FÅRTEX® BECOMES A GLACIER FELT

Did you know that your vest also keeps you cool when it's hot? That is what the Glacier Felt project is about, to save some parts of Glaciers from melting when it’s too warm. 

The same Fårtex® insulation that you have in your vest is used to protect Swedish glaciers from melting. The Glacier felt is made from 8 layers of Fårtex®, covering the glaciers of Helags and Björlings on Kebnekaise between April to September. Multiple meters of glacier is saved this way.

The Glacier felt project is managed by two adventurer Oskar Kihlborg & Cassiani Fotinos. In 1990, Oskar, together with Mikael Reuterswärd, became the first Swedes to reach the top of Mount Everest. 

We will protect some parts of Björlings and Helags Glacier, with almost 500 m2 of  FÅRTEX® insulation. The wool will be brought up the mountains by hand. 

A Glacier felts Diary, 2023

STORMIG start

April - Maj

Vi gjorde vårt försa försök att rulla ut filten i April. Bergsbestigningen började bra i härlig solsken men slutade i en outhärdlig storm.

We made the first attempt to roll out the wool in April. The climbing started well with a lovely sunshine and finished in unbearable storm.

Some of the team was happy even if the weather started to change. The weather can change very quickly in the mountains. And so it did this time.

After two days on skies and one night in tent, the weather suddenly changed. The storm just got worse and it became too dangerous to continue. Almost by the glacier we had to quit to get back fast but safely.

In these situations you realise how small you are in relation to the power of nature. We had to leave the rolls firmly tied to a large rock. The wool was preserved there until June before we could go back again.

Succession

June & July

Finally the weather improved and we could make another try. And this time the rollout was successful.

In June on Kebnekasie.

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The felt is attached with large stones and weights to prevent it from blowing away.

UPPDRAGET AVKLARAT

September

Vi räddade 5,5 meter från att smälta! Vi är så glada att vår ull har gjort ett sånt bra jobb, men samtidigt så ledsamt att se hur snabbt glaciärerna smälter på grund av den globala uppvärmningen.

Oskar mäter höjden av glaciärskulpturen.

Vi vek ihop filtarna a la dem i säkert förvar i väntan på snö så att vi kunde skida hem dem.

This felt cannot save all the world's glaciers but it is a way to make people understand how fast they are disappearing due to global warming. It’s small steps to hopefully something bigger.