Best ski resorts in Sweden 2019
Skiing in Sweden – here’s what you need to know about the best skiing and ski resorts in Sweden.
When you’re looking for one of the ski resorts in Sweden, it is a good idea to opt for one not only on the basis of skiing opportunities but other factors as well.
For this reason, picking a resort gets much trickier. Luckily, in places such as Sweden, there are plenty of skiing resorts that you can pick and choose from. Renowned for being a place that experiences extreme winters, Sweden also features a unique day and night cycle every summer as well.
The plentiful snow Sweden receives as well as the long winters entail a good, long skiing season. This makes Sweden a favourite among skiing aficionados.
The diversity in ski resorts in Sweden means that you have the pick of the lot. The best ski resorts in Sweden offer something for almost any skiing style and snow activity. Here is a list of some of the best ski resorts in Sweden:
Åre offers some of the best skiing in Sweden
Åre is a ski resort in Jämtland, Sweden, founded 110 years ago in 1909 and owned by SkiStar AB. Short for Årefjällen, the resort is located in Åre Municipality, just outside and above the village of Åre.
Approximately 80 km from the city of Östersund, the resort feels very different from the Alps. Skiing in Åre feels more like skiing in Colorado, with its round-topped mountains.
With 42 service lifts facilitating visitors and skiers on 114 runs, Åre truly offers something for everyone. Based on their experience level, skiers can opt from the 4 ski areas; Duved and Are Bjornen for beginners but intermediate areas are available on all ski areas.
This sleepless village is a playground open for one and all. For ski lovers to sports enthusiasts, the snow rises and drops, offering an exciting challenge for all snow-buffs.
From conveyor belts to world championship slopes to challenging off-piste to gigantic jumps in the parks, you just need to find your favourite spot.
Holding the reputation for being Northern Europe’s biggest snow sports resort, they also offer a wide range of other snow sports and activities. These include snowboarding, carving, heli-skiing, dog sledding, fall climbing and snowmobile safaris.
Lively bars and nightclubs offer a wide variety of beverages and some great 3 Michelin starred restaurants. Après ski, Åre-style, is an experience never to forget. Live music, buzzing with people and great atmosphere!
Sälen also offers some of the best skiing in Sweden
One of Sweden’s best-loved resorts, Sälen is located in Northern Sweden, Dalarna County. The resort consists of four ski areas: Lindvallen, Högfjället, Tandådalen and Hundfjället.
The resort offers 100 slopes in all directions – 160 downhill runs, 3 different snow parks and over 3,000km designated only for cross-country skiing. The extensive snow system at Sälen guarantees great skiing all season long.
Close to the Norwegian border, the mountains roll across the horizon and the views stretch for miles upon miles. With a Sälen SkiPass you can ski over 100 slopes and if that’s not enough for you, it’s easy to add a couple of days of skiing in Trysil (over the border in Norway) to your holiday.
You’ll also find Scandinavia’s most modern chairlift at the resort. The ski areas offer everything from Northern Europe’s largest interconnecting button lift area to one of Sweden’s steepest prepared pistes.
Sälen is a mecca for families with children. You’ll find a water park, indoor surfing, a cinema, shopping, dog sled tours and snowmobile safaris here. There are also lots of children’s activities on offer and a large number of restaurants serving local specialties.
A new international airport located just 10-20 minutes from Sälen has just been opened. Sälen is also the starting point for the famed Vasaloppet cross-country skiing competition. You will find many of Dalarna’s renowned cultural attractions close by too.
Kläppen offers some of the best skiing in Sweden too
Kläppen Ski Resort a privately owned ski resort in Sälen. The Sälen ski resort includes the ski areas of Kläppen, Lindvallen, Högfjället, Tandådalen, Hundfjället and Stöten. Sälen has a total of 110 ski lifts and 127 runs, of which 15 lifts and 32 pistes are in Kläppen.
The resort holds the title of Sweden’s best snow park for 9 years simultaneously, for having multiple parks that are dialled into the needs of beginners, experts and pros. Kläppen offers plenty of skiing opportunities that are perfect for beginners, intermediate skiers and experts alike.
With a total of 4 different ski parks, there are plenty of runs, slopes and more. The biggest drop is 315 m and Kläppen offers varied skiing for everyone, including families with small children. There are also 3 off-piste runs and a snow-park at the resort too.
The ski system at the resort is built around a mountain with slopes in all directions. The resort lies nestled in forest, which protects against wind and ensures that the snow stays longer on the pistes.
Kläppen offers varied skiing for all tastes and for all ages. There are also pleasant cross-country skiing tracks totalling 42 km.
Skiing in Tärnaby and Hemavan
Hemavan-Tärnaby is northern Sweden’s biggest ski resort and offers exceptional skiing in breathtaking mountain setting. The distance between the two resorts is 18 km and the easiest way to travel between the resorts is by car or taxi.
The ski resorts of Hemavan and Tärnaby bring skiers, snowboarders and snowmobile enthusiasts from near and far, eager to experience the winter thrills and excitement they offer: alpine and cross-country skiing, heli-skiiing, snowmobile tours and ice fishing.
Situated within the county district of Västerbotten and province of Lapland, Hemavan and Tärnaby are where you can find one of the world’s most successful ski sports clubs, Tärna IK Fjällvinden.
Unsurprisingly then, they’re also renowned for producing a host of successful alpine skiers: Anja Pärson, Jens Byggmark, Stig Strand and Ingemar Stenmark.
Despite their large-scale natural surroundings, the villages and facilities of Hemavan and Tärnaby remain small and intimate. There are no huge ski-lifts or mega-hotels to be found, yet you will find that personal service and quality are prized far more here than at many other mountain resorts.
