties.

The location is remote and the contact with other people will be limited

Fun fact:

Denmark is closed for travels to some areas in Sweden. Sweden is devided in 3 major regions, each have around 7 areas
We are going to region norrland and the area lappland, it’s a very big region the size is bigger then Denmark and Netherlands together.
But there is only around 100.000 people Living there.. 🙂 so we might not meet that many people up there