On Friday, June 23, it’s been 26 days since Fredrik Erixon left Sweden. Now he is going to Perpignan, and the next big goal is to cross the Pyrénées to reach Spain.

Erixon, you have almost finished crossing France; can you tell us about your journey through the country? 

“I am still in France, and I love it a lot. I left Germany on day 14, and now it’s day 26, so I’ve been in France for over ten days. Everything is absolutely fantastic.” 

“I’ve been skiing in some parts of France. I really enjoyed going up into the Jura mountains. When I was preparing for the trip, that was a stage that I was looking forward to. When I look back on it, I can say that it is a very special place. I don’t think I have been in a place like that before with all the small villages and perfect roads. Everything was really nice, easy, and calm.” 

“I would also say that it was really nice to reach the Mediteranée Sea and return to the waterside. It was a big thing coming to the water again since I left the sea in Denmark.” 

How do you plan to cross the Pyrénées, and how will you manage to go down the mountain? 

“Now I am going to Perpignan, which is very close to the Spanish border. I am getting ready to cross the mountain between France and Spain, and I think that will be interesting and challenging.” 

“I have been looking for a lot at my route to find the best way to cross the Pyrénées. It’s hard to find a way to go down without facing steep roads and sharp turns. I am a bit concerned about that, but I hope I find the best way to pass by. I will go by Figueras and Gérone. It will not be easy, and I will have to be really careful, but if everything goes as planned, I should survive going through the mountains. It will take about three days to reach Barcelona since I entered Spain. I plan to be there on June 28.” 

How did you manage to pass by the downhills so far? 

“It’s hard to break and have real control on roller skis. Two days ago, I was leaving a town in France, and I started to ski for 300m. I was way too fast, and the asphalt was bad; cars were everywhere, but I had a bit of luck because the road was flattering a bit, so I lost some speed. I jumped and went to the right side of the road to stop at a fence. Then I took my skis off and just walked to the sea. I was happy that I crashed into the fence; otherwise, I could have felt and hurt myself badly.”

“Otherwise, I try to avoid big downhills when I plan my route.” 

How do you feel about your body after more than three weeks on the roads?

“My body and material are getting tired. I have brought extra wheels with me. I am using the blue ones. They are really good, but I must shift them because of all the kilometers I’ve been doing so far. I am doing a lot of work with my poles to make them sharp. I also have had some problems with my feet because of standing on the boots every day. So, I need to take care of myself and my equipment. I went to the pharmacy a couple of times to take care of my blisters. I can also feel less and less resistance in my body. But I am still happy and haven’t faced any big problems so far.”

Proxcskiing.com is following Fredrik Erixon’s journey. Stay tuned to proxcskiing.com for more news and Erixon’s Instagram and Strava account for daily updates.