ÅRE, SWEDEN

I've been to Whistler, to Andorra, to Meribel but we went to Åre last year and this was my favourite. We stayed at the Hotel Renen in Duved in end of Jan 09 where the breakfast (especially if you like waffles) was great and we packed a great lunch from it too! The snow was good and the free ski buses very fast taking us into the main part of Åre. A lot of the lifts are Drag lifts and take a bit of work on snowboards. It looked easier on skis than our snowboards, but we soon picked it up and we were rewarded with pristine slopes that felt deserted compared with any other ski resort we'd been too. We snowboarded Duved & Tegefjäll more than the main part of Åre, but if we were in a large group Åre center is where it's all at if you want the Apres Ski. Every meal we ate in Åre and Duved was fairly expensive, but no more than I've paid in many English restaurants. The quality of food was superb with awesome service; reindeer to fresh fish to burgers to pizza was of really high quality & service. They even used top quality fillet steak on a pizza I ate at the Hotel Renen. By the way they loved putting on béarnaise sauce with all the steaks and all the other great red meats, which tasted wonderful. If you get a self catering chalet or shared apartment they're plenty of supermarkets that sell good priced food. All booze in the supermarkets is low alcohol content(around 3%) but a 10min walk from the Åre train station is a Liquor store with all the familiar full strength wines, spirits & beers as well as plenty good Scandinavian drinks . Åre resort is deadly cold in January, it hit -21 C when were there but it doesn't matter when your all wrapped up. Also lying at the top and bottom of slopes are these fantastic fire pits where you can warm yourselves as well as openly barbecue any food you pack. We saw groups of people cook sausages and steaks every where in the most beautiful mountain top scenery. The whole place has great cross country skiing if you’re into to that so snowboarders be careful not to drift onto these tracks like I did, though I did enjoy the amazing scenery during my walk! This place offers amazing excursions for non skiers/boarders from dog sledding to ice fishing to snowmobiling to taking a trip to frozen waterfalls and ice caves. There's plenty of fantastic night skiing, which is very useful during the short hours of daylight in January. One other gondola opens in February though there is plenty of lifts to fill your needs before that. Beware drifting off piste it can be very quiet as I was falling through and in deep snow while seeing no other people for some time in Tegefjäll slopes, with the night closing in quick! Luckily I found my way back on track to the best stop in Tegefjäll, a beautiful Tipi sits at the top of a lift with hot drinks and snacks and a chunky wood fire stove to heat me up. Though some people may not find Åre to be challenging enough I found this location exhilarating with deep powdery snow and looming tree runs, unique and very welcoming. If sitting on a mountain high up by fire, watching the sunrise and sunset or bulleting down quiet wide open slopes until your face aches with the cold. Day or nights you should love it! It has tranquillity and great snow blew us away. Björnen was further over and is known to be one of the best for families, this area was easily accessible and included in are ski pass and I wish we went over. We were told the skiing was fun there. It's known to be great for kids & beginners, as we don't have any kids we skipped it but next time Ill go. Åre caters for people who want a new feel of ski holiday, breath taking scenery especially at sunrise here. It might not be for everyone, especially people who need crazy night life every night. However at the weekends it is lively with the Swedish taking the train up to Åre from Stockholm. I 've got to say the Swedish people look beautiful! So all you single guys and girls would really enjoy this resort! Just remember wrap up warm, really warm.... I love this resort

Matthew Thompson

Best apres ski is at the Diplomat Bar - check out local band Marmalade. Get there early or you won't get in. Good nightlife is also to be found at the Arefjallby apartment complex. An excellent range of activities available including dog sledding, ice climbing and reindeer safaris. Ask your rep or at the tourist office for information about the sauna located adjacent to an underground stream. Generally speaking the Swedish service is the best we have experienced in a ski resort for many years. Are is very friendly and welcoming with lots of non skiing activities to do including skating, huskie sleighs, skidoo. It is great place for families, couples who want a quiet alternative to the Alps and action types who want lots of alternative winter activities.

Apres Ski: 3/5

Jackson
Iglu Staff