Travel report Åre 2009

The winter sport season started early December for us this year with a visit to the Swedish ski holiday destination: Åre.

People often think that Sweden is far away and not so easy to get to. This has changed this year with direct charter flights from different countries in Europe. They will bring you to Trondheim, on the border between Sweden and Norway. From here, a short drive of two hours and you arrive in the beautiful Swedish winter wonder land. In peak season there also is a flight to the Åre-Östersund Airport, conducted by (Scandjet)

There are no less than 31,000 beds in Åre, so more than enough choice of hotels, apartments and typical Swedish wooden cabins. The skiing area is big with no less than 100 kilometres of slopes, and you can be sure there is snow from December to April.

Copperhill Mountain Lodge
A few kilometres from Åre village you will find the municipality called Åre Björnen. This area is also called Copperhill because it is located on a mountain where copper was found in the old days. Five years ago there were only a few cottages here, but the beautiful view and the quiet surroundings inspired the build of the now 5 star design hotel, Copperhill Mountain Lodge.

You immediately notice the history of copper mining in this hotel. When you enter, you walk into a very tall fire place which is covered by copper. When you look ahead you will also find another enormous copper wall. The building is especially designed so that the outside light reflects exactly on this wall. The many tall windows also add to this effect.

The use of natural materials from the local area and the inspiration of the traditional Sami culture makes this hotel very special. It creates a warm, typical winter holiday feeling. The hotel has 112 suites and rooms. Most are suited for more than two people and equipped with a small kitchen. The largest suite offers room to no less than 8-10 people.

The hotel is situated in the quiet area of Åre Björnen. Mostly families with small children spend there ski holiday in this area. The connection with Åre village and the ski area is very good. Copperhill Mountain Lodge has its own ski lift. In the hotel you will also find a ski shop where you can rent ski equipment, a spa, a luxurious restaurant and pizza place.

Kids in Åre

Kids are looked after very well in Åre. Especially the area which is called Åre Björnen is very suitable for families with children. Parents that want to go skiing by themselves can leave there small kids in the capable hands of the Snowflake Club for free.

Swedish winter activities
Besides skiing and snowboarding there are many other winter activities in Åre. For example, there is 'Camp Åre', where you can take part in a snow scooter drive or fly down through the trees in a Zip-line. You will be strapped in a harness, which is attached to a thick cable. You go down sitting, a fun experience, and not too scary (except when you are afraid of heights).

Åre village
The village of Åre has a cosy center with cute Swedish houses and many shops. Outside in the snow there are fire baskets, which not only spread that nice fire smell, but where you can also warm your hands. In December there is a typical Swedish Christmas market. The village is decorated with many lights and there are animal skins on the benches so you will not freeze when you sit down.

And yes, it can get really cold in Sweden. Especially in December when the amount of light hours are limited. This means dress well and get up early to go skiing, hiking, cross country skiing or visit a reindeer farm!

Fortunately, for the real ski fanatics there is night skiing almost every day on a very well lid slope. This long decent is not crowed at night so you can practice your big turns. The lift which brings you on top of this slope has both chairs as small cabins, so you don't have to get too cold. During our stay in the weekend of December 13, the official ladies World Cup races were held and the opening of the ski season was celebrated with a so called 'ski test'. The night skiing slope during this weekend is opened for 54 hours in a row!

Weather
Åre is very snow secure from early in the season. Even during our stay early December, many slopes were open. Up-to-date weather and snow information about Åre can be found on: www.myslopes.com/sweden/snow-report-are.php.

Skistar Ski school

The largest ski school in Åre is Skistar with 80 instructors. Besides traditional ski lessons, you can also book a ski guide for a day. He will show you the area as well as give suggestions and tips for your skiing technique. For example when you safely want to go off-piste and also learn off-piste skiing along the way, a ski guide is a good idea. If you would like something more, Skistar also offers a so called Ski-experience.

During one of these ski-experiences, besides skiing with an instructor, can for example taste local delicacies in the snow, search for capricorns and reindeer or relax in a hot-tub with snacks and drinks.

Apres ski in Åre

Who thinks that there is no apres-ski in Sweden is wrong! In Åre there are no less than 5 night clubs as well as cosy cafes for apres-ski. The nicest après-ski bar and night club is Bygget. During apres-ski hours you will often find the live band called Marmelad here. Even though there are no German après-ski songs, you can definitely sing along and party. From about 11 PM to 2 AM you can continue partying in one of the clubs.

Dinner show
When you are looking for a night of entertainment with good performers, we can suggest the Wallmanns Dinner show. During dinner you will be entertained by singing and dancing waiters. The quality of singing and dancing is good and it has a nice atmosphere. Do take into consideration that some of the performances are in Swedish. After dinner, around 11 PM, the location transforms into a night club and when you are lucky, you will get another live performance!

Swedish ski clothing
Not everybody knows that the famous ski clothing brand Peak Performance has its origin in Åre. It all started when the Swedish founders Blom and Engström were skiing on the slopes of Åre. And this is not the only brand that was inspired here. For example, the ski- and snowboard brands Extrem, Skhoop, Klättermusen and Zytt.

Ecological and local products
Very special is the production and use of ecological and locally produced products in Åre. Many of the restaurants and supermarkets offer products from the nearby surroundings and the larger area around Åre, called Jämtland. For example lamb form Fjällbete, fish from the local lakes, beef from Såå Mjölkgård, ecological bread from the Åre Bageri, knackerbrod from Huså and chocolate from the chocolate factory in Åre.

To our opinion, the best and nicest restaurant in Åre is Villa Tottebo. It also uses mostly locally produced products. This restaurant is located in a special old hunting villa. When you go for dinner here, make sure to ask for the fascinating history of the house dating from 1897!

All together, we believe that a ski holiday in Åre is very nice and has a lot to offer. Many different slopes, no less than 100 kilometres, snow secure, many winter activities, cosy après-ski, good food and easy to get to with new and improved flight connections.