A “blue hole” for the northern lights
The Northern Lights are Abisko’s main attraction during the winter months, but the microclimate also provides other spectacular weather events, such as very rare “lunar arcs”, also known as lunar rainbows and many haloswhich occurs when the moonlight is reflected and refracted by water droplets and ice crystals in the air surrounding the blue hole.
But for Anette Niia and Ylva Sarri, who are members of Sweden’s indigenous Sami community, Abisko is much more than its blue hole. About 70,000 Sami live in the Arctic and sub-Arctic parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula in Russia – a region commonly known as Sápmi. Both women have lived in Abisko since childhood because it is also a reindeer herding area for their families. Niia explained that the area’s microclimate results in thinner snow during the winter, which means that spring comes here early – and therefore food for reindeer and other animals. “The blue hole is something tourism companies are talking about,” she said. “For us Sami, Abisko is special for various reasons.”
Yet she and Sarri also have a connection to tourism here – the ancestors of their families were mountain guides for visitors from the early 20th century. Today, women are co-founders Scandinavian Sami photo adventures, which leads several outdoor experiences in Abisko, including Northern Lights tours. We as guides know that when we get to Miellejohka stream, which flows down from Cuonjavaggi [valley]and walk past it, you can go from a full blizzard to clear skies within 100m, “said Niia.” It’s magic! “
And that was exactly what happened when Erik and I finally came to Abisko: dense snow clouds hovered over the mountains that surrounded us, but we saw clear blue skies directly above.
On my first trip to Abisko several years ago, I remember that the researcher who became a photographer Peter Rosén told me that children were not allowed to look at or whistle at the dancing northern lights, or point at them in reverence, otherwise the light would go out and remove them .