A midwinter’s dream.

One and half month to go to. Vasaloppet, the oldest, the longest and the biggest cross country ski race in the world, is attracting a big crowd – before the race even has begun. The woods outside Mora in Dalarna is beginning to look like La Rambla of cross-country skiing.

Swedes take their sauna seriously. And a lot of us drive snowmobiles. When journalist and editor Henrik Harr made a trip through the Swedish mountains to find out the bare truth about faraway saunas he made a point of combining the two.

Happy frog men sinking into it.

There’s been a sudden rush of divers to the island of Lidingö, just outside of Stockholm. The reason is M/S Benli, an old Danish trawler, that was sunk in the Bay of Värtan in October this year.

The late winter in Sweden has seen skaters and skiers scrambling for ice and snow. Last weekend Oskar Karlin and his two friends got a message from Kiruna in Laponia: it’s getting colder, the lakes are about to freeze – and there is no snow yet. The race was on.

Just because the race is off doesn’t mean you can’t participate. This year’s Orbea Mountain Triathlon was called off because a lack of competitors. But I decided I wanted to race anyway.

He spent 23 days alone in the Canadian outback, paddling down two big rivers in a inflatable canoe. It was Peter Perssons second solo expedition into the heart of the wilderness of Canada. The first time it almost cost him his life. This time he brought home some great videos for you.

It’s not to late to make a trek through the woods in central Sweden. One of the most beautiful trails close to Stockholm is passing along lake Marvikarna, 65 kilometers southwest of Stockholm. Lina Åberg and her friend Andreas went for a hike among red and yellow colored birches and old pines. Along the way the also discovered the reason why you should always bring your boots…

It’s been a good year for mushrooms in Sweden. There’s plenty of chanterelles, champinjons and even the delicious horn of plenty (svart trumpetsvamp). Join expert Klas Jaederfeldt on an excursion to find the the forest gold.

Ingmar Bergman made a documentary about this small island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. It’s famous for it’s birdlife and old tales about pirates and wreckers. But most Swedes have never been there, and few will ever get the chance: the national reserve on Gotska Sandön only hosts 170 guests at a time.

It’s more to high-rope courses than swinging around in the treetops. You can actually learn a lot about yourself when you hang on to a rope 18 meters above the ground.