Åre is an alpine

Alpine skiing

Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...

 ski area in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

, founded in 1909. It is located in Åre Municipality

Åre Municipality

Åre Municipality is a municipality in Jämtland County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Järpen.The present municipality was formed in 1974 through the amalgamation of "old" Åre Municipality with the surrounding municipalities Hallen, Kall, Mörsil and Undersåker...

, Jämtland

Jämtland

Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...

, just outside and above the village of Åre

Åre

Åre is a locality and one of the leading Scandinavian ski resorts situated in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 1,260 inhabitants in 2005. It is however, not the seat of the municipality, which is Järpen. 25% of the municipal industry is based on tourism, most notably the downhill...

, approximately 80 km (50 mi.) from the city of Östersund

Östersund

Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...

. The ski lift

Ski lift

The term ski lift generally refers to any transport device that carries skiers up a hill. A ski lift may fall into one of the following three main classes:-Lift systems and networks:...

 system is on the Åreskutan

Åreskutan

Åreskutan is a high mountain at Åre in Jämtland in central Sweden is one of the better-known mountains in Sweden. The mountain is easily accessible by train. The mountain massif features the largest ski resort area in Sweden....

 mountain, at an elevation

Elevation

The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....

 of 1420 meters (4660 ft.); its absolute summit is not lift-served, but is reachable by snowmobile

Snowmobile

A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...

. The village and ski area are accessible by bus and train. The nearest airport is Åre Östersund Airport. With a latitude of 63.4° north, the ski area is approximately 350 km (220 mi.) south of the Arctic Circle

Arctic Circle

The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....

.

History

• 1882 - The railway to Åre is finished and officially opened by King Oscar II
  Oscar II of Sweden
  Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
  
  .
• 1891 - Åre tourist information centre opens. ”Tourists and spa guests visiting the climatic spa Åre” is the theme of the first advertising campaign.
• 1892 - The café on the top of Åreskutan
  Åreskutan
  Åreskutan is a high mountain at Åre in Jämtland in central Sweden is one of the better-known mountains in Sweden. The mountain is easily accessible by train. The mountain massif features the largest ski resort area in Sweden....
  
   opens; it remains the highest café in Sweden.
• 1910 - Åre Bergbana
  Åre Bergbana
  Åre Bergbana is a funicular railway located in Åre, Jämtland County, Sweden. It is long and runs between the town square at amsl and Fjällgården at amsl...
  
   opens, the first fixed link in Åre, beginning the area's development as a winter sports resort. Toboggan
  Toboggan
  A toboggan is a simple sled which is a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people down a hill or other slope for recreation. Designs vary from simple, traditional models to modern engineered composites...
  
  ing, curling
  Curling
  Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
  
   and skiing
  Skiing
  Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
  
   are offered.
• 1935 - The local slalom
  Slalom skiing
  Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
  
   racing club, the Åre Slalomklubb, is formed. Over the years, the club's members have included such names as Lars-Börje Eriksson
  Lars-Börje Eriksson
  Lars-Börje Eriksson . Is a former Swedish Alpine skier. He won bronze medal in the Super-G competition at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary.-References:...
  
   (Olympic bronze medalist in super G, 1988
  Alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics
  Alpine skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events, held near Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten events were held at the Nakiska ski area in Kananaskis from February 15-27, 1988....
  
  ), Patrik Järbyn
  Patrik Järbyn
  Patrik Järbyn is a World Cup alpine ski racer.Despite never having won a World Cup race, Järbyn has two individual World Championship medals. At the 1996 World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain, he won the silver medal in super G...
  
   (World Championships silver medalist in super G, 1996) and Richard Richardsson
  Richard Richardsson
  Richard Richardsson is a Swedish snowboarder and Olympic medalist. He received a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.-References:...
  
   (Olympic silver medalist in snowboard
  Snowboard
  Snowboards are boards, usually with a width the length of one's foot, with the ability to glide on snow. Snowboards are differentiated from monoskis by the stance of the user...
  
   parallel giant slalom, 2002
  Snowboarding at the 2002 Winter Olympics
  The 2002 Winter Olympic Games Snowboarding competition consisted of men's and women's Halfpipe and Parallel Giant Slalom events. The snowboarding competition took place at Park City, over a five day period.-Medal table:-Men's events:...
  
  ).
• 1940 - The first drag lift is opened in Åre, located near the Olympia area and Lundsgården. The tiny yellow lift cabin is still in place.
• 1952 - The Fjällgården ski area is opened. The lift passengers were transported standing up in tall buckets, one of which is displayed in front of the funicular station on Åre square.
• 1954 - Åre hosts the 1954 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, making Åre known throughout the skiing world.
• 1966 - Duveds Linbana, the first chairlift
  Chairlift
  An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
  
   in Duved, is opened, followed by other investments in the Duved ski area.
• 1976 - The Kabinbanan cable car
  Aerial tramway
  An aerial tramway , cable car , ropeway or aerial tram is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion...
  
