0
0
Share with your friends










Submit
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Privacy
  • Property
  • Contact
  • Sitemap

Logo

Navigation
  • Ski Resorts
  • Where to Ski
  • How to Ski
  • Snow
    • Snow Report
  • Gear
    • Ski Clothing
    • Ski Equipment
  • Family Skiing
  • Ski Holidays
  • Deals
  • Summer

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated

By Sean Newsom | on February 14, 2013 | 19 Comments
Where To Ski
Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Rasmus Westman and Rikard Norresje above Are’s East Gully. Photo: © Welove2ski.com

Okay, so just about everything in Are, Sweden is underrated: the on-piste skiing, the restaurants, the apres-ski (at weekends, at least), the quality of the accommodation. We Brits are so fixated on the Alps we can barely even countenance skiing in North America, let alone Scandinavia. So perhaps it’s no wonder we haven’t given it much thought.

But of all the elements that make this cool and classy ski resort such a pleasure, it’s probably the off-piste skiing which is sniffed at the most. Aficionados will tell you that Areskutan, the main mountain isn’t steep enough. They’ll also point to all the hard-core, free-skiing Swedes you bump into in places like Verbier and Val d’Isere. “What are they doing in the Alps if the off-piste-skiing in their own country is so good?” they’ll ask. Hell, I should know. I was one of them.

But actually, that’s b*llocks. This is a fabulous place for off-piste skiing, and here’s why.

It’s Big. BIG

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Looking east from the Areskutan. Big country. Photo: © Welove2ski.com

Wherever you stand in the cute little town of Are, it’s hard to see the top of the Areskutan. The peak looks like a little shrunken head on the massive shoulders of the lower slopes. But when you get up there…jeez. The place opens up like some kind of secret kingdom. There are the upper slopes themselves, plus the two hidden valleys called the East and West Gullies, and then the whole of the backside of the mountain, skiing away from the resort. What’s more, because Areskutan is the biggest lump of rock for miles, and most of the terrain is above the treeline, the sense of space is intoxicating. Okay, so I’m a claustrophobic Londoner. I crave space.  But my goodness me, it’s wonderful being up there.
 


 

The terrain suits most skiers better than an Alp does

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Rasmus Westman blasts down one of the wide-open slopes of the Areskutan. Photo: © Welove2ski.com

The average Alp is an awe-inspiring thing. But it’s also steep, craggy and cut with couloirs. There is that kind of off-piste skiing in Are, Sweden if you want it. But for the most part, it’s more like skiing a fell in the Lake District – albeit a fell that’s been fed on steroids, basted with snow, and left in the freezer. The slopes are big, open and unbroken by trees or rocks. You can more or less make a turn anywhere you want to. On a sunny day, with fresh snow on the mountains, the skiing is flat-out, delirious fun. It’s also much better suited to the skills of the average keen leisure skier – who wants a challenge and a sense of adventure but doesn’t want to feel out of his/her depth.

The snow’s good too

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Rikard Norresje telemarking in soft snow and the evening light in the East Gully. Photo: © Welove2ski.com

The locals are always apologising about their snow. “Sorry, this is Swedish powder,” they say. They’re underselling it. Above the treeline, it’s almost always wind-affected, one way or the other; and if you’re not with a guide, you can find yourself in an ocean of crust. But elsewhere, you’ll find bowls full of wind-packed powder: silky-smooth, slightly pneumatic, and a joy to ski.

Off-piste guiding is cheap

One of the glories of Are, Sweden, is its Skistar Experience programme. It offers a range of half-day skiing sessions which are a mix of guided tour and skills clinic, and they cost 450 SEK each for three hours. That’s about £45pp. In St Anton in Austria, Piste to Powder charges about £65 for the same kind of three-hour guiding session.
 


 

The guides are inspiring

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Rasmus reminds us to not lean back…Note the empty spaces beyond. Photo: © Welove2ski.com

Maybe they’re born that way. Maybe, the chief guide takes them to one side and says, “Guys, sex it up a bit, will you?” Whatever. It works for me. Our own crew of guides – Rasmus, Rikard and Emil – were superb yesterday, skiing everywhere at Mach2, taking air off the smallest knolls and rollers, and generally firing up the group with a display of fast, precise skiing. They combined that with a near-constant flow of conversation about where the best snow might be, what were the sensible lines to take (given the standard of the group), plus periodic re-checking of our transceivers. It was an impressive display of intensity and commitment. I skied better because of it.

The light is beauuuuutiful

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Photo: © Welove2ski.com

Oh God. Have you ever seen a Scandinavian sunset? It goes on forever. Of course, the sun is low in the sky anyway. But it takes an age for it actually to go down, and the colour builds and builds and builds until just the sight of it will make you whoop and holler. The blues, the oranges and the pinks I saw yesterday – I hope I never forget them.

As you can see, I’m a bit blissed out. My critical faculties are possibly clouded by a surfeit of wonder. But f*ck it. Life is too short of days like this. You’ve got to hold them tight and cherish them. Yesterday was my day of the season. Thank you, Are, for giving me that.

Welove2ski is staying in the Tott Hotel in Are – a ski-in, ski-out hotel with a cool lounge and lovely low, leather sofas: the perfect place to write about the perfect skiing day. Thanks guys!

Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski

Photo: © Welove2ski.com

Share this story:
  • tweet

Tags: Where To Ski

Recent Posts

  • Seven Sustainable Hotels for a Green Summer Holiday in the Alps

    May 23, 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Six Superb Ways to Maintain Your Ski Fitness This Summer

    May 19, 2022 - 0 Comment
  • Feeling Rusty? Then Follow These 5 Steps Back to Skiing Well

    April 5, 2022 - 1 Comment

Related Posts

  • Six Snowsure Resorts for Spring Skiing

    March 4, 2022 - 0 Comment
  • 6 of the best intermediate pistes for warming up your ski legs

    February 13, 2022 - 0 Comment
  • 6 Reasons Why We Love Glacier Skiing in November

    November 9, 2021 - 1 Comment

Author Description

Sean Newsom

As well as founding Welove2ski in June 2007, Sean has written about skiing and snowboarding in the British press for 28 years. For the last 20 of them, he’s also been the ski travel editor at The Sunday Times.

19 Responses to “Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated”

  1. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    welove2ski Reply

    Oh boy…feeling blissful after a superb afternoon skiing the big open spaces at the top of Are, Sweden. https://t.co/a7QKXInP

  2. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    Ski_Press Reply

    RT @welove2ski: feeling blissful after a superb afternoon skiing the big open spaces at the top of Are, #Sweden https://t.co/2PTPRi6z

  3. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    VisitSwedenUK Reply

    RT @welove2ski: Oh boy…feeling blissful after a superb afternoon skiing the big open spaces at the top of Are, Sweden. https://t.co/a7QKXInP

  4. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    DebbieRaymond1 Reply

    RT @welove2ski: This time for those who haven’t won anything yet: two more beanies from Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP 1st 2 RTs get 1 https://t.co/NTAWobm8

  5. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    deecee257 Reply

    RT @welove2ski: This time for those who haven’t won anything yet: two more beanies from Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP 1st 2 RTs get 1 https://t.co/NTAWobm8

  6. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    VisitSwedenUK Reply

    RT @welove2ski: This time for those who haven’t won anything yet: two more beanies from Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP 1st 2 RTs get 1 https://t.co/NTAWobm8

  7. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    Snowkitten1971 Reply

    RT @welove2ski: OK, not as blissful as skiing off-piste in Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP but still, who wants a beanie? 1st 2 RTs get 1. https://t.co/0RG18jVZ

  8. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    Snowkitten1971 Reply

    RT @welove2ski: This time for those who haven’t won anything yet: two more beanies from Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP 1st 2 RTs get 1 https://t.co/NTAWobm8

  9. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    Snowkitten1971 Reply

    RT @welove2ski: Happy memories from a great day’s skiing yesterday. https://t.co/a7QKXInP https://t.co/2hjqDrHd

  10. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    trollpower Reply

    RT @welove2ski: This time for those who haven’t won anything yet: two more beanies from Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP 1st 2 RTs get 1 https://t.co/NTAWobm8

  11. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    EJerlinder Reply

    RT @welove2ski: This time for those who haven’t won anything yet: two more beanies from Åre https://t.co/a7QKXInP 1st 2 RTs get 1 https://t.co/NTAWobm8

  12. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    manselk Reply

    Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated https://t.co/F6BcNFEL via @prismatic

  13. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    NSBARE Reply

    Grymt!! Welove2ski på besök i Åre. Ord och inga visor!! https://t.co/04AvMcxQ

  14. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    Steinadler31 Reply

    Off-Piste Skiing in Are, Sweden is Underrated | Welove2ski https://t.co/ldUGIQ50

  15. Avatar

    February 14, 2013

    Joel_Westman Reply

    If you fancy skiing, here’s a good article about the amazing Åre, Sweden featuring my bro Rasmus. https://t.co/296vAV2Q #welove2ski

  16. Avatar

    February 15, 2013

    Areskiresort Reply

    Off-piste skiing in Åre IS amazing https://t.co/FEPLWLl6

  17. Avatar

    February 15, 2013

    MissEngelbrecht Reply

    RT @Areskiresort: Off-piste skiing in Åre IS amazing https://t.co/FEPLWLl6

  18. Avatar

    February 17, 2013

    SnowVole Reply

    RT @neilson_snow: Why #skiing in Åre, Sweden is underrated: https://t.co/6A9NWvl3 Book it with Neilson: https://t.co/EA4p4BeT

  19. Avatar

    February 17, 2013

    Skirep1 Reply

    RT @neilson_snow: Why #skiing in Åre, Sweden is underrated: https://t.co/6A9NWvl3 Book it with Neilson: https://t.co/EA4p4BeT

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Free Updates

Join 16,000 clever people who get the latest Welove2ski content delivered to their inbox

RSSSubscribe 15136 Followers 10135 Fans

The Loveometer

Zermatt: Cool Chalets, Certain Snow and The Majestic Matterhorn
100 %
Tweenager Tips: How to Enjoy Ski Holidays with Older Kids
98 %
How to Go Green On Your Ski Holiday
98 %
St Anton, Austria: Wild Nights, Steep Pistes and Challenging Backcountry
97 %
Weird and Wonderful Ski Fads and Fashions
94 %
  • Home
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Privacy
  • Property
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
© 2020. All Rights Reserved. Created with love by WL2S