Tommaso De Rosa

February 15, 2025

High Coast Runner

Join the epic #BIG5 Challenge: your trail run adventure awaits at Skuleberget

Tommaso De Rosa

February 15, 2025

High Coast Runner

GET INFO ABOUT THE coming EDITION 2025 >

The "Lynx," "Elk," "Bear," "Eagle," and "Fox" are recognized as the five trails that lead to the magnificent summit of Skuleberget Mountain, overlooking the High Coast World Heritage Site in northern Sweden. As you embark on these trails, you'll encounter some of the most breathtaking scenery the natural area has to offer.

*View of the fjords from the summit of Skuleberget.*

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Know all the five paths of the Skuleberget >

The Skuleberget #BIG5 Challenge takes you on a journey across all its uphill segments, covering kilometers of rugged terrain far from the usual tourist paths, leading to magical spots and hidden stretches waiting to be discovered.

The challenge involves running across all five uphill segments in a single session, beginning and ending on the same day. The course spans approximately 25 kilometers with a positive elevation gain of around 1500 meters. To validate the challenge, it must be completed by at least two athletes.

The #BIG5 Challenge is open to everyone, with no time limits, flexible intensity, no entry fee, and no formal registration. You are welcome to join us on May 17th, 2025!

Why the Skuleberget #BIG5 Uphills Challenge?

Beyond the dramatic landscapes at every turn of the mountain, this adventure offers a shared, unforgettable outdoor challenge that will stay with you for life. You'll have the chance to meet fellow runners and tackle the mountain with the shared purpose of having fun along its trails.

*High Coast Runner “Gang” at the start of the 2024 Challenge.*

Know how the challenge was born >

A Course for the Brave:

There is no right or wrong timing, nor is there a correct or incorrect pace. You determine the intensity with which you face the challenge. However, be prepared—the #BIG5 paths are demanding. The itinerary requires crossing between 3 and 5 kilometers from one uphill segment to the next, with a total running and hiking time of 4 to 6 hours in a single session. The course is approximately 25 kilometers with a positive elevation gain of 1500 meters.

The Official Path Sequence:

#BIG5pathLYNX uphill -> BEAR downhill -> #BIG5pathELK uphill -> FOX downhill -> #BIG5pathBEAR uphill -> LYNX downhill -> #BIG5pathEAGLE uphill -> ELK downhill -> #BIG5pathFOX uphill -> BEAR downhill

This sequence has been the official track for completing the #BIG5 Challenge since the first edition. Set your personal best: search the #BIG5 segments and record your session with the Strava app. Join the High Coast Runner club on strava.com—you are welcome in the group!

High Coast runners are calling for a new spring edition: the 5th #BIG5 Uphills Challenge is scheduled for Saturday, May 17th, 2025. Are you one of us?

Set your #PB:

Search the #BIG5 segments and register your session with the Strava app. Join the High Coast Runner club on strava.com: you are welcome in the group!

[ SPRING EDITION ]

5th Skuleberget #BIG5 Uphills Challenge

•

Read all about the details!

WHERE:

SKULEBERGET MOUNTAIN

87396 Docksta, Västernorrland, Sweden

WHEN:

17 MAY 2025

START:

10:00 a.m.

The runners will meet at the parking area of the Naturum Höga Kusten World Heritage Centre shortly before, around 09:30. Last-minute changes to the start times may occur.

AFTER-CHALLENGE GHATERING:

#BIG5 “THIRD TIME”

As you finish running, we are waiting for you at the #BIG5 after-challenge, where participants and guests are coming to meet together to share and celebrate the experience. The event that take place at the marina club house in Docksta includes snacks and drinks of a frindly fika, parking, and a service house for changing and showering. By car, the marina is just a few minutes from Naturum.

Join us in this epic adventure.

For any inquiries about the challenge, feel free to contact me:

Tommaso De Rosa

@tominthehighcoast

+46 (0)76.3136909

or +39.335.1309207 (WhatsApp too)
dockstahavet@gmail.com

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Seaside holiday rentals at skuleberget / docksta >

Other trails around Docksta recommended by local runners >

The Skuleberget's #BIG5 uphill challenge boosts trailrunners' souls

Tommaso De Rosa

May 30, 2023

High Coast Runner

Racing alongside someone in a natural environment elevates the beauty of trailrunning. However, when the experience is connected to a mountain like the Skuleberget, a sort of trace left by the paths remains in the runner’s soul.

