Visiting record in Swedish mountains

"Getting to discover all this at its own pace is unbeatable," says Canadian Erik McKay, from Canada.

He has just arrived at Kebnekaise mountain station after a hike in the raining rain and is now soaking wet.

The fact that the mountains have become increasingly popular as a holiday destination is evident throughout the mountain chain. The number of visitors to the Swedish Tourist Association's facilities increased by a total of eight percent in the summer compared to last year, which is a record.

Edsåsdalen and Grövelsjön have been extremely popular, but the mountain huts in Vindelfjällen and in the Rogen area also see a sharp increase in visitors.

- Many people want to be active on their holidays and all people can hike based on their conditions. Then many would also like to holiday more climate smart, says Marit Sarri, manager of the Kebnekaise tourist station, which for many years was one of the most popular tourist destinations.

Sofia Lindvall has just completed her first mountain hike along the Kungsleden trail. For her, the climate aspect was a contributing factor.

- Absolutely. All the attention about climate change I think many people want to both vacation and live climate smart and then the mountains are very attractive, she says.

But not everyone is very fond of the increase in visitors. David Röbbing from Germany has been hiking in the Swedish mountains for twenty years and thinks there are too many people on the trails.

- The silence is gone in some places. You have to go to smaller trails in order to experience real wilderness. It's not a good development, he says.