When I step out onto the deck there's no mistaking the intensity of the Arctic chill. That's not surprising: I'm a good hundred miles inside the Arctic Circle; in fact you can't get much farther north and still be in Sweden. This is Abisko Mountain Station, perhaps the crown jewel of the Swedish mountain lodges. I'm back for a second time to this remote, scenic spot under the landmark Lapporten mountain, the gateway into the wilds of Lapland.
When an early, heavy snowstorm last autumn pinned me down in my tent for days and eventually chased me from the backcountry back to the station and its comforts, I was to discover yet a different side to Abisko. People come here for many reasons - some to hike, some to climb, some to bird-watch, some to cross-country ski in the winter. But there's yet another entirely different attraction here. For proof, all I have to do is look
up from the station's expansive deck into the night sky above the huge lake called the Tornetrask. Bright, undulating waves of light, tinged with subtle shades of green and red, ripple across the sky. The Northern Lights display tonight varies from subdued flashes to outrageously intense surges of ghostly lights rolling across the dark expanse of night sky. A new moon accentuates the mind-blowing show.
The Aurora may be old hat to those who live this far north, but for the rest of us it is an unforgettable experience. For travellers from afar it's a spectacle that has us shivering on the deck, bundled up in all the
down gear we've brought. The lights here are so mesmerizing we quickly forget the discomfort of the cold.
One of the factors that makes Abisko a prime location for viewing the Aurora is the Tornetrask itself. The huge lake, which sprawls more than 70 kilometers long just north of the station, creates an unusual weather phenomenon that keeps the skies above the station clear even when fog or clouds blanket most of northern Sweden. This is the famed 'blue hole of Abisko," a perennial patch of sky kept mostly clear by the climatological effects of this inland sea and its valley.
When this quirk of weather is combined with the comforts of the station, the package adds up to one of the best options anywhere for viewing the Aurora. Much more elaborate than many wilderness huts, the Abisko mountain stations feature restaurants, hot showers and other comforts. Abisko is the only one of these stations located on a highway, so the range of accommodations and level of service here is in a class by itself.
In addition to the lodge itself, however, it's Abisko's remote location and its unique infrastructure that make it such a prime vantage point to view a heavenly phenomenon. It is dark; Abisko is far from any city lights that might dim the show. The station operates a ski lift to the top of Nuolja Peak, more than 3,000 feet high. For the first time this year, a cafe at the top of the mountain has been turned into a viewing platform
for the Northern Lights, called the Aurora Sky Station. Also, the station posts "forecasts" each night of expected Aurora activity, gleaned from scientific observations arriving via computer, so visitors may choose the best viewing time.