At 1796 meters above sea level , Helags in Jämtland, Sweden, is a piece of natures own art.

At Houdini, we love to go our own way. It doesn’t have to be that extreme, but a few hours of ski touring aside the tracks can be a real adventure and a memory for a lifetime.

Skier Erik Westberg told us about his favourite spot – Helags in the Funäs mountains, Sweden.

The easiest starting point is from the parking spot at Kläppen, Ljungdalen.

The first pitch is probably the hardest part with its 10 km of flat touring with climbing skins. But go easy because once you reach the mountain station the fun begins.

Once at the mountain station, why not stay for a picnic? You are now 1000 meters above the sea level and the view is very nice. A few hundred meters from the mountain station is where the climb begins.

When you have started the climb, go left around the crater. Enjoy the beautiful view over one of Sweden's southernmost glacier. Follow the ridge around the crater, which should be an easy climb. Once you pass a dear fence you will be at 1600 meters above sea level. The climb should still be easy and you will soon see the “Pre-peak”. When climbing the last few hundred meters, it is good to zig zag your way up so you don’t get a climb that is too steep.

At the ”Pre-Peak”, which is about 1680 meters above sea level, you got the option to visit the main peak which is about a 100 meter climb along a rig. Not very advanced climbing with climbing skins, but it can be a bit tricky with bad snow, so the skiing back to the Pre-Peak is not that good. But the view from the Peak is amazing and the east side has a precipice, which is 200 meters at the highest point. Deadly, but beautiful!

When you have taken a breather, and enjoyed the beautiful view, it’s time to get back to the Pre-Peak. This is where the fun starts and you got about 700 vertical meters of enormous ground to ski. Don’t ski to close to the rig.
Make sure you are aware of avalache risks, and only ski where you feel you are safe.
Ski south and at the bottom turn to the north to get back to the parking lot. Stay safe and have fun!

The easiest way to Helags and the Funäs Mountains is from Östersund, Sweden.

Read more about Helags at STF's website:
STF Mountain station Helags

Pinay & Proud is a tribute to Filipinas from all walks of life who are courageous, nurturing, compassionate and beautiful within.

Today, we feature Ysabel Simon--a proudly Pinay artist who has been making waves in the visual art scene by portraying the colorful Filipino culture through her paintings.

Ysabel Simon’s work had the distinctive warmth and intimacy of strong Filipino family bonds and now 18 year old Simon is spreading that warmth in New York. A childhood memory of her grandmother pulling out a 2-inch long “tinik” or fishbone led her to create an oil portrait worthy of a place at New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).

“Tinik” is part of a portrait series I have been doing for the past year about my family's idiosyncrasies,” shared Simon.

Simon’s work was included in P.S. Art – a yearly juried exhibition that showcases the best creative work of students from prekindergarten to grade 12. This year, P.S. Art had 1,205 submissions from all 5 boroughs of New York: the works included paintings, photographs, collages, mixed media work, and sculptures. P.S. Art exhibition is staged annually at The Met.

In addition, “Tinik” was also included in the 23 works of art showcase of P.S. Art in Times Square. The students’ artworks were displayed on Times Square from June 22 to 26.

A 12th grade student at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and a recipient of the James Bama Award for Realistic Art, Simon’s achievements are nothing short of astounding -- the young artist only started oil painting in 2015.

“I am intimidated to start new projects because it was hard to be confident in a school where everyone was just as good or better. How I overcame that was by putting everything in perspective. God will forever be the greatest artist mankind will ever be able to witness, and He just so happens to be the one who created me to be able to make art. My prayer before every painting is this, "You have given me this gift, please use me to bring glory to your name. Help me paint with your hands through mine".

Highlighting her Filipino Identity with Each Stroke

“It is definitely a conscious decision to incorporate my Filipino identity in the majority of my work. Taking global history classes and art history classes, I found that the Philippines was missing in my lessons. This is why I wanted to make sure that the Philippines was represented through my paintings.”

YSABEL IN ACTION

Artist with her work. Ysabel Simon’s work was included in P.S. Art – a yearly juried exhibition that showcases the best creative work of students from prekindergarten to grade 12. This year, P.S. Art had 1,205 submissions from all 5 boroughs of New … — Artist with her work. Ysabel Simon’s work was included in P.S. Art – a yearly juried exhibition that showcases the best creative work of students from prekindergarten to grade 12. This year, P.S. Art had 1,205 submissions from all 5 boroughs of New York: the works included paintings, photographs, collages, mixed media work, and sculptures.

P.S. Art exhibition is staged annually at New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).