Tärnaby
Tärnaby ski area has 5 lifts and 15 slopes, including celebrities such as Ingemarbacken and Anjabacken. There are also 2 children areas, 1 retropark and large free ride areas.
The resort is family friendly and off the beaten path when it comes to night clubs and city lights. But some places that come well-recommended for aprés ski are the Tärnaby Fjällhotell and the Café Familjen.
Hemavan
Hemavan ski area has 9 lifts, one of which is a gondola/ telemix lift , 30 slopes, 3 children areas, 2 snowparks and a Skicross-arena. The resort is also known as a free skiing paradise where Kobåset is considered by many as Sweden’s best freeride area.
This resort is unique as it is the only ski resort in Sweden that has an airport in the middle of the village. The airstrip is only a few minutes walk from the ski slopes and accommodations.
Hemavan is a growing village with a large variety of restaurants, shops and entertainment. After a long day on the slopes , you can unwind with a cup of coffee in one of the village’s restaurants or in a sauna or hot tub with magnificent views of the mountains.
For those who prefer to raise the tempo after a day of skiing, check out Hemavan Högfjällshotell, En Trappa Upp bar or the nightclub Lappkastet.
Skiing in Riksgränsen
Riksgränsen ski resort is about 200 km north of the Arctic Circle and 1366km from Stockholm. Straddling the border with Norway, Riksgransen’s closest major cities are Narvik, 50 minutes to the west, and Kiruna, 2 hours to the south east.
Known as the powder paradise above the Arctic Circle, a lot of the skiing takes place off-piste, but definitely not all. There are plenty of great pistes that are cropped and winding.
Whilst experienced skiers will find plenty of challenges, like “Uffes vägg”, “Rimfors”. Nordalsfjäll is another challenge for experienced skiers. The resort holds the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships every year in May.
Skiing attractions
A location 200km north of the Arctic Circle certainly has its benefits and one of them is skiing at any time of day in the midnight sun. The light at midnight can be mesmerising and a sheer pleasure for skiing.
The terrain at Riksgransen lends itself to easy touring and earning turns in the midnight sun, but in May the ski resort runs lifts on one random day every week. Spend a week here in May and you will know which day!
From mid-March to the end of May, Riksgransen has a short, but incredibly sweet, heliski season. Covering an area of 5000km and 200 peaks, fresh turns and face shots are all but guaranteed.
Skiable vertical is generally 800m but can be as much as 1500m further south near Sweden’s highest mountain Kebnekaise.
Another of Riksgransen’s geographical benefits is its remoteness (lack of man-made light) and proximity to the stunning phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis (otherwise known as the Northern Lights).
The Northern Lights can be viewed from September to April. Whilst they can occur anywhere in the area, nearby Abisko National Park is touted as the best place in the world to see the phenomenon.
The weather conditions in the depths of winter are brutal at Riksgränsen, however. Never mind the lack of sunshine. Hence the ski resort doesn’t turn its first lift until the last week of February. The best months for powder in the resort are from March to April.
Funäsfjällen too offers some of the best skiing in Sweden
The Funäsfjällen ski area lies 580 km northwest of capital city Stockholm and is Sweden’s largest ski area, consisting of the resorts; Ramundberget, Tänndalen, Funäsdalsberget, Tännäskröket, Tänndalsvallen, Kappruet and Bruksvallarna Cross Country.
The area has 60 mountains over 1,000 metres in height and all types of skiing are on offer. Check out the heli-skiing and perhaps Sweden’s best cross-country skiing trails.
Skiing attractions
The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 690m and 1,005 m above sea level. Comprising of a ski area with 136 downhill runs, the resort offers an amazing skiing experience for skiers of every expertise.
The area is also renowned for having the best trails for cross country skiing in Sweden too. The resort is home to 10 km of slopes with 5 lifts transport the guests.
The skiing options here are almost dizzying since Funäsfjällen has a total of 60 different mountains with varying heights reaching almost over 1,000 meters that offer different skiing experiences. With so much variety, it would be hard not to experience some of the best skiing in Sweden here.
In a regular winter, five meters of natural snow will fall and in an unusual winter, even more will fall. This means that off-piste options are superb. The downhill runs beckon with early-morning corduroy for those who love carving down the mountain with fine and deep swings.
The Nordic Ski Center winds its way through valleys and high mountains – 300 kilometres of groomed trails. The network is laid out so you always have world-class cross-country trails near you. Here you’ll find excellent conditions for training, exercise and recreation.
When your stomach is rumbling, you can choose from many restaurants, cafés, eateries and waffle cabins. Take the chance to sample the mountain’s and wilderness’ very own flavours – fish, venison and locally produces specialities. Just like for skiing and the winter experience, the real and genuine takes centre stage.
To conclude,
Compared to the Swiss Alps to the Southwest, the culture of skiing in Sweden is much more laid back and casual, though the Swedish mountains still offer plenty of resorts and snow-covered slopes for traveling and local ski enthusiasts alike.
Ski resorts in Sweden are not hard to find, but there are a few that are outstanding and offer a more curated wintry experience. Sweden offers a variety of slopes that cater to every level of skiing and snowboarding expertise.
Scandinavian travel can be quite expensive once you factor in costlier flights, accommodations, and food and beverages, but staying at one of these resorts could help you better budget your Swedish winter vacation.
Although slightly pricier than the Swiss Alps, these Swedish ski resorts offer a much more relaxed vibe and all the same great amenities.
Happy skiing!
