Oskar Kihlborg - The Glacier Hero
Oskar Kihlborg is a versatile adventurer and mountaineer who was not only the first Swede to climb Mount Everest, but also has the heart to guide people with disabilities up mountains. Oskar is a passionate climate advocate, making significant efforts for the environment, including saving Sweden’s glaciers with wool.
OSKAR, WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?
What did I have for breakfast? I ate crisp bread and drank green tea. I don’t drink coffee.
WHY GLACIER FELT?
I guided groups on Kilimanjaro for several years and witnessed how the glacier, which had existed for 11,000 years, had lost 80% of its mass over the last century. I saw firsthand that the glacier was shrinking year after year. One sunny morning, after hiking all night, just as the sun began to rise over Kenya, it hit me: 'Oskar, you’re actually contributing to this by flying groups here.' At that moment, I decided to stop. Even though I was earning good money from those trips, I realised I was contributing to the disappearance of the glaciers.
“One sunny morning, after hiking all night, just as the sun began to rise over Kenya, it hit me: 'Oskar, you’re actually contributing to this by flying groups here.’”
When I returned to Sweden, I began to think about what could be done for the glaciers here. There are 250 glaciers in Sweden. I had seen tarps being placed on glaciers in Chamonix and the USA, but they were mostly made from fossil-based materials. I thought about alternative materials, like wool, since we throw away a lot of wool in Sweden every year, so why not use it on the glaciers?
YOU WORK WITH THE GLACIER FELT YEAR-ROUND. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOU DO WITH IT IN SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, AND WINTER?
In the spring, we lay the blanket over the glacier. The glacier melts during the summer and builds up again in the winter, and when it gets thick enough, it forms new ice. We leave the blanket in place over the summer, where it protects the glacier from excessive melting and rain. In the fall, usually around September, we roll up all the blankets and bring them back to a hangar to dry. During the winter, the glacier accumulates more snow. Then, in the spring, we lay the blankets out again. We can reuse them for several years.
TOP 3 GLACIER MOMENTS IN YOUR LIFE?
1) The south summit on Kebnekaise is also a glacier, and one of my top moments was when I proposed to my future wife there.
2) Another top moment was in 1990, when Mikael Reuterswärd and I became the first Swedes to summit Mount Everest. When we got back down to base camp, we celebrated!
3) In September last year, 2023, when we removed the wool from the Björling Glacier on Kebnekaise, it had protected 1.5 meters of pure blue ice. That was incredible.
"A top moment was in 1990 when Mikael Reuterswärd and I became the first Swedes to summit Mount Everest. When we got back down to base camp, we celebrated!"
WHAT DO YOU PACK TO ADD A TOUCH OF LUXURY ON THE MOUNTAIN?
I don’t bring anything unnecessary. Instead, I focus on what I didn’t use and what I don’t need to bring next time. Not the first aid kit, of course, but other items.
THE BEST MEAL YOU'VE EATEN ON A GLACIER?
Last year, we had risotto in the tent on Kebnekaise, and it was absolutely magical. But I’ve also eaten on a glacier in Pakistan. We had surströmming (fermented herring). We were away for three months on our way to climb K2 and had a Pakistani chef with us, along with a can of surströmming. Suddenly, we heard a scream, and the chef ran straight out onto the glacier. He came back and served the surströmming on a stainless steel tray. He had stuffed paper in his ears, nose, and mouth. When we asked him why, he pointed to the can and said, "Bad spirit is living inside."
YOU NEED TO RESPECT GLACIERS, THERE ARE RISKS INVOLVED. WHAT PREPARATIONS AND KNOWLEDGE DO YOU HAVE?
Glaciers have crevasses that can be dangerous. They can be hidden by snow, forming a snow bridge, it looks like flat ground, but there’s a crevasse underneath. That’s something you definitely need to have knowledge of and respect for. That’s why we’re always roped together with harnesses and carry the equipment needed to get out of a crevasse.
I’ve fallen into crevasses myself, not all the way, but I’ve definitely fallen in with my legs and hung on with an ice axe.
WHAT'S YOUR HIDDEN TALENT?
I can play the theme from Saltkråkan (Seacrow Island) on the harmonica.
WHAT'S THE MOST REBELLIOUS THING ABOUT THE GLACIER BLANKET?
The most rebellious aspect is that it's made from sheep wool, which would otherwise have been burned or buried. Instead, we use it for something that we hope will make a difference.
BEST WOOL MEMORY?
I have so many wool memories, especially when we struggle with those wool rolls up Jökelbacken, the steep valley leading up Kebnekaise. Together with a group of equally enthusiastic climate advocates like myself, we winch up the wool rolls. I think that's the coolest part of this, everyone who shows up, even though it's really tough and exhausting, remains positive and has a great attitude.
WHEN DO YOU WEAR YOUR WOOL REBEL VEST?
Always. I wear it all the time. It even has a few holes in it, but I’ve repaired it with patch tape. There’s no weather when you can’t wear it.
"For me, glaciers are like a living being that has built up over thousands of years and symbolises the mountains, our climate, and our planet."
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITH THE GLACIER BLANKET?
There’s no endpoint, it’s an ongoing project. I will keep doing this until I kick the bucket, and then we can only hope that someone else will take over. It’s about visually demonstrating what’s happening to the glaciers and ensuring that everyone who passes by the wool blanket on Kebnekaise sees what it means. It’s nothing new that glaciers melt in the summer and build up in the winter, but now they are melting more than they are accumulating, and we want to highlight that.
For me, glaciers are like a living being that has built up over thousands of years, symbolising the mountains, our climate, and our planet. If they slowly disappear, I feel that humanity is also disappearing.
However, I would like to undertake the project on a larger scale. Maybe not covering an entire glacier, but focusing on a critical part of a glacier to prevent the melting that could threaten infrastructure such as roads, railways, and villages. It would definitely be a larger project, and it would be very exciting to be able to do that.
