For once, the eyes of the skiing world are on Sweden. The nation’s athletes
may have long blazed a trail of glory through the winter-sports scene — most
recently in the form of the door-die slalom sensation Jens Byggmark — but
its resorts have largely escaped notice. The number of Brits skiing there is
pretty much zero.
This season, things are different — thanks to the biennial World Alpine Ski
Championships, which are being held in Are, the country’s best resort, 320
miles north of Stockholm. All the top racers are in town, and their
customary displays of skill and courage, combined with the occasional
horrific wipeout, are guaranteed to put the resort on the map. So too the
fact that in a year when the Alps have been short of snow, Are suddenly has
too much of the stuff. Over the past week, about 40cm has fallen and,
coupled with high winds and low cloud, it’s played havoc with the early race
schedule. At the time of going to press, however, the skies had cleared and
the first races had been run. Anyone watching Ski Sunday today should be in
for a treat. Likewise if you’re tempted to follow in the tracks of Bode
Miller and Hermann Maier, or Britain’s very own Finlay Mickel and Chemmy
Alcott: here’s what to expect.
THE SKIING
Are is unlike any ski resort you’ve ever visited. Set in a vast,
underpopulated wilderness dotted with just a few hamlets of timber-framed
houses, the town is only 1,250ft up — an unthinkably low altitude for an
Alpine resort, but absolutely fine here — and the mountains behind it are
more like a range of hills than the soaring, craggy peaks we’re used to.
But that doesn’t mean the skiing’s bad. There are 60 miles of groomed piste on
offer, and while that’s no match for the likes of Val d’Isãre’s 186 miles,
or the 400-odd of the Trois Valleés, there’s lots here for plucky
intermediates to enjoy — especially among the trees on the lower slopes,
where earlier this week I found the pistes virtually empty and the snow soft
and well groomed.
Higher up, above the tree line, there can be problems with the wind, as the
World Championship race organisers have discovered. It’s here, on the upper
slopes of the 4,650ft Areskutan, the highest peak in the area, that you’ll
find the start of all the World Championship courses.
You can ski both the men’s and women’s downhill courses once the championships
are over, although it’s not advisable to attempt the 75mph speeds reached by
the men’s downhill racers. The men’s course is the most fun, with lots of
rolling terrain and the odd jump, but neither is especially steep, and
having a crack at them both is something most reasonably competent skiers
should aim for by the end of their trip.
It’s up here that you’ll also find much of Are’s off-piste. The wind tends to
shift a lot of the powder onto the backside of the mountain, and there’s a
five-mile run through it back round into the ski area. To reach it, you can
hitch a lift with a snowcat for £3.75 (a half-day’s off-piste guiding will
cost £160 for a group of up to eight). All the same, if you are an expert
skier, unless you are a terrain-park addict — Are has an excellent area of
jumps and bumps — I wouldn’t advise you to come here for more than two or
three days. You’ll quickly tire of the limited number of steep slopes.
It’s a different story for beginners. There are several good nursery slopes,
the environment is less intimidating than a hard-core, high-Alpine resort,
and a course of five 1½hr group lessons will set you back just £60.
What’s more, there’s an entire mountain set aside for families, called Are
Bjornen, where the pistes are less busy and the lifts adjusted for children.
BEYOND THE SLOPES
Are has really gone out of its way to find other interesting and exciting
things to do off the ski runs. Much use is made of the big frozen lake in
front of the town, with snowmobile safaris and kite-snowboarding on offer (a
half-day course costs £37: 00 46-70 5699089, www.areskutan.se
).
There’s also lots of cross-country skiing to try, as well as dog-sledding with
huskies, and even reindeer herding. However you go, you’d be well advised to
bring an extra layer of clothing — current predictions are that this will be
a colder than average end to the winter.
THE NIGHTLIFE
When the sun goes down, Are heats up considerably, and the town has an
aprãs-ski scene that wouldn’t disgrace the likes of Verbier or Val d’Isãre.
Wersens, in the town square, is the place to mix with the high-cheekboned,
blue-eyed Swedes. The biggest nightclub, Bygget, is a 10-minute walk from
the town centre in the sub-resort of Are Fjallby. The drinks aren’t cheap —
£3.50 for a half-litre of beer is normal — but that won’t be a shock for
anyone used to prices in the Alps.
WHERE TO STAY
The town of Are spreads out along the valley, with the satellite resorts of
Duved and Are Bjornen 15 minutes’ drive either way. Grown-ups will be
happiest in the main town. I’m currently lodging at the new Holiday Club
Resort (647 120 00, www.holidayclub.se; doubles in March from £150, B&B).
Close to the town centre, it has big rooms decked out in cool Scandinavian
style, and lots of in-built distractions, including bowling alleys, three
bars, six saunas and eight pools. Or try the more basic, but recently
renovated, Diplomat Ski Lodge (647 179 00,
www.diplomathotel.com ), where doubles in March start from £82, B&B.
There are plenty of cheaper options — a week in a self-catering apartment in
the middle of town starts from £673 in March, For details, call Are’s
central booking service on 771 840 000 or visit www.skistar.com.
GETTING THERE
Ostersund is 60 miles from Are. Fly there via Stockholm with SAS (0870 60 727
727, www.flysas.com ) from
Heathrow and Manchester, from £245. From Ostersund, there are regular bus
transfers into Are that cost £22 each way. If you want a package, Are is
served by a single British tour operator, Neilson (0870 333 3347, www.neilson.co.uk/Are
), which has a surprisingly well-developed programme here. One week in a
self-catering apartment in March, including flights and transfers, starts
from £329pp.
Will it be snowy?
ARE HAS a long season — the lifts run until May 3 — and this winter may end on
a cold note. “A moderate El Niño means more chance of cold spells in
northern Europe and Scandinavia,” says John Hammond of the Met Office. “We
can’t say if that will mean more precipitation, but at least lying snow will
last longer.”
Late-season trips have another benefit: at the moment, the sun sets at 3.30pm
(though Are does offer floodlit skiing), but by mid-April it stays light
until 7pm.
