Åre, Scandinavia’s biggest ski resort. A mountain village with a history that goes beyond the Viking era.
The ancient church at the foot of Mount Åreskutan. Built by Norwegian farmers in the 12th century. It serves as a testament to the village’s fascinating past. In the Middle Ages, the region of Jämtland belonged to Norway. The river Indalsälven that winds through the valley widens up in front of Åreskutan and forms the narrow lake Åresjön.
Åre’s first ski lift was built in 1909.
This Green Valley has always been a pass through. Connecting the Norwegian Atlantic coast in the west with the Baltic Sea in the east. Ski heritage in Åre goes beyond the birth of Christianity. When the railroad connecting Åre with Trondheim and Stockholm was established in 1882, tourism started to flourish. Two decades later, In 1909, Åre’s first ski lift was built. Åre Bergbana (the old mountain railway) opened up for guests.
The ride from the town square located 398 meters above sea level to the end station at 556 meters is just the first step up the mountain. The total vertical drop from the top of mount Åreskutan 1420 meters above sea level to the lake below is 1048 meters. The total length of the rail track was (and still is as it operates daily) 792 meters. Vertical elevation; 158 meters are fairly moderate in today’s measures. The opening of Bergbanan allowed skiers to take on more turns per day, as they now could ride up instead of hiking up the mountain.
It all started here!
This was the beginning of modern alpine skiing as we know it today. Åre’s pioneering status in modern alpine skiing was shown already at the 1939 year’s world championship in Zakopane. May Nilsson, a young native Åre girl, won the bronze medal in slalom.
During WWII, in 1940, the first real ski lift opened. Since then, the alpine ski tradition has been strong in Åre. And the village has hosted 100 of world cup competitions and the FIS alpine world championship three times; 1954, 2007, and 2019. Several Olympic medal winners, world champions and podium holders in a wide spectrum of disciplines are born or raised in the Åre valley. Today, Åre offers a wide variety of slopes and lifts. The ski system continues to be developed and can be measured among other top destinations around the world.
View overlooking Åreskutan and the center of Åre from Renfjället.
