More than 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle, an out-of-season Swedish retreat became a temporary home for 600 refugees this year. Photographer Pascal Vossen and writer Nils Adler visited the ski resort to capture how people from 10 countries, including Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Kuwait, Yemen, and Egypt, were adjusting to life at Riksgränsen (and its freezing temperatures). “There was something fascinating about the contrast, nothing about the situation made immediate sense,” the pair said, but “far from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, the resort had provided a form of cultural decompression, an opportunity for the refugees to acclimatize in a calm and secure environment before moving on.”
Inside a Ski Resort for Refugees
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Nouf, from Yemen, looks out the window at the resort before departing for Kiruna, where she and her family will be relocated. Bus transportation leaves twice daily and the refugees are only informed of their destination 24 hours before departure. #
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