Kebnekaise summit staying at Tarfala and Singi huts

[SugarGlider]

Hej alla! Förlåt mig, jag skriver på engelska eftersom min svenska är inte så bra än...

I'm going to walk the Kungsleden trail between Nikkaluokta and Abisko at the start of July and I'd like to summit Kebnekaise and visit Tarfala valley while I'm there. It's my first trip to the area. I don't have a tent, so I will stay in the huts. My plan is to avoid the Kebnekaise mountain station and stay at Tarfala and Singi huts, as follows:

Day 1: Nikkaloukta - Tarfala hut
Day 2: Tarfala hut - Singi hut
Day 3: Durlings led to Kebnekaise Sydtopp and back to Singi hut
Day 4: Continue towards Abisko (most likely staying at Sälka, Alesjaure and Abiskojaure huts)

Are there any issues with this plan? For instance, is it realistic to go Nikkaloukta - Tarfala in 1 day and Tarfala - Singi in 1 day? (I know there is also Nygrens led from Tarfala to Nordtopp and from there it's possible to go to Sydtopp and down Durlings led, thus saving a day, but from what I've read that's a trip I should not attempt on my own and without proper equipment!)

Do I need a sleeping bag for any of the huts or are is a sleeping sheet/liner enough? Are there blankets for people to use or heating?

Also, would would be a good offline map app for Android that would show the trail and my current position on it? I have paper maps (Tyvek "Kebnekaise 1:15000" and "Kebnekaise, Abisko och Riksgränsen 1:50000"), but this could be useful. Durlings led is not clearly marked, as I understand.

Finally, is there any reason to prefer one direction over the other (Abisko->Nikkaluokta vs Nikkaluokta->Abisko)?

 

[Danne W]

Hi!
Day 3 you will walk on stone pretty much all the way, so it is nice if your shoes don't get slippery when walking on wet stone. I walked Durlings last year, check the forecast to try to time clear weather for the summit.

I only walked the Nikka-Abisko direction, it was nice to not get the sun in your eyes.

 

[Swift]

Your plan is ok. But to do the summit trip to the Sydtopp you need good weather. Otherwise forget it. And definitely forget the Nordtopp, unless you are a mountaineer, climber.

You can hike with only sheet to save weight. Warm blankets are avaiable in the huts. You can also buy food in most (maybe all) huts along this trip.

Direction is not important IMHO. Maybe your connections (bus and train) at start and finish will decide for you.

Wish you a good trip, Pelle.

 

[avslutad210712]

...

You can also buy food in most (maybe all) huts along this trip.

...

Most of them but not all

Proviant in Abisko, Abiskojaure, Alesjaure, Kebnekaise, Sälka

 

[Danne W]

Most of them but not all

Proviant in Abisko, Abiskojaure, Alesjaure, Kebnekaise, Sälka

I tried to buy dried food at Keb last year, they were all out of it... Just cans and micro wave food for 4 days until new supplies came!

 

[Hattmakaren]

Nikkaluokta-Tarfala is around 26 km.
Tarfala to Singi is around 22 km.
Durling's trail to the Southern peak is not the most used, and the melting and quite deep snowfields could be demanding, in "Kaffedalen" in particular. From Singi both ways the trail is around 24 km, and the higher parts are dominated by block terrain. The trail is not clearly marked.

 

[SugarGlider]

Thanks everyone for the help! Sounds like this is the way to go.

Yes, I read that the smaller huts don't have shops (or saunas), so I'll have to carry some food with me.

I downloaded the "STF i fjällen" app and it seems like exactly what I need: it shows the terrain map, which includes Durlings led and shows my GPS location on it - and it's free, too! It's not a super-detailed map (1:50000, I think), but should be enough to keep me from getting too lost.

 

[granbom]

Your trip from Singi to the peak and back consists of steep up-/downhill walking the entire time and the terrain is mostly large rocks so I think you need to be "relatively fit" to do this.
It's not impossible in any way but I don't how fit you are so I just want to mention it.

/M

 

[Danne W]

You should have an analogue map for backup. You can make a pdf for free which you can print yourself, in 1:10000 or 1:50000.

https://kartutskrift.lantmateriet.se/

 

[SugarGlider]

Your trip from Singi to the peak and back consists of steep up-/downhill walking the entire time and the terrain is mostly large rocks so I think you need to be "relatively fit" to do this.

Good to know, thank you. I think it will be hard for me, but I'll make it. Hopefully I can leave much of my stuff at Singi and go with a light pack.

You should have an analogue map for backup. You can make a pdf for free which you can print yourself, in 1:10000 or 1:50000.

https://kartutskrift.lantmateriet.se/

That's awesome, thanks a lot for the link! I have bought paper maps already, but if I knew about this maybe I wouldn't have paid >300 SEK for them. Oh well, good to know for next time.