STF Halts Guided Kebnekaise Tours Along Eastern Route
The Swedish Tourist Association (STF) has canceled its guided Kebnekaise tours via the Eastern route. The reasons are increased risks of rockfalls, glacier crevasses, and unpredictable snow and ice conditions. Instead, the path will go via the longer Western route.
Climbing Sweden's highest mountain, Kebnekaise, is a popular summer activity. However, the Swedish Tourist Association (STF) is now making changes to its guided tours to the summit.
STF states in a press release that in recent years, changes in the terrain have been observed—especially along the Eastern route.
These changes involve an increased risk of rockfalls, larger glacier crevasses, and more unpredictable snow and ice conditions as the glacier melts faster.
Redirecting via the Western Route
Therefore, guided tours via the Eastern route are canceled for the summer of 2025 to begin work on gaining "a greater understanding of these new conditions and how they affect us."
"The safety of our guests and staff is always our focus," says Maria Persson, operational mountain manager at STF, in a comment.
STF will instead offer guided tours via the Western route. Those who do not wish to take this option can cancel and receive a full refund.
Most Hike Independently
The Western route is the most common path to the summit, and it is 18 kilometers round trip. It is longer than the Eastern route's 15 kilometers but less technically demanding. Most choose to climb Kebnekaise independently via the Western route: according to STF, "only" about a thousand people participate in the guided tours to the summit during the summer, compared to 20,000 guest nights at the Kebnekaise mountain station and almost as many campers.
Additionally, STF reports that it is a cold start to the season this year, where the remaining snow cover "easily gives a false impression of safety when crevasses and wells are not visible." This contrasts with the warm and early summer last year, when an average of 3.5 meters of ice melted away.