Åre is more than just a ski resort, it’s a community. This valley is home to more than 6’000 people. All of them connected to and somehow depending on skiing in different forms.
It’s a growing population and a vibrating valley year round. The ski area itself consists of four villages along the valley; Duved and Tegefjäll in the west, who are connected by lifts. Åre in the middle, connected to Åre Björnen in the east. Ski buses connect all four villages, free of charge if you hold a valid ski pass. The driving distance from east to west is almost 20 kilometers. As long as you are staying within the reach of a bus station, you can leave your car at home.
I strongly recommend you to park your car at your residence as it can be a hassle to find a parking near the slopes, and they all come with a fee. All in all, there are around 40 lifts and a hundred groomed slopes available on the same lift ticket. Moreover, Åre has a ski history matching any other resort in the world. The after-ski is world-famous, and there are more excellent restaurants than you have time for in a week. With that said, let’s talk abut the skiing in Åre;
Down town Åre, where the action takes place.
If you want real skiing action, and slopes that go between red and black. This is the place for you. Skiing here starts already at 8.00am in the world cup arena. Here you will find a detachable 8-seater, that will take you 400 vertical meters in just a few minutes. You should go here in the morning, before 8.00am when the gate opens.
Two slopes, Gästrappet (category red) and Lundsrappet (category black to blue) are lit, and freshly groomed in the morning. There are actually three slopes running from top to bottom of this lift. Sadly, the world cup downhill slope is seldom open to the public. Why is that? The simple reason for this is that it is the national training ground for the alpine ski team. Now and then it’s open to the public, and then you should give it a try.
The first hour and a half is rush hour in terms of speed. It’s difficult to find a slope in the world where so many good skiers are going at full throttle, lap after lap, at the same time. Don’t bring your kids at this hour. The whole thing is over as soon as the sun rises and breaks the morning sky around 9am.
The freshly groomed slope has then already turned icy with moguls scattered all over. If you have kept the pace with the best, you have gained somewhere between three and four thousand vertical meters in an hour.
Time to move on up!
After ten laps, a coffee break at La Gondola on top of lift VM-8 is well deserved. At 9.30am, the rest of the mountain opens up. If it happens to be a calm, sunny day, you will be one of the first in line when the gondola to the top open its gates. Then you have the chance either to ride some fresh powder or virgin corduroy. Once up there, take a top to bottom ride, earning more than 800 vertical meters on one ride.
Then I suggest you head to the old cable car station in the center of Åre. This is where the 1954 World Championship took place. A lot has happened since then, but the terrain is the same. This is the heart of Åre, and you have a network of modern high-speed chairlifts to choose from.
In this part of the mountain there are seldom lift queues so you can keep up the pace from the morning session. Here there are many good slopes to choose from.
If you fancy black terrain
I can recommend the old world cup slalom slope that finds it way under the new six-seater Stjärnliften. This lift holds the same stretch as the old one, built in 1953. You can check the slope from the chair going up, so it’s easy to judge if this is the day you’re going to give it a try. I go there if it’s fresh groomed or if it’s a fresh layer of powder, both conditions are equal as fun in this slope. If it looks icy and full of moguls, don’t bother.
The best two slopes in this area are left behind by the crowd, Månbranten and the world-cup. Why is that? Well, first It’s a bit challenging to find the entrance to those slopes as they start on the edge of the transportation trail that brings you to the main slope, Stjärnbacken. Second is that they are often sealed off by the local ski high-school for training reasons.
Certainly, you shall search for the entrance and ski these slopes. At the same time, you shall avoid the overcrowded Stjärnbacken. It’s a shitty slope. Leaning skiers left all the way from top to bottom. This means that you have to make every left turn short and every right turn long.
Most of the skiers do not understand how to handle this. They all end up on the left side, bumping in to the incoming transportation trail from Fjällgården. You have to turn your head and watch your back in every turn, checking that no one coming in hot on a left turn overriding you. This slope is not only bad constructed, it’s dangerous due to this fact. Take my advice and don’t go there. Specially if it’s crowded.
Fjällgårdsexpressen, it’s a dream
This detachable six-seater starts at the same plateau where the old tramway ends at Fjällgården. So this is the very heart of the central ski area. It connects central Åre with the more eastbound area Åre Björnen. But make no mistake, it’s not a transportation lift. The slopes poring down from the top of this lift are some of the best i Åre, make sure you ski them all. While you are in the area, don’t forget to stop by at restaurant Bibbos. It sits on the edge in the middle of the slope Tottbacken. Terrace overlooking the valley, and they serve great food and drinks.
The way to the top of Åreskutan
Åre ski resort consists of many dimensions. Not least when it comes to skiable terrain. In fact, there is not a square meter of the mountain that hasn’t been skied by the locals.
There are three ways to level up from the tree line by lift. The old cable car from 1976 is still running, a ride that takes you 853 vertical meters up to 1274 meters. The ride takes 7 minutes. Depending on the daily mood of the lift company, it can, in fact, take you 30 minutes to wait for the cable car to take off. Still, it has an historic feeling to ride this dinosaur from the 70s, so you should give it a try at least once.
Another way is to take the gondola starting just below the top station of the eight-seater in the world-cup arena. It lands at the same spot as the cable car. But even if the queue is long, it might be faster (or at least you will stand outside) than the waiting hall of the cable car.