One of the most suggestive places for hikers in Sweden is the summit of Mount Skuleberget, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Höga Kusten, or the High Coast. This place is a collection of unforgettable experiences and sensations for runners who enjoy being into the wild.

All year round, hundreds passionates get epic trailrunning sessions in its natural reserve.

The #HighCoastRunner group named the five trails and their steep segments that bring to the summit of the mountain “ELK, FOX, BEAR, EAGLE and LYNX”.

They are the “BIG5 uphill paths” of the Skuleberget.

Every run on these uphills will push you out of your comfort zone.

Know all the #BIG5 segments

INFO AND PICS OF THE #BIG5 TRAILS AT SKULEBERGET >

The mountain stands proudly next to the village of Docksta, facing the fjords and the Skuleskogen National Park.

The peak at 296 m above sea level is paradoxically not the most significant point: at a just lower altitude, at 286 meters, there is the highest coastline in the world, which, due to the melting of the ice after the last glacial period, has risen from the sea level and continues to do so today, about 6/8mm per year.

This is where a challenge arose. It’s for athletes, not between athletes.

The #BIG5 Uphills Challenge is a call to gather a handful of daring runners with the goal of completing all five trails—the respective ascending segments, in particular, leading up to the top of the Skuleberget.

How the #BIG5 uphill paths were born

The #BIG5 segments names (and their challenge!) born in the 2019 summer, when two “brave” trailrunners - Johnny and me - wanted to complete one time all of the five uphills up to the peak of the Skuleberget. For the first time in one single long running session.

The first #BIG5 uphills Challenge (2019/07/09)

Johnny and Tom ran the 1st challenge of the 5 uphill segments in the evening, enjoying the summer light, estimating a course of ~20km and 4 hours long. Then, start and finish had been set from the sea level, at the marina in Docksta.

They have completed every uphill by touching the "Skrubban", the bronze sculpture at the summit. That starts to be a tradition when a trailrunner ends the segments by reaching the top.

Here you see how they ran the sequence of all the #BIG5 paths, in a course of 25km and ~ D+1.414m.

#BIG5pathLYNX uphill -> BEAR downhill -> #BIG5pathELK uphill -> FOX downhill -> #BIG5pathBEAR uphill -> LYNX downhill -> #BIG5pathEAGLE uphill -> ELK downhill -> #BIG5pathFOX uphill -> BEAR downhill

A little history about the #BIG5

Before this trail, we already had considered how difficult is to agree on the names of the segments... people used different names, or not at all, Strava highlights segments with very fancy nicknames, historical paths have lost fame and walkers risk losing them...

The increase in people running on the mountain in recent years was not accompanied by the knowledge of all paths. Many runner didn't even know how to call them, between Swedish definitions and fantasy strava segments.

The mountain fortunately remained largely wild, especially between autumn and spring but the western and northern sides experienced few opportunities to be mentioned and discovered by new runners and hikers. The two editions, in September and February, of the famous race "Höga Kusten Trail," which crosses and ends at the Skuleberget, are carrying competitors only on some of the most popular, the new "Höga Kusten Stigen" and the steep path on the ski slopes.

The “Gula Stigen”, one of the trails historically used to reach the summit from the western side of the mountain, running in the woods to the left of the ski slopes, was entering into oblivion.

It was then that Johnny and me invented the names to make all five ascending trails memorable and we decided to run and highlight them all during a single trailrunning session.

Johnny suggested connecting the five paths to the wild animals that live in these parts and also thought of a name for all the paths: "the BIG5".

That's the simple story of how this adventure began. Then, as soon as it was feasible, we tried to replicate the experience by growing the group, and other runners began to think about it as well. We arranged the second and third iterations of the #BIG5 uphill Challenge in 2022 and 2023.

So, the High Coast Runners did it again. The last two challenges have been held in early “Spring” editions. The runners attacked the steep paths when some of them were still presenting wide, snowy stretches. Definitely a couple of a bit crazy trails, from a weather point of view, with a mountain that gifted its best (sun, wind, snow, mud, icy rocks, and flowing water).

In the three editions to date, there are 10 athletes who have completed the challange: one woman and eight men, from Sweden, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

#BIG5 UPHILL CHALLENGE - 2022 SPRING EDITION

**2022 EDITION** of the #BIG5 uphill CHALLENGE

#BIG5 UPHILL CHALLENGE - 2023 SPRING EDITION

**2023 EDITION** of the #BIG5 uphill CHALLENGE

The rules of the #BIG5 uphill Challenge

We set it with very few rules: the challenge is open to everyone; you choose the intensity according to your abilities; there are no time limits; but it must be started and completed within the same 24 hours. To be codified, it must require the participation of at least two athletes to complete it. There's no cash fee and no formal registration. But High Coast Runners always start together :)

Roots, mud, rocks and stones, branches and trees, berries, lichens and flowers, leaves and pine needles, ice, snow, water, wind, the sound of your steps and the rhythm of your breathing… face the challenge by running or walking on Elk, Fox, Lynx, Beat, and Eagle uphills (for experience, not speed :)

Every walk or run—fast or slow—up to the summit following one of these trails has a proper meaning and will leave emotions in your memory.

Through the year, anyone can challenge themselves on the mountain climbing segments

All the 5 trails at the Skule have their dedicated #stravasegments and the ranks of the runners that completed them.

Set your #PB on the #BIG5 segments registering your running session with the STRAVA app.

Search the segments and join the High Coast Runner club on STRAVA.COM: you are welcome in the group!

Elite runners show impressive Personal Best on these uphills:

#BIG5 ELK segment

#BIG5 EAGLE segment

#BIG5 FOX segment

#BIG5 BEAR segment

#BIG5 LYNX segment

SKULEBERGET MAP

Enjoy the experience to set your new PB!

**The MAP-POSTER above can be customized with your notes to record your #PB on the #BIG5 upphills.**
You find it on the E-SHOP: the collections of map posters tailored for trailrunning in the Höga Kusten >

The High Coast Runner group is sharing running experiences within the High Coast World Heritage in Sweden: join the group on Strava.com!

Are you looking for information regarding the Skule #BIG5 and the #HighCoastRunner group?

CONTACT ME:

Tommaso De Rosa

@tominthehighcoast

+46 (0)76.3136909

or +39.335.1309207 (WhatsApp too)
dockstahavet@gmail.com

Seaside Holiday Rentals at skuleberget / docksta >

SHARE YOUR #HighCoastRunner PASSION:

In primo piano

HANG YOUR #HÖGAKUSTEN PASSION ON A WALL:

In primo piano

Trysunda Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Ångermanälven Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

"The heart of the High Coast" Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Rotsidan Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Smitingen Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Mjältön Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Skuleskogen Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Docksta Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Norrfällsviken Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Skuleberget Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Salsåker Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

High Coast Archipelago Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Bönhamn Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

Running Race Maps Collection [Höga Kusten Outdoors Poster]

High Coast Runner

September 29, 2021

High Coast Runner, Explore Höga Kusten

Trailrunning in the High Coast: the #BIG5 paths of the Skuleberget Mount

High Coast Runner

September 29, 2021

High Coast Runner, Explore Höga Kusten

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The summit of the Skuleberget mountain in Docksta is one of the top destinations for people visiting in Sweden the High Coast UNESCO world heritage.

In every season of the year, a trip at the Skuleberget is a phenomenal opportunity for people and families aiming to have fun spending an exciting day in the Nature.

People running within this natural reserve collect unique sensations and long-lasting memories of epic trailrunning sessions.

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The Skuleberget stands proud on its surrounding area and has bagged itself a mountain status even topping out at “only” 296 m above sea level.

It has the character of a real mountain and encompasses its characteristics:

at 286m a.s.l. on its summit, the world’s highest point of land to have been uplifted by a postglacial isostatic rebound
natural reserve
breathtaking views over the fjords and the islands of the archipelago, and over the surrounding mountains and forests
paths in the woods, walkable safely, and segments on large rocks of red Nordingrå granite
wide natural areas still wild and parts that became an astonishing playground for hikers, runners, climbers, and skiers
hosting ski slopes - with an unique seaview! - and a brand new chairlift on the sunny side of the mountain and, at its steep eastern slope, the climbing routes of the "Via Ferrata"
at its summit, few well positioned shelters and the Toppstugan
at its feet, the museum Höga Kusten Naturum and the Tourist Center, the Via Ferrata, campsites and accommodation areas, and opportunities for organized outdoor activities (climbing, kayaking, cycling, classes of fitness outdoor).

Trailrunning passionates found at Skuleberget an unique playground because there are at least five different path to follow to run up and down on the mountain.

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The #HighCoastRunner group named these five steep segments: “ELK, FOX, BEAR, EAGLE and LYNX”.

They are the “BIG5 uphill paths” of the Skuleberget.

Every walk or run - fast or slow - up to the summit following one of these trails have a proper meaning and will leave emotions in your memory.

Every run on these uphills will push you out of your comfort zone.

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Learn the history of these names and abo the #BIG5 UPHILL CHALLENGE at the Skuleberget Mountain >

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Know all the #BIG5 segments

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The FOX path at the Skuleberget

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This is the youngest path: it was born in 2017 and it is known as the “Höga Kusten Stigen”.

Facing to southwest, the segment starts strong from the first hundreds of meters in the wood, where it engages you on steeps stairs, roots and stones.

When you're just out of the woods, your track will be an imaginary line drawn on the large rocks that brings you up-up-up to the first peak at the Litoberget.

From there, it will be a never-ending up and down in the wood again, over rocks and terrain paths of stones and roots before to restart again to firmly climb up to the last technical segment that will slow you to see the Toppstugan at the summit of the Skuleberget.

Find on Strava.com the segment:

SKULEBERGET FOX path [ BIG5™ uphills ]

SHARE YOUR #HIGHCOASTRUNNER PASSION:

Celebrate your session up on the FOX path!

Sale

"SKULEBERGET FOX PATH"

€20.00 €20.00

[ SKULE BIG5 #TAGMUG ]

Color:

Quantity:

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The EAGLE path at the Skuleberget

This is the shortest and steepest segment to reach the summit following an almost vertical route on the east face of the mountain.

Starting from the museum, the path takes you directly to the top in just 800 meters, climbing big stones and steep steps of stairs fixed into the rocks.

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On this segment, vertical runners and climbers are in their playground, but everyone will really enjoy this mission out of the comfort zone. Remember to have charged your camera: there are breathtaking views from up there that you can’t miss.

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This is a one-way segment, from down to up: to walk it downhill is not recommended. Also wet conditions should have to be avoided, since this hike can become very difficult.

Find on Strava.com the segment:

SKULEBERGET EAGLE path [ BIG5™ uphills ]

SHARE YOUR #HIGHCOASTRUNNER PASSION:

Celebrate your vertical run on the EAGLE path!

Sale

"SKULEBERGET EAGLE PATH"

€20.00 €20.00

[ SKULE BIG5 #TAGMUG ]

Color:

Quantity:

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The ELK path at the Skuleberget

You'll love to run or walk this segment because the “old yellow" is probably the most preserved path.

It is one of the historic trails leading to the top of the mountain but now very few hikers know it and is rare to meet people up there even during the summer.

It's marked with yellow dots, on trees & stones and few remaining wooden poles.

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The late afternoon and the evening in the summer is the best moment of the day to be there: the light that filters through the trees from west is magical. It's a wonderful segment if you like trailrunning in the real nordic nature.

Downhill it is very technical: a mix of steep segments and challenging trails into the wood. Rocks and roots to "manage" and continue changes of direction. It's 100% pure fun.

During raining days, a lot of water flows downstream on the trail. It happens also to have to jump over a tree, even large ones, that obstructed the path blown down by the wind. It's impossible to lose the flow during this sort of mindful running…

Find on Strava.com the segment:

SKULEBERGET ELK path [ BIG5™ uphills ]

SHARE YOUR #HIGHCOASTRUNNER PASSION:

Celebrate your exploring the ELK path!

