Published in Rock & Ice

Posted on May 19, 2012 by poa

A photo I took a while back in Bohuslän was recently published in the Ascent issue of Rock & Ice. This is Erik Heyman on the Crassostrea Gigas 8b at Sjöhäller, a very sustained and hard route only allowing two pieces of gear as protection before reaching the anchor. Erik climbed the route with a crashpad underneath since the first protection about halfway up the 15 meter route.

Erik Heyman on a Bohuslän testpiece, Crassostrea Gigas 8b.

The crag sits right by the fjord Åbyfjorden on the Swedish westcoast, and if you’re lucky you can find Japanese oysters in the shallow waters of the fjord. Crassostrea Gigas is the latin name for Japanese oysters, hence the name of the route.

– I ate several raw oysters each time I came to Sjöhäller to work on the route, says Erik.

Published in climbing book

Posted on April 4, 2012 by poa

Last week I got the news that the swedish book about climbing, Stora boken om klättring, was printed and released to the stores. I got a few copies from the author Nils-Ragnar “Bobo” Gustavsson, and was happy to see a couple of my photos on a few spreads. Maybe I will post a few of my photos here in the near future.

The book is a solid piece of work with plenty of good instructions and illustrations about climbing technique, safety and everything else you need to know as a climber. Very good work indeed, and worth buying if you want to learn more about all this!

A sneak preview of a few of my photos in the book:

A photo from Tonsai beach, Thailand.

Full page with pro climber Said Belhaj climbing in Spain.

Published cover

Posted on January 4, 2012 by poa

The Swedish climbing magazine Bergsport also put a photo from the mighty icefall Vettisfossen in Norway on the cover in the December issue. More info about Vettisfossen here.

Published cover

Posted on December 10, 2011 by poa

I got an early Christmas gift from Norway – the cover of the December issue of the Norwegian magazine Klatring. This photo was taken over a year ago during a mini expedition to the inland village Övre Årdal in Jotunheimen National Park (Norway), and it’s enormous icefall Vettisfossen. With it’s 275 meters vertikal drop, Vettisfossen is the highest waterfall in northern Europe. A lot of the ice climbing in Norway is fairly easy accessible, but to climb Vettisfossen you have to pay your toll in sweat just to reach the bottom of the climb. Especially if you’re there as a photographer, with all the extra gear you need to carry.

Klatring also published a spread in their section Klassikern.

Wedding shoot

Posted on August 29, 2011 by poa

My latest wedding turned out to be one of the most stressful days in my life… Earlier this year I got an inquiry to shoot a wedding at June 11. Since I knew my baby girl was due in the end of the month, I asked my girlfriend what she thought about it.

– Well, that’s almost three weeks before due date so it can’t be a problem. Book it!, she replied.

So I did. My pregnant girlfriend even agreed to be my assistend for the day, adjusting flashes, holding reflectors and diffusers… But so it didn’t turn out. The day before the wedding I held my newborn baby girl in my arms for the first time. Although happy and euphoric I desperately needed to go from plan A to plan B to be able to make the wedding shoot.

Problem: I had no plan B, and a wedding shoot can’t be canceled last minute. Furtunately, my girlfriend rocks. She let me off the hook for a few hours that day. I quickly recruited my father as assistent, and decided to meet him at home to pack all the photo gear. As soon as I got out of the car at the parking lot back home I realized that I left my home keys at the hospital. F@#@#ck. Back to the hospital, ended up in the Saturday midday traffic jams. As soon as I stepped into the maternity department at the hospital I realized another thing. The. Keys. Are. In. The. Car. Oh well, back through the traffic once more. I ended up just in time to meet the bride and groom, and we got to work.

