September 2024 THE SCULPTURE RISES

The glacier on Kebnekaise is melting at an increasingly rapid pace! It’s clear how quickly it is shrinking. When we arrived this year, our sculpture was there, covered with the Glacier felt, having saved 4 meters of blue ice over an area of 200 m².

We always take the night train to Kiruna. From there, we switch to a bus for the final stretch to Nikkaloukta. After grabbing a quick veggie burger, we set off on the hike to STF's Mountain Station at Kebnekaise. It ended up being a late start, and darkness fell early as it started to rain. Nonetheless, everyone was in great spirits because this is the happiest group in the world: the Wool-rollers.

We were lucky with the weather and were able to hike up to the glacier the very next day. The Glacier felt is located on the eastern side of the mountain, so beautiful and incredibly vast. The last stretch goes over a moraine, with large boulders that the glacier has compacted. It was a bit challenging to pass, but once we got over it, we arrived.

There it stood, our sculpture. From a distance, it looked quite small in the magnificent landscape. As we got closer, it appeared significantly larger, and we could see how well-preserved the glacier was beneath the blanket.

The Glacier felt, made from densely felted wool in 30-meter rolls, had protected it from melting during the summer. Now we would carefully unwrap the blankets, roll them up, and take them to safe storage. When the first snow comes, we'll head up again and bring them back on skis.

The work is hard, but nobody is complaining.

Everyone shares the same goal: to save a part of Björlings Glacier while it slowly fades away and will soon perish.