  , servicing the upper part of the ski area, is opened at a cost of 73 million Swedish kronor. At this time, the formidable success of Swedish ski racer Ingemar Stenmark
  Ingemar Stenmark
  Jan Ingemar Stenmark is a Swedish former skier, active during the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.Stenmark was born in the province of Lappland...
  
   gives a great boost to the Swedish alpine ski industry.
• 1981 - The first lift is built at Åre Björnen, followed by other investments in the area. The first snow cannons
  Snowmaking
  Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow. This allows ski resorts to improve the reliability of their snow cover and to extend their ski...
  
   are installed at Åre.
• 1989 - The Olympia gondola
  Gondola lift
  A gondola lift is a type of aerial lift, normally called a cable car, which is supported and propelled by cables from above. It consists of a loop of steel cable that is strung between two stations, sometimes over intermediate supporting towers. The cable is driven by a bullwheel in a terminal,...
  
   is opened by King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia.
• 2001 - In the central part of the Åre ski area, two new lifts are built and three new slopes are opened — the single largest investment since the building of the cable car.
• 2006 - The Olympia chairlift is replaced by the world's first telemix lift, a lift with chairs and gondolas.
• 2007 - Åre hosts the 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
• 2009 - Åre is named winner of "World's top ski resorts" by the British travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller
  Condé Nast Traveller
  Condé Nast Traveller is published by Condé Nast Publications Ltd, from Vogue House in Hanover Square, Mayfair, London. It is a luxury travel magazine aimed at the upmarket, independent traveller....
  
  

Night skiing

There is night skiing every evening until week 10. The night skiing is between 6 pm and 8 pm.

Central Åre:

The lift "VM8:an" with the two slopes "Gästrappet" and "Lundsrappet" in the world championship area (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

Duved:

The lift "Hamreliften" and the slopes "Skistarbacken" and "Hamrebacken". (Tuesdays and Thursdays)

Åre Björnen:

The lifts "Björnliften", "Nalleliften" and "Vargliften" with connecting slopes. (Thursdays and Sundays)

Skipass

If you want to ski in Åre, you need a ski pass. You can buy your ski pass on Skistar's website or at one of the 10 ski centers in the "Årevalley" (Åre village, ÅreBjörnen, Tegefjäll and Duved)

There is no need to put the Åre ski pass into the ski pass machines at the lift stations, just keep it inside your left pocket. There is a wireless system in each ski pass machine which will read your ski pass automatically and let you through as you approach.

Central Åre

In Central Åre there are plenty of runs to choose from, both for beginners and advanced skiers. Central Åre is the largest area in the Åre Ski Area.

• Lifts in Central Åre
  • Bergbanan
  • Hummelliften
  • Kabinbanan
  • Olympiagondolen
  • Tusenmetersliften
  • VM6:an
  • VM8:an
  • Worldcupliften
  • Bräckeliften
  • Lillröda
  • Lillvita
  • Rödhakeliften
  • Rödkulleliften 1
  • Rödkulleliften 2
  • Nedre Tväråvalvsliften
  • Nedre Tväråvalvsliften 2
  • Stendalsliften
  • Ullådalsliften
  • Ullådalsliften 2
  • Övre Tväråvalvsliften

ÅreBjörnen

Åre Björnen is the ski area for the youngest skiers and families. ÅreBjörnen is connected to Central Åre with lifts.

• Lifts in ÅreBjörnen
  • Björnliften
  • Förbergsliften
  • Högåsliften
  • Lokattliften
  • Nalleliften
  • Renenliften
  • Sadelliften
  • Tottliften
  • Vargliften

Tegefjäll

Tegefjäll is also suitable for families with small children, the system is connected to the Duved lift system.

• Lifts in Tegefjäll
  • Englandsliften
  • Fjällvallsliften
  • Mini Tege
  • Tegefjällsliften
  • Gunnilliften - at 1.6 kilometers long, this is the longest T-bar lift in the world.

Duved

Duved is a bit bigger than Tegefjäll and offers slopes both for the beginner and the expert. Duved is connected to the Tegefjäll system.

• Lifts in Duved
  • Byliften
  • Dalliften
  • Torpliften
  • Duveds Linbana
  • Hamreliften
  • Leråliften

External links

• www.skistar.com/are/ - official website

www.are360.com - official visitors guide