Major update

Posted on July 26, 2011 by poa

Finally I’ve taken the time to do a major update on the content of this site. It’s been on my to-do-list for a while, but I have been too busy shooting, climbing and working. All the galleries are updated with new photos from last year up until now. Some stats:

Climbing gallery: 27 new photos from Thailand, France, and Sweden.
Winter & ice gallery: 22 new photos from France, Norway, and Sweden.
Skate gallery: 10 new photos, all from Sweden.
Nature & travel gallery: 15 new photos from Thailand, France, Croatia, Norway, and Sweden.
People gallery: 23 new photos from Thailand, France, Croatia, and Sweden.
Urban gallery: 3 new photos from Sweden and France.
Wedding gallery: 8 new photos from a wedding in Sweden.

Also, the slideshow on the front page is updated with several new photos, as well as the portfolio with 24 new photos.
Enjoy!

Portrait shoot

Posted on June 21, 2011 by poa

The editor of the Swedish climbing magazine Bergsport called me a while ago and asked me to do a portrait shoot with local climbing talent Malin Holmberg. Despite cold weather and rain, we managed to find a location that worked our way. Here’s a few of the photos from the session:

One of the photos made the cover of the magazine:

Bergsport nr150 2011 Cover.

Climbing in Bohuslän

Posted on May 1, 2011 by poa

Erik Heyman, one the hardest trad climbers in Sweden, wanted some photos of his recent contribution to the trad climbing in Sweden: the FA of a route at Häller in Bohuslän called Doktor Snuggles. Erik started working the route during the fall of 2010, but a very cold and snowy winter forced him to leave it for few month. After a few sessions on the route early this year, he finally sent the route. He thinks it’s a solid 8b.

Mr Heyman, contemplating the last attempt.

7b climbing to a good rest...

...where the last pro is placed...

...before the 12 move intensive power endurance crux.

---

The last hard move before easier ground. If you miss this, you get about 20 meters air milage.

Steep Camp in Chamonix

Posted on February 28, 2011 by poa

Together with freelance writer Magnus Wistrom I joined Miles and Liz Smart at Smart Mountain Guides for a few days at their annual Steep Camp in Mount Blanc mountain range. A steep camp with the Smarts means steep skiing. I consider myself a solid off piste skier but on a few occasion during the camp the steepness of the colouir’s just touched the peak of my ability.

Aiguille du Midi, France.

Very crouded from the top station at Aiguille du Midi:

Looking down at the glaciar Vallee Blanch:

The S-couloir at Aiguille du Midi, France.

The S-couloir up at Aiguille du Midi offered a full day of great adventure and steep skiing. Easy accessible from the top station at the Aiguille du Midi, the couloir is reached via a short traverse followed by a 40 meter vertical rappel down to a ledge that connects to the couloir.

The route we followed.

Even though you are very close to the top station, the environment feels a bit exposed
indeed. According to our guide Miles Smart the S-couloir is usually only skied a handful times each year. When Magnus asked him to point out the descent in the guide book later that same night, Miles reply put a smile on Magnus’s face:

– It’s not in this book, it’s in the climbing guide book…

The exit tunnel up at the top station:

The ridge leading to the rapell:

A few climbers we met, they were going up, we headed down…

Magnus can’t believe his eyes, or goggles. He survived the rappel…

The S-couloir is about 200 meters tall couloir, where the top part is around 52 degrees before it levels out down at the glacier Vallee Blanch. Very steep for us, no doubt about it. It’s no place to loose balance and tip over…

Happy to reach the cabin where the last sunlight in the valley hits you.

Courmayeur, Italy.

Back in Courmayeur again, on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc massif.

I have been to France many times but have always felt I had yet to discover the world famous French cuisine. And now, finally, the tastes, spicies and enjoyment of the French kitchen lived up the its reputation. We were in for a culinary treat! I might be a bit biased here though, since several of the restuarants we visited were run be Swedes! 🙂

An article will be in print in Brant next winter, stay tuned.

Ice climbing

Posted on January 22, 2011 by poa

Hiked along with my two friends Peter & Peter to check out the local ice climbing in Gullmarsfjorden, a fjord in Bohuslän on the west coast of Sweden.

Going deeper into the fjord. Skates instead of boots makes it a whole lot faster…

Checking out potential climbs: