South African photographer Scott Martin met up with long-time friend and Canadian paddler Tyler Curtis to showcase the whitewater-rich area of northern Sweden.
WHERE in Sweden were you focused?
We were in northern Sweden, one hour east of the Norway border. Kittelfjäll is more of a little ski town but it has a huge potential for outdoor sports. As far as paddling goes it’s got a bit of everything in that area; from big water to shallow creeks and big drops. I think we just scratched the top of the iceberg for potential in that area.
WHO came up with idea for this trip?
I was in the Ottawa shooting with Tyler and he was like ‘you should come over to Sweden’. In the winter we started talking about it more seriously and one thing lead to another and we were in Sweden. It was nice because we posted up at his place in Kittelfjäll and got some great whitewater. As a photographer, TC is a great athlete to work with. He’s motivated and a stylish paddler—he can make things look pretty cool. He definitely has an eye for photography too. At the end of a scout we can discuss angles and lighting. He has years of experience and a good understanding of what goes into a good shot.
WHAT were your goals heading into this trip?
Our biggest goal was to try to document a variety of rivers in northern Sweden and put it out there to the whitewater world that there is really good paddling there. We were trying to do something different in a different location—to show Scandinavia has more than the traditional Norway spots. This area of Sweden has everything from park-and-play playboating to southeast-style steep creeking to bigger drops all within about an hour of Kittelfjäll.
WHEN is the best season to visit?
We used TC’s knowledge of previous years and planned to try and get a variety of rivers at good flows. It was kind of a late spring there, they had such a big snow pack in the winter that it worked in our favour and we got everything we wanted to paddle at good levels. We were there during mid summer around July 21st and wanted to show a summer aspect of the area but that was tough with the late spring.
WHY should paddlers head to northern Sweden and why did you like it for photographing?
Geographically it was very different than Norway. The mountains weren’t as sharp, jagged or steep. There is definitely some water and gradient. It felt like you were up on top of the mountains versus in Norway where it feels like you are always down in valleys.
It’s a place you don’t see a lot of people travel to kayak—there is definitely a good crew of local Swedish boaters but there is so much potential in the area. The mountains that form the boarder of Sweden and Norway run into northern Sweden. As you go east to west they gain momentum and volume. There is a lot to explore.
What is the NEXT big thing you’re is working on?
I would like to do another bigger trip to Sweden and travel more getting into other zones. We will probably do another trip in the next year or so.
After my summer in the southeast US I’ll be heading back to South Africa for the winter. I’m working on a personal project paddling the Orange River—South Africa’s longest river—from source to sea. It’s a river I used to raft guide on and over its 2,200 kilometers. It has a very diverse landscape and people.
Photos this article: Scott Martin
