Åre Ski Resort Sweden
Åre ski resort is far & away the largest and most popular in Sweden. Accessible by road and train from either Sweden or Norway, Aare has 3 sectors providing a combined 111km of slopes for all skiing & snowboarding abilities.
Pros & Cons for Aare Ski Resort
Pros
- Gorgeous lakeside location, with fabulous cold snow for much of the season.
- Long ski season of over 6 months from November to early May.
- Highest lifted point in Sweden.
- Longest overall skiable vertical in Sweden of 894m.
- Massive network of lifts & ski trails (largest in Scandinavia).
- High quality on-piste trails for beginner & intermediate skiers & snowboarders.
- Good value lift pass allowing access to all sectors & including buses between them.
- Public transport access by train is excellent.
Cons
- Sweden’s busiest resort.
- Despite its very good overall skiable vertical, short (ish) skiable verticals are across much of the resort.
- Limited advanced & quality off-piste terrain directly off the ski lifts.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- 75% of ski lifts are surface tows.
- A long drive or train trip from Stockholm, but shorter from Trondheim in Norway.
- Loads of accommodation options in a splendid lakeside location.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
The Aare skiing & snowboarding terrain is spread across 3 sectors and has a top lifted point of 1,274m just below the summit of Areskutan (1,420m), making it the highest ski resort in Sweden. Åre also has the longest skiable vertical (894m) and the greatest number & length of ski trails (111km) in Sweden.
Treeless above around 700m altitude, the lifted ski terrain is split between the sectors of Åre, Björnen & Duved. Åre & Bjoernen are lift & piste connected, whilst Duved, 5km away by road, can be reached by free ski bus.
Åre sector is far & away the largest and the prime powder seekers domain with its access to the highest elevation alpine zone in the region. Björnen is the smallest, with skiable verticals of no more than 310m and only one chairlift working in unison with numerous surface tows. Duved sector lifts will get you up to around 800m altitude, with touring access to some 1,000m+ peaks above. Skiable vertical in this sector off the ski lifts is about 400m.
The 41 ski lifts in the resorts are 75% surface tows, however the gondolas and chairlifts access the vast majority of the skiable terrain. A new 6-seater chairlift, Stjärnliften, replaces the old Worldcup double chair, massively increasing uphill capacity from season 22/23.
Before we get there to check the actualities, have a look at the ski trail map for Åre below.
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Where is Åre Sweden?
The Aare ski resort is 165km (2½ to 2¾hr) by rental car or rail east of Trondheim in Norway & about 610km (7 to 7½hr) by road or rail north of central Stockholm in Sweden.
The closest gateway airports are Trondheim (TRD) at Værnes, Norway (130km west of Åre) and Åre Östersund (OSD) in Frösön, west of Östersund Sweden (87km/1¼hr drive east of Åre). The other important alternative is Stockholm Arlanda (ARN) international airport which is located 35km north of central Stockholm (18min by fast train) and 575km (ish) to the south of the ski resort.
During winter, Åre Östersund (OSD) airport has direct flights to and from Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Berlin, plus several Swedish cities. Trondheim (TRD) has winter flights from Oslo and other cities in Norway, plus Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen, London-Gatwick, Manchester & others. Stockholm (ARN) has flights from all European & UK airports, plus most Middle Eastern and a few Asian (i.e. Tokyo) origins. Search & book flights to Stockholm, Tronheim or Are Ostersund.
The recommended mode of travel is train from the Swedish capital of Stockholm or the Norwegian city of Trondheim. The train trip from central Stockholm takes up to 10hr during winter, shorter if boarding the morning service from the airport. There is one main service per day leaving in the morning from Central Stockholm station. From Trondheim Norway, the rail journey is about 2¾hr and requires a change of train at Storlien, just over the border in Sweden. The Trondheim airport at Værnes is closer to Åre than the city and has its own train station which can easily link to the next station called ‘Hell’ (hah!). Hell railway station is on the line for the route 72 train toward Sweden.
Anyone wanting to take the train to Åre can easily book tickets online (but only within a few months of the travel date!). From Norway, search & book here for train tickets from Trondheim to Åre. From within Sweden, search & book here for tickets from Stockholm to Are.
Once there, getting around the ski resort between the main two sectors of Duved and Åre Björnen is by a ski bus (free for lift pass holders). The bus runs at a leisurely pace of up to 1-hour intervals (& stops for lunch!) so check the timetable once at the resort to avoid waiting times.
Aare Accommodation
Åre ski resort has some of Sweden’s premier ski resort accommodations, much of it ski-in (or close to it!) and spread all along the lower mountain & lakeside.
Search & book here for all Åre ski accommodation.
Review
The Powderhounds will review Aare next season. Stay tuned for our sparkling repartee, new photos & insights.
See how the European ski resorts compare on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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