The third option is to go around the mountain, that’s a seven lift t-bar challenge. You do this because: A; you are afraid of leaving ground. B; You’re aiming for a quick lunch stop at the Rautjoxa restaurant and their famous homemade meatballs. C; The weather is perfect, and you’re longing for some fresh air, sun and a stunning Mountain View. D; None of the above, and You hate yourself.
The seven lift t-bar challenge doesn’t offer much of skiing, it’s pure transportation around and up the mountain. It can take hours as the t-bars themselves hold popular slopes and there can be queues on every lift. But hey, a lift safari could also be fun!
They lift us up where we belong
At the lift top station, 1274 meters above sea level, all three alternatives meet.
There are several options to go down. But let’s talk abut going up to the mountain top. You still have 800 meters and 146 vertical meters to conquer. This you can do the easy way, paying 100SEK to ride behind a snowmobile. Or you can put on your 1500sek skins on your 10000sek skis with your 5000sek ultra-light King Pin bindings and randonnée up to the top.
The cheapest, and most local way, is to put your skis on your shoulder and hike up. You only go up here on a calm, clear day. Take notice, even if it’s cloudy down in the woods, it could still be clear above the clouds. So if the open sign is up, you are good to go. When you hit that day, you are rewarded with a 360-degree view where you can see for miles and miles. Another reward you can give yourself is a taste of Sweden’s highest coffee and waffle at toppstugan.
So many options, but where to go down from here?
The easiest way down from here is to take the same track you came up. It’s the only groomed trail leading back to civilization. All other directions are off-piste back country skiing. Well, that’s not all true. There is a groomed trail leading north to the dark side of the mountain.
This, however, ends up in Huså, a small hillbilly village which is far from the civilization. But by all means, if the weather is great, and you are up for an adventure, you should consider taking the Huså tour. If you are keen to go from the top in any other direction, I strongly suggest that you hire a guide. Or, go together with some local friends who are familiar with Åre’s back-country skiing. Even if the mountain seams a bit small and handy, there are avalanches, and snow bridges occur at random. And accidents happen on yearly bases.
One favorite run from top to bottom
If you are lucky to ski with some locals or a guide, and you are an experienced skier, the best ride from the top to the bottom is what the locals call “baksidan”. Backside in English.
To get there, you go straight east from the top and over the edge. You need to know that the first couple of turns are quite steep, and the snow conditions can be of various type. If the conditions are right, it’s easy to get carried away as you get into the flow and see the long slope beneath you. Carry on if you want to hike back several kilometers in the wasteland. What you shall do instead is the following; Just as the skiing is at it best, you should turn to the right and ski across the mountain, leaving that nice slope behind.
This way you will manage to get back to the lift system, ending up at the bottom of the lift VM-sexan right at the center. This lift is nowadays without a queue, so after counting your friends in, you shall head for one of the best on-slope restaurants in the world; Hummelstugan. It is the place where everyone gathers, and during lunch hour there is usually a long waiting list for a table.
Funny as it sounds, many of the on-slope restaurants in Åre require you standing in the doorway, waiting for a waiter to place you at a table. And Hummelstugan is no exception. In case you are no celebrity, you can find yourself ending up on a waiting list up to an hour if you hit the wrong hour.
With that said, take an early lunch break. Or even better, take a late lunch break and enjoy a three-course menu. That’s how good many of the restaurants are. Skiing in Åre is anyway best in the morning. My suggestion is that you go here round 11:am, or even better later in the afternoon. Åre has something for every skier. Absolute beginners should check in at Åre Björnen.
What abut skiing in Duved and Tegefjäll?
Skiing here is not as tough as in the central Åre, but more demanding than Åre Björnen. Also, this reflects on the tempo overall in this part of the valley.
Slopes are red and blue in its character. The same goes for the on-slope restaurants as well, they are average. Except from Lillåstugan, the most eastbound restaurant in Tegefjäll area. Lillåstugan is reachable by Fjällvallsliften or by cross-country from Ullådalen.
This is the place to go to if you’re skiing in Tegefjäll. Even though skiing is slow, it’s worth a visit. Specially when the upper part of Åreskutan is closed and the slopes in the center of Åre gets too crowded. In fact, with carving skis under your feet, you can spend a whole day in this system with joy. Tegefjäll is also popular among the local free skiers when heavy snowfall hits the valley. Duveds Linbana, the only detachable six-seater in the system, is lit, and night skiing here is excellent.
What abut dining out i Åre?
As I mentioned already at the beginning of this article, Åre is full of good restaurants. How come? Well, most of the accommodation in the valley is self-catered apartments, meaning there are only a few hotels serving half-board to their guests.
Smart and cost-effective as it sounds, most of the visitors don’t cook at home. Instead, they go out for dinner, supporting the local cuisine. Fine dining, bistros, craft burgers, pubs and fast food. You will find them all over the valley and around the town square. The Åre nightlife is famous, many of the restaurants turn into nightclubs as soon as dinnertime is over around 10pm. There is, of course, a lot more to be told abut this one of a kind ski town, but I will leave it hanging here for now. The rest is for you to explore.
Great article about a great resort. I like going there throughout the season, but I suppose one of the best times is in april when most of the alps is closing. Åre closes on May 1st!