Normally, they are feared above all by heliskiers and snowboarders. In 2010, however, many non-winter sports enthusiasts also experienced what Down Days feel like. At that time, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull paralyzed large parts of European air traffic. As the mountain of fire with the unpronounceable name spews its lava, I am on my way with Arctic Elements Heliski Sweden. The fast connection to Switzerland is actually one of the plus points of heliskiing in Sweden. But with volcanic ash in the air and airplanes on the ground, we might as well have been on the other side of the world.

Everything starts as planned. At the beginning of April, my group and I fly from Zurich to Kiruna, where we pick up a Ford Transit in which we can stow our own skis. After a two-hour drive, we arrive at the Gammelgården Ski Lodge in Björkliden. The hostel is one of the oldest buildings in the village and is located right next to a piste in the ski area. This weekend, we are joined by some of the country's most promising young female skiers.

The Swedish Alpine Championships for women are currently taking place in Björkliden. In addition to the talented skiers from our lodge, Anja Person (downhill), Kaijsa Kling (super-G and giant slalom) and Anna Swen-Larsson (slalom) are also competing. Ultimately, the established stars beat the newcomers to win the gold medals in their respective disciplines.

After the crème de la crème of local skiers have cleared the slopes, we head into the ski area. Sunshine and fresh snow whet our appetite for more. The following day, however, bad weather puts a damper on our euphoria. Hoping for better conditions, we move to nearby Riksgränsen, but we only get to experience Sweden's "freeride Mecca" flying blind due to heavy snowfall and poor visibility. In Canada or the USA, tree skiing would be the way out. However, the ski resort on the Swedish-Norwegian border can't offer that.

And it gets worse. One day later, our first trip by helicopter falls victim to the weather conditions. At least we get to enjoy a "private" ski resort: Arctic Elements guide Hannibal pulls some strings and opens the lifts in Narvik, Norway, especially for us. We have one cable car, one chairlift and three T-bar lifts all to ourselves for three hours. The highest point in the area is just over 1,000 meters above sea level. Despite the snowfall and fog, the view of the fjords from the top is gigantic!

The exclusive skiing is followed by culinary highlights. First we enjoy freshly caught fish in Narvik, then Arctic Elements surprises us with a very special dinner. A snowcat takes us up to the Laktatjakkastugan hut. In Sweden's highest hut at 1,228 meters, we first relax in the sauna before enjoying a typical local dish of reindeer meat. We finish off with a local single malt whiskey.

The alarm clock rings early the next morning. We have to be ready at 6:30 a.m. because today - a day late - we are finally going heliskiing. Rays of sunshine have replaced clouds and wisps of mist in the bright blue sky. Now nothing stands in the way of our enjoyment.

We hardly think it's possible that a volcanic eruption in Iceland could cast its shadow as far as Sweden. But because of the swirling volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajökull, flights are banned throughout Europe. For us, this means another day on the ground and conventional skiing in Björkliden. It's exasperating - the best weather and still down day.

On the scheduled last day of our heliskiing vacation, the same picture: top conditions, but "ash-grounding" and Björkliden's lifts instead of Arctic Elements' helicopters. This time, however, we are pleasantly surprised. In the afternoon, we get the green light for two hours of heliskiing. No sooner said than done. And it's wonderful.

Before we leave, we find out just how close the blessings and curses can be. Normally, we would have to make our way to Kiruna the following day to fly back to Switzerland via Stockholm. This time, however, Eyjafjallajökull is our unexpected savior. If its eruption has only caused us grief so far, it now plays into our hands that all flight connections are suspended for ten days as a result. We are stuck in Sweden.

Over dinner, I have a crazy idea: how about another day of heliskiing and then driving back to the ferry to Trelleborg? In fact, my fellow travelers are "crazy" enough to go along with the suggestion. Quickly use up all the included flight hours and be back at work on time on Monday - two birds with one stone.

Our final heliskiing session on this trip made up for a lot. From 6:30 am to 6:00 pm, we simply ski everything we can. The runs in the open terrain above the Arctic Circle are simply fantastic. When we reach the lodge in the evening, we are completely exhausted, but above all happy. The complicated part of our plan is yet to come.

After a quick dinner, we are sitting in the van at 7 pm. We have 2,000 kilometers ahead of us. The weather and road conditions are difficult, our tires are studded and the occasional moose crossing the road is an additional obstacle in the headlights. The speed limit is 110 kilometers per hour. And we have just 24 hours.

I've often experienced how heliskiing has brought a group together. I can't say whether it's because we make it to Trelleborg on time, but our team performance is exemplary. We take it in turns to steer our old Ford safely through the darkness and thick snowfall to our destination. On board the night ferry, we can finally catch our breath, have a bite to eat and then fall into our bunks, dead tired.

We arrive in Travemünde on German soil at around 8:00 am. Two cabs drive us through the heavy morning traffic to Hamburg Central Station, from where we take the ICE to Basel. There, our illustrious group finally disperses to the four winds.

Looking back, the heliskiing trip was certainly not ideal. The time pressure cost us relaxation, the journey in the snow chaos a lot of nerves. The entire journey home took longer than a flight to Canada. Today, the adversities are just anecdotes that we tell each other with a laugh. Nobody was forgotten, nobody was injured, the heliskiing at the end was first class. And of course, experiences like these also help to ensure that certain heliskiing vacations remain in our memories forever - despite, or perhaps because of, volcanic ash from Iceland.

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