Following the more symbolic opening of Minitege last weekend which still resulted in more than 4 600 recorded lift rides, SkiStar Åre now follows up on Saturday 10 November by opening the VM8 lift for the season with, initially, the piste Gästrappet, meaning skiable verticals of 454 metres.
Known as the alpine capital of Scandinavia, Åre is a modern skiing resort with a long history and an international atmosphere. Trains to Åre stop in the centre of the town, and there are two international airports within an hour’s drive. In addition to wonderful skiing, Åre has a host of restaurants serving culinary treats, as well as an uncommonly wide range of shops and entertainment options.
This winter, the focus at SkiStar destinations will be firmly on making skiing even more fun. Development of last year’s bit hit, the free service MySkiStar, will continue with the aim of inspiring guests to spend more time skiing – and to have more fun at the same time! The big news this year is free WiFi in selected sections of SkiStar’s skiing areas.
This coming weekend, 24-25 August, for the fifth consecutive year Åre will be hosting one of the events in the international bicycling competition Avalanche Cup. More than one hundred adrenalin pumped riders are taking on the downhill mass marathon in this extraordinary race.
All the ski aficionados on site in Åre on Easter Eve can look forward to entertainment on a high level. The time has come for JOI Big Air and Vattenfall Alpine Challenge by Olsson and Byggmark in which freeride skiers and alpine world-class ski racers invite all the spectators to a great show. The start lists are quite impressive and include many names from the world’s utmost top lists.
The last week of the Swedish school holidays when the kids from the region flock to Åre will coincide with double World Cup events in Åre, for the very first time. The weekend 9-10 March the double events will attract the world’s best female alpine skiers together with the leading mogul athletes to Åre to fight for so-desired World Cup points.
On 16-18 February, the third of the four events which constitute the World Championship will be held in Swedish ski resort Åre, making this one of the winter’s greatest sport events estimated to attract large crowds of spectators. At the moment, the 420 metres long ice course is being finalized; a course that snakes down the hill before finishing right in the middle of Åre Square.
The Red Bull Crashed Ice event will take place on Saturday 18 February in Åre, from 18.00 until approximately 20.00. The start is built up on the hill above the E14 highway, diagonally to the right above Timmerstugan and the finish area in the town centre, at Åre Square. Admission to the event is free. Download the Red Bull Crashed Ice app to stay updated on progress!
Just in time for Christmas weekend, Åre is opening all the lifts and the major part of the pistes in the lower zone. The past few weeks of wonderful winter weather, sub-zero temperatures and snowfalls have enabled the opening of the ski area in accordance with plan. Only the last two days have brought several decimetres of fresh snow.
Following a week with highly conducive weather conditions, Åre is now set to open many more lifts and pistes. The depth of the snow cover at the measuring point in Rödkullen at present is 38 cm and more snow is forecast for the immediate future.
Winter has now arrived in Åre. Over the last few days, the elements have been clement to Åre, bringing both sub-zero temperatures and snow. This in combination with effective snow-making has enabled us to open the ski season on Friday 8 Dec with the pistes Hamrebacken in Duved and Gästrappet in Åre, meaning that at present we can offer the greatest skiable vertical in Sweden of 454 metres.
Åre is a modern ski resort with a long history and, with its international atmosphere, Scandinavia’s alpine capital. The train stops in the centre of town and there are two international airports just an hour away. Ski terrain stretch from children-friendly Björnen in the east, through the challenging high zone in central Åre, to carving enthusiasts’ paradise Duved in the west.
During midsummer the summer season truly kicks off in Åre with activities such as hiking, biking and everything else that makes a mountain stay enjoyable. Some of this summer's news are a 4-kilometer blue downhill run, the lift-borne trekking concept Åreskutan Hike and that the cable car stays open for two extra hours every day.
July 2 is the start of the second edition of Åre Bike Festival. For the following nine days Åre fills up with bicycle enthusiasts from around the world and all the activities breath of bicycling. The schedule includes downhill races, extended opening hours in the lift system and clinics with some of the bike world's biggest stars. As well as a big photo contest.
In Åre , we celebrate the 6th of June by inviting everyone to test what the summer in the mountains has to offer. There is a possibility to try out a lot of activities for half the cost, for example hill-carting, zorbing, zipline, rafting and biking. Try different brands of bikes at the rental offices and get the lift pass for free when you run a test pass downhill.
The winter season concludes with Freeride, Skutskjutet, Hot Dog and huge après-ski at the square. Meanwhile the summer season runs a sneak opening with free bicycling in the toboggan track.
The traditional Freeride event in the Tusenmeter piste will be moved this year. Because of problems repairing the Tusenmeter lift, it will not be possible to reopen the lift before the end of the season. Instead the classic Åre event will move to Stendalen and Bräcke. Nevertheless there will be a black mega jump, freshly shaped lines in both Bräcke and Stendalen, as well as a water basin.
On Saturday 26 March the popular event Åre High Five by Carlsberg returns to Stjärntorget in the centre of the resort where large quantities of snow have fallen over the past few days. The five decisive disciplines will offer the amateurs the chance of challenging the top Swedish skiing elite in a line-up including names such as Jon Olsson, Kaj Zackrisson, Anna Holmlund and Henrik Windstedt.
Hundreds of skiers and snowboarders, an empty ski hill and afterwards, a tempting après-ski event; on 24 April, the Red Bull Home Run returns to Åre for the second year in a row. And the competition format is simple: everyone starts at the same time, dashes to the equipment and competes to be the first one down the peak.
The Lindell family are taking part in the climate-smart project One Tonne Life and their goal is to reduce their CO2 footprint from seven tonnes down to only one tonne per person every year. That's why they chose to cansel their flight to the alps and in stead travel by train to Åre.
