by Evelina Nilsson

KEBNESKAISE 

Middle of May. North of Sweden. Above the arctic circle. We turn off our phones and enter into the wild. There is no one but us there. Me, my sister Julia, my brother Jonathan and the crew. For a week we will be based in Tarfala, in a cabin without water or electricity, to climb and ride Sweden´s highest mountain. But more importantly we will connect with raw nature, with ourselves and with each other. For me this is a very special trip as I get to do it with my best friends, my family, my tribe.

We grew up together in the north and it was a constant adventure. I love being up here because it reminds me to slow down. It connects me with my highest potential. And it energizes and inspires me to be myself and know that everything is always perfect. On a trip you always get reminded that you can not expect anything from the mountain or anyone else. You are not your circumstances but the creator. You choose your state of being. One must feel the flow of what happens, be ready to change the path and adapt. To use ones creativity and inspiration and let the heart and present moment guide one to the magic. The week up in Tarfala taught us all a lot, about our capability and how we wish to express our purpose through life. This film is about connection, the meaning of tribe and the guidance back to oneself. Realizing that we are always complete.

We decided pretty late in the season to do this trip. I was asked by The North Face to come up with an idea for a film trip. I sat at home and really thought about what I wanted to do. I had been in Sweden for the most part of the season considering it was an amazing winter at home but also because I needed to ground myself and reconnect and realign. The feeling that immediately came to me was Kebnekaise. I had never been up there even though I am from the north. The people I wanted to join me on this trip was also an easy choice. I had been filming and riding mostly with my siblings this year so I asked them and they were stoked. So it was the first time for me to come up with an idea and together with my filmer and friend Darren Hamlin write a story for the film.

When I was finally standing there, in between glaciers in the wilderness, I thought about Sandra. My close friend and the mother behind Shades of Winter. I understood the amount of stress and pressure that she deals with for every trip we´ve ever done for Shades of Winter and I admire her even more from that second. Having my brother and sister and a great crew around me helped me to release the pressure and follow the inspiration and flow that was delivered to us. To stay with the connection which is always flowing through us. I learned to much and I am super excited to create more exciting projects in the future. All I can say is that it was definitely a great experience to be part of the Shades of Winter crew and have Sandra as a mentor for everything in life.

Athletes: Evelina Nilsson (Shades of Winter: Pure and Between), Julia Nilsson and Jonathan Nilsson

Crew: Mountain guide Martin Bruce Lundberg, Photographer Robin Andersson, Camera Peter Brockman, Camera Peter Nilén, Camera/Editing Martin Olson, Production/Camera/Editing Darren Hamlin

Music: Salt of the Sound (In prayer) Solace  || A dust from the ground (you walk on the wind), The Soundkeeper || Sami Yoik, Björn Lynne  || Englajord, Markus Nilsson  || All that feels, Katrina Stone

The film KEBNEKAISE will be screened throughout the Shades of Winter FilmFest!