Sale

"SKULEBERGET ELK PATH"

€20.00 €20.00

[ SKULE BIG5 #TAGMUG ]

Color:

Quantity:

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The BEAR path at the Skuleberget

The final meters of this segment reaching the summit at the Toppstugan are definitely challenging

Here you are on the ski slopes at the westerly side of the mountain.

The BEAR segment follows the steep terrain road that runs up to the summit from the start of the chairlift (Skulebergets Linbana). It is steep: it starts steep, continues steep, and finishes eve steeper at the summit by reaching the Toppstugan.

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Runners that raced the 43k of Höga Kusten Trail remember this uphill: it represents the shocking final vertical segment that brings them to the finish line (and the second ascend to the peak of the mountain that the competitors run in the last 5k of this fantastic ultra trail).

Find on Strava.com the segment:

SKULEBERGET BEAR PATH [ BIG5™ UPHILLS ]

SHARE YOUR #HIGHCOASTRUNNER PASSION:

Celebrate your steep run on the BEAR path!

Sale

"SKULEBERGET BEAR PATH"

€20.00 €20.00

[ SKULE BIG5 #TAGMUG ]

Color:

Quantity:

•
The LYNX path at the Skuleberget

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If you are in Docksta, don't miss to run this segment, following the northerly path that starts from the east side of the mountain.

If you pass the High Coast tourist center and the museum "Naturum" following the Höga Kusten Leden to North, you find where the LYNX starts: it's a challenging, very steep segment that is shaped on rocks and roots and climbs up in the woods.

It is marked with blue dots of paint on trees and stones. To dominate it, you have to run, walk and also climb, keeping on changing the pace.

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If it's raining hard, you find a lot of mud and water on the trail. In winter, if the snow is deep, it can be really challenging to find the track (check if someone that really knows it have been there marking with his steps the route in the snow before to venture alone up there).

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High Coast runners like this two kilometers uphill trail because there is a sort of tension that brings you up despite the rocks, roots and stones. Nevertheless, in summer it is unusual to find many people there: the trail is very technical and to keep effective your proceeding uphill you need to adapt fast your running to approach the different ground surfaces until the last meters of the segment at the peak.

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Find on Strava.com the segment:

SKULEBERGET LYNX PATH [ BIG5™ UPHILLS ]

SHARE YOUR #HIGHCOASTRUNNER PASSION:

Celebrate your hiking the LYNX path!

Sale

"SKULEBERGET LYNX PATH"

€20.00 €20.00

[ SKULE BIG5 #TAGMUG ]

Color:

Quantity:

The #BIG5uphills are calling your name and are waiting for you in Docksta!

If you're based in Docksta, the trails of the Skuleberget are one step away from your front door (and from the piers of the Marina, too).

All the segments start at a distance that you can cover by running (or walking) during your warm-up.

If you overnight in Docksta or if your boat is moored at the gästhamn, the feet of the mountain are less than 2km from the village.

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Holiday rentals in Docksta by the sea >

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Trailrunning the #BIG5

High Coast Runner’s tips to get the most of the Skuleberget Mount

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Roots, mud, rocks and stones, branches and trees, berries, lichens and flowers, leaves and pine needles, ice, snow, water, wind, the sound of your steps and the rhythm of your breathing.

Take your time to walk or run at the Skule: every path is different, with nuances that you can grasp by opening your real senses. Enjoy the outdoors.

DRINKING WATER: you don’t need to carry large supplies to hydrate yourself because at the summit you can stock up on drinking water at the sink which is available to the hikers you find at the back of the Toppstugan cabin.
TOILETS: at the Visitor Center and in the large parking area at the feet of the mountain close to the E4 road. At the summit, close to the Toppstugan and the chairlift's station.

SHOES: the paths are rough: wear a pair with the necessary grip (you will need it a lot, particularly on the downhill or with wet and icy conditions). You will run on ever-changing surfaces, over rocks and stones, encountering roots almost everywhere but also dirt and mud. On the snow, specific outsoles with deep lugs or metallic studs and a good pair of gaiters are reccommended.

Be in tune with the mountain

#BIG5 trailrunning ETIQUETTE

keep the curves and the steps in the trails (or limit your go off trail), to avoid to contribute to the erosion of the path
leave nothing but footprints (don't litter)
keep it wild
say hello to those you meet
share the experience with other runners