The Kaamos Road (Film)

After crossing Iceland in the winter of 2023, my desire to return to the Far North grew stronger, especially to experience the heart of the Arctic night. A year later, I set out to cycle across the northern extents of Norway, Finland, and Sweden—from west to east, during the polar night, when the sun never rises above the horizon.

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The Kaamos Road is the story of this 1,500-kilometer expedition, a film that aims to capture that fragile balance between struggle and wonder, exhaustion and peace, and a tribute to the slow rhythm of the polar night and the raw power of the North.

Origins

I’ve always been drawn to the extremes of winter. My previous adventures—cycling across Iceland’s Highlands in winter and navigating the northernmost roads of Scandinavia—taught me resilience, patience, and the joy of immersion in wild, empty spaces. But this trip was different. While Iceland offered vast open landscapes, the Laponian winter presented a new challenge: complete darkness. During the heart of the polar night, the sun doesn’t rise for weeks. The world is cloaked in deep twilight, punctuated by occasional bursts of pale light from the northern lights, creating a surreal environment where time seems to disappear.

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I planned the route from the westernmost point to the easternmost point of the three Laponias, above the Arctic Circle. I wanted to experience all three regions by bike, moving at my own pace, carrying all my gear, and fully embracing solitude. That meant preparing for extreme cold and the psychological strain of continuous darkness. Unlike my previous trips, I knew this one would truly test my ability to maintain focus and motivation without the familiar cues of daylight.

Preparation

In the Arctic winter, preparation is everything. My bike was a Genesis Longitude equipped with three-inch studded tires, ideal for snow and icy roads. I outfitted it with a rear Tailfin and a front Old Man Mountain rack to carry food, clothing, and all the gear needed for complete self-sufficiency, which brought the total weight of the bike to around 60 kilograms (132 pounds). Clothing was layered carefully: a moisture-managing base layer, insulating mid-layers, and a waterproof outer shell. Gloves, a balaclava, and insulated boots were non-negotiable. Batteries for cameras and navigation devices were a particular concern. In extreme cold, even the best batteries drain rapidly, so I warm them up, close to my body, before using them.

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Training for the trip came from years of past expeditions and all the winter hikes and bivouacs I do throughout the year. Those experiences taught me how to manage energy, warmth, and nutrition on the move. I also spent weeks researching the route, looking for sponsors, testing gear, studying weather patterns, and sorting out logistics, especially the long train connections needed to reach my starting point without flying.

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In many ways, the training was less about physical preparation and more about mental resilience, cold management, and adaptability. Those skills mattered just as much if not more than riding ability once I found myself deep in the polar night.

The Journey: Days in Darkness

Cycling in complete darkness is disorienting. My lights illuminated only a few meters ahead, creating a tunnel effect that made the world beyond that small circle of light simply disappear.

At first, the solitude felt much stronger than on any of my previous adventures. The permanent darkness amplifies everything: thoughts, sensations, emotions. You lose some of your usual bearings; the cold feels sharper, and every sound or movement in the landscape seems more present, almost exaggerated. But after a while, the body and mind begin to adapt. You find a rhythm, and the night stops feeling oppressive. It becomes an environment you can understand, navigate, and even appreciate.

In the end, spending 25 days in the dark, alone in the wild, is a blend of hardship, introspection, and wonder. It’s difficult, sometimes brutally, but it’s also immensely beautiful.

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My days usually started around 7:30 or 8:00. It took me between an hour and a half and two hours to leave the comfort of my sleeping bag, prepare a hot breakfast, and pack all my gear in the cold. Once on the bike, the pace depended entirely on road and weather conditions. Breaks were very short, just enough time to eat an energy bar or take a sip of water, because stopping too long meant getting cold fast. I also dedicated a lot of time to filming and taking photos, whether with a tripod-mounted camera or by flying the drone.

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At the end of the day, I looked for a suitable spot to pitch the tent. Once set up, I melted two to three liters of snow to refill my water bottles, cook dinner, and then crawled back into my sleeping bag, ready to start all over again the next morning.

Reflections on the Polar Night

Looking back, The Kaamos Road is more than a winter cycling expedition; it’s a journey into a world shaped by silence, darkness, and raw beauty. Riding across Sápmi during the polar night taught me to slow down, to trust my instincts, and to find comfort in discomfort. Progress was measured not in distance but in small pleasures: a warm meal, a photo break, a rare glow of northern light flickering above the horizon.

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In the absence of daylight, every moment felt amplified, stripped down to its essence. This expedition reminded me why I return to the North again and again: not for speed or performance, but for the chance to meet the landscape on its own terms. And in that stillness, on that long ribbon of icy road stretching from Å to Vardø, I found a deeper connection to winter, to solitude, and to the simple act of moving forward, one pedal stroke at a time.

The Gear

Below is an overview of all the gear that accompanied me on the journey.

Bike Gear

• Bike: Genesis Longitude
• Bags: Tailfin
• Front Rack: Old Man Mountain Elkhorn
• Dynamo and Lights: SON
• Tires: 45NRTH studded 3.0
• Pogies: 45NRTH
• Saddle: Brooks B17
• Straps: Fixplus

Camping

• Tent: Helsport Lofoten X-Trem 3
• Sleeping Bag: Helsport Svalbard -29°C
• Sleeping Pads: Sea to Summit Ether Light XT + foam pad
• Stove: Primus Omnilite Ti (3L of white gas)
• Cookware: Primus 2.7 L pot
• Food: 30 freeze-dried meals + Real Turmat bars, chocolate, soups, electrolytes, 3 kg of muesli
• Thermos: Klean Kanteen 2 L + 2× 0.5 L Primus bottles

Clothing and Accessories

• Clothing: Patagonia
• Down Booties and Down Pants: Cumulus Outdoor
• Gloves: Black Diamond Guide Finger
• Shoes: 45NRTH Wølfgar
• Watch: Suunto Vertical
• Headlamp: Golum Piom2
• Socks and Sleeping VBL: Exped
• Glasses: POC Devour + Ora
• Helmet: POC Octal MIPS

Photography and Electronics

• Camera: Canon R6 + RF 24–70mm f/2.8
• Action Cameras: GoPro Max & Hero 11
• SD Cards: PNY
• Tripod: Benro Rhino
• Drone: DJI Mini 3 Pro
• Power Banks: Nitecore 20 Ah + 10 Ah + Zendure 2× 27 Ah
• Satellite Phone: Garmin InReach Mini 2

Further Reading

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