Visited Riksgränsen for my second time on a day trip with an awesome crew from our base in Narvik in late March 2024. Despite bright sunshine, super cold temperatures and wind-blown snow were the order of the day. Noting a large amount of people had already tracked out the ski area, we saved our crowns and shunned the ski lifts to go looking for untracked powder by touring in the nearby hills. Setting out from the ski-out, ski-in car park at the Katterjåck base was an efficient way into the sidecountry and afforded us some time to have some wonderful banter with some of the Kiruna locals that were up for the weekend. They have it well sorted BBQing burgers in freshly dug, snow-formed picnic sites near the ski lifts. Of course they all come up the mountain from their weekender huts by snowmobile whilst we schlepped it up on skins.
Powder was found without too much trouble on the more sheltered flanks of Nordalsfjäll but the cold drove us to seek shelter earlier than planned. Warmth & sustenance was later had at the convivial Nordals hut before sliding down the piste to the car park. Before leaving we had the obligatory stop at the local supermarket to stock up on essentials (we were staying in high-priced Norway after all) and lucked out with a friendly herd of reindeer!
If you have a rental car, it is easy to ski here and stay in Narvik or somewhere in between. Accommodation in Riksgränsen can be difficult to get, but we have found the Arctic Lodge usually has availability in their small, self-contained apartments. We only recommend using the train from Narvik (or Kiruna) to get to Riksgränsen if staying in or near the Hotel Riksgränsen.
Riksgränsen is and ‘eyes wide open’ ski destination. For snow & ski enthusiasts there is plenty to do here but it is not a ‘normal’ alpine ski destination. Ski-touring is a big part of the experience, plus there is some affordable heliskiing here as well. The ski lifts are old and slow and if the sun is out, the ski area gets tracked out by lunchtime, regardless of how big or small the crowd is. Facilities (i.e. toilets at Nordals) can be quite ‘rustic’ - you are not in the Austrian Alps anymore Toto!
See our thoughts on the pros & cons of the ski resort on the Riksgränsen overview page.
It must go without saying that Riksgränsen is all about a patience game. Wait for the snow to fall, wait for the temperatures to drop, wait for the wind to ease, and then finally wait for a few hours of clear sky to make the most of it all. For such a relatively small ski area, the rewards can be great. You just gotta be patient.
I visited Riksgränsen twice whilst on a ski safari tour of the Scandinavian Arctic encompassing Narvikfjellet, Lofoten Islands, Lyngen Alps, Målselv, Abisko, Björkliden & of course, Riksgränsen. Starting in mid-March what the journey gave me was this simple anecdote - that if the weather is ugly, stay inside. And at Riksgränsen, that's what I did for a few days whilst storms raged, snow fell, wind howled, and visibility was next to zero. In fact I only initially skied briefly on the lifts for an afternoon in questionable conditions before heading away to Björkliden & Abisko. I could have done a bit of touring, but a long time ‘on the road’ (since January) meant my body preferred rest! As luck would have it, on my return from the east, I scored the Riksgränsen trifecta - a gorgeous half day of powder snow, no wind & good visibility.
Booking last minute meant the only resort accommodation available was at the Katterjåkk 'village', in the simple, but comfortable Arctic Lodge Apartments. An incredible local supermarket in the main 'village' allowed me to easily self-cater, although I did avoid the two most diverse products in the shop - chewing tobacco & lollies (candy). Why so many of these products? I'm not sure, but I assume it has something to do with the proximity to the Norwegian border and the higher prices & taxation that occur there. So if you want to get type 2 diabetes, rotten teeth, plus mouth & throat cancer, the ICA Riksgränsen has you covered!
If you are expecting Riksgränsen to be a modern ski area with bright & shiny lifts & facilities, loads of groomed piste, & 5-star ski-in ski-out lodging, think again. The ski lifts do the job but are old & harken back to the good old 70s & 80s. Two chairs are the main transport from the village, then a series of T-bars, J-bars & stick pomas move one around on the opposite side. The carparks are placed in such locations that one needs to hump it up to either lift base on the uphill side of the railway that traverses the edge of the resort.
The terrain served by the chairlifts may be shortish in vertical (less than 400m), but it is steep and juicy, with a host of natural elements to keep the more limber skiers & boarders leaping for joy. And in powder, even more so.
I didn't head out to the Björnfjell side and its novelty border crossing into Norway due to the wind having scoured it of any goodness. The benefit of that was the Katterjåkk side of the mountain was full of the beautiful white fluff tripped from Björnfjell - perfect for fast long off-piste turns on the gentle terrain.
If I'd had the time, the next few days would have been awesome for the legendary backcountry ski touring from the lifts (but alas my time had run out). The terrain looks perfect for touring and has a great reputation for not only fabulous skinning but also heli-skiing. Plus this is a ski area and part of the country that almost requires one to be backcountry capable. Given the relatively limited piste terrain here, it certainly makes sense. If you haven't got touring gear, probably best stay home!
After skiing, the bar in the main hotel (Hotel Riksgränsen - worth staying there if you can get in), is worthy of a visit, particularly on busy, sunny weekends when the outside deck is clear. It was neither when I was there but så var det!
Travel to Riksgränsen is easy from Narvik or Kiruna by train. Hell, you can take a train all the way from Stockholm to here if it takes your fancy. For me though, the freedom of having a vehicle is important in this part of the world. Picking up a compact SUV with studded winter tyres when I landed at Evenes airport (60km west of Narvik) allowed me to see & ski all I wanted with absolute flexibility. Never mind that at one stage I drove for 20km on a closed part of the highway, but that's a different story! (Suffice to say that on a particularly ferocious weather day, the road barrier went down behind me just after I drove through it. I was wondering why there was no oncoming traffic!)
Visit Riksgränsen as part of ski safari of the Arctic north. Choose your weather or be patient in the waiting. As mentioned before, if you don't have ski-touring gear, don't come here! If you are beginner skier, go somewhere else. If you are looking for a family ski holiday location and considering Riksgränsen, only do so if your family is a hard-core crew of freeride & ski touring junkies. Otherwise go somewhere else. Make sense?