Go Feel Free

Words by Like the Wind – Photography by Andreas Almkvist

Scandinavia is a quiet, unassuming part of the world. Sparsely populated – outside of the big cities of Sweden, Norway and Denmark – it’s a land of forests, towering sea cliffs and the midnight sun, when summer days last for 24 hours.

Here you’ll find a trail running scene born from a love for moving in harmony with nature, as well as a passion for competition, happening in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Scandinavian people have always had a deep relationship with nature. Orienteering and cross-country skiing are popular sports. And people love spending long days outside in all conditions. It was from this love of being in nature that Klättermusen was born in Umeå, northern Sweden in 1975. A group of local climbers started making reliable, comfortable and durable equipment for their adventures. They adopted the name for their brand from a popular Norwegian fairy tale about a brave, adventurous mouse called Klaus Klättermus who unites his fellow forest dwellers to thwart a gang of thieves and restore harmony. The deliberate choice of a children’s character is apt for a brand that operates in a serious business but doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The name also evokes a character entirely at home in the forests, which is perfect because Klättermusen is for those who throw themselves into vast landscapes and wildernesses for long runs on a weekend morning; who know this is freedom. Freedom to breathe, freedom to become one with ourselves and the natural world that is our canvas.

Klättermusen has long created products for trail running. But in 2026 a cohesive range has arrived. Not as disruption, but as a new expression of values that already exist. Unlike the UK or USA, Sweden does not inherit a loud trail-running heritage. There are no legendary rounds or dirtbag myths passed down through generations. What exists instead is something quieter: a culture shaped by humility, self-reliance and living in harmony with the landscape.

Billy White is a former chef, turned race organiser who embodies what it means to be a trail runner in Scandinavia. Since moving to Sweden in 2010, Billy has found a love of exploring the single-track trails around his home in Nyköping, an hour south of Stockholm. And Billy’s relationship with Klättermusen goes deep – not least because the brand sponsors his race, the Sörmlands 100. Here Billy introduces Klättermusen’s Go Feel Free campaign and what it means for him. ∎

“The Act Of Running In The Forest And Running In The Mountains Has Been Around As Long As There’s Been People Near Mountains And Forests. But The Trail Running Scene, That’s Relatively New.”

“In Scandinavia Generally, People Are A Little Bit Reserved. When You Watch Race Livestreams From Other Places, People Are Going Crazy And They’re Dressed Up As Skeletons And Banging Drums. That’s Very, Very Un-Swedish.”

“There’s a trail that a lot of people do called the Gröna Bandet or the Vita Bandet, which either means the Green Band or the White Band. If you do it in the winter, it’s white. And in summer is green. It’s 2,400km along a mountain chain. And the mountains are very mellow in their appearance. Of course there’s some jagged rocks. But southern Sweden is a bit like the Lake District or Scotland. It’s kind of bleak. It’s beautiful. But when the weather hits it’s challenging, for sure. And then the further north you go, you go into real wilderness.”

“Orienteering Has Always Been An Enormous Sport In Scandinavia. And The Orienteering World Is Like A Secret Society Where All Of A Sudden 5,000 People Embark On A Race In A Small Area Of Forest. And Then The Next Day, They Have All Disappeared Without A Trace.”

“I’ll Be Running The Lofoten Ultra-Trail In Northern Norway (Part Of The Arctic Triple) At The End Of This Month. It’s 100 Miles Across The Lofoten Islands, Which Is Going To Be Brutal And Beautiful. I’m Hoping I’ll Manage To Do What I Have Never Managed To Do Before And Take It A Little Bit Easy And Enjoy The Views. But I Will Probably End Up Having An Internal Misery Monologue For The 30 Hours Or So.”

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