Skiing the King’s Trail in Sweden

There are two reasons there are no lift lines on Sweden’s  King’s Trail. 1.) There are no lifts.  And 2.) there are far too few people to stand in line, even there were lifts. Each winter, fewer than 2,000 people hit this sun-bleached cross-country ski trail, which traverses 265 frozen miles, all of them above the Arctic Circle. This New York Times piece gives us the lowdown on these vast and largely untrodden highlands, where the Swedes, typically, have constructed a network of cozy huts for those worthy souls willing to ski 12 miles to find a bed. Planning ahead, the Times tells us, the founders of the Swedish Touring Club began designing the "Kungsleden" in the 1890’s, to encourage tourism above the Arctic Circle. More than a century later, the Times’ piece may persuade a handful of adventurous people to give it a try, especially if they click through the Photographer’s Journal that accompanies the mainbar. Find more here.