Åre reviews (Page 3)

The slopes were really badly maintained during our trip 30.12.2024 -4.1.2025. There were a lot of people in the peak season in the centre with about 30-40% of the lifts closed all the time. For example, the top of the fells was not accessible once during the whole week. On two days the lifts were open for 1-2h but at the bottom you had to queue for 45min to an hour so you didn't get to the lift before they announced that it was closed due to high winds ( the same reason was announced daily)
Annoyed by this, on the last evening when this same announcement came approx 1h after the lift was open, we decided to walk to the top of the mountain the rest of the way, about 1/3 of the slope. 2/3 of the way was accessible by chairlift. It was physically quite hard to climb the mountain with monks on your feet and skis on your shoulders to find out that there was no wind at all...prrk. We took a video from the top of the mountain of the mentioned strong wind which was a negligible small wind gust so you can conclude that the lifts to the top of the mountain are apparently closed 90% of the time.

There are only a few illuminated slopes in the whole centre and the opening hours of the slopes from 9.30 to 15.00 are completely incomprehensible and ridiculous, especially in high season when you have to queue for almost an hour for the lift.

The prices are high , a mint cocoa for 16,20€ in the top restaurant and this same line is pretty much in everything else.
I wish the staff would speak English a bit better (I don't speak Swedish at all).

There is not enough parking for cars anywhere in the area , of course the ski bus runs every hour and this is recommended for transfers between slope areas.
A four-wheel drive car is more than necessary in the centre of the village where the roads are quite steep or, like the locals, chains on the tyres :)
Snowmobiles are not advisable to take into the centre, we had one but didn't take it out of the car at all during the week. We did find a route a little further on, about 8km from the cottage, but there was no place to store the sled.

It was good enough that on the days when the slopes were smoothed the slopes were nice to ski down. They are quite long compared to the slopes in Finland.
The scenery was also really nice when the weather was right.

I have to say that I got to see and appreciate the Finnish resorts on a completely different level than it was before this trip. We are unlikely to go to Åre again and in the future we will travel in the Finnish slopes.

Poorly lit slopes compared to Finnish resorts. The lifts close too early in Åre at 3pm and in Ruka at 7pm.

Do not go to Åre during Christmas.
System and locality cannot handle this amount of visitors in addition to those who do not have their own permanent accommodation.
Lack of snow, lift queues, closed slopes, queues in shops, food running out, stationary lifts that do not have time to be administered, queues in ski rental.
If you rent, accommodation is extra expensive.
Go during low season.
More snow after the Christmas holidays.

A fantastic and varied ski area. If you're lucky with the weather, it's probably the best in the north

Very expensive. Too bad the cross-country tracks cost money. Go to Levi in Finland - cheaper lift tickets, snow protection, free cross-country trails, better cabins with saunas!

There are so many opportunities for improvement! For example. chair lift instead of b44 and d6 or d7. And what about the modernization of the brick lift?

All t-bars are painfully slow. There is no t-bar that is faster than 5km/hour!

I also think it's sad that the snowpark only consists of boxes and rails. There are no small and reasonably small jumps at all! (except maybe the three ski jumps in Björnen, but they are not small either, and it is difficult to get enough speed there). There are therefore no convenient opportunities to practice jumping in Åre.

Really wish there were small jumps (rum alpine is a good example) and more sit lifts or at least faster t-bars.

The hard-hit and unchallenged number 1 in Sweden. With closed high zone, it is still the best ski resort in the country.

Åre, Sweden's best ski resort - it's sunny... Or yes, we can discuss the sun thing.

The skiing
Here you will find skiing for all levels. A place to bring the kids to put on a pair of skis for the first time or to bring their pro friend who wants to pull on the skins to find drops and untouched powder! The lift system is large and divided into three different parts - Björnen, Åre and Duved/Tegefjäll. You also have the option of being first in the pristine Manchester, that is, at 8 o'clock in the VM8an (the lift that opens earlier for this particular), park-hang or evening skiing which is offered almost every evening during high season. When you get tired of what the lift system has to offer, there are almost endless opportunities to pull on the skins to discover the Jämt mountains on your own. Everything from a cozy trip up Müllfjället or an excursion to Getryggen, which is not too far away! I would also like to say that it is a lot of fun in Åre in the hands of Ski Sweden; World Cup Åre, Jesper Tjäders Unrealistic, Redbull Homerun, Åre Sessions.. you name it!

Strengths & Weaknesses
That thing that I mentioned earlier about the sun, I would say is the biggest disadvantage of Åre. Fortunately, this resort offers not only skiing but also a cozy village with a lot to do. Large selection of ski shops, restaurants, cafes, spas and also adventure pools at the Holiday Club. For those who have children or want to practice before the park, the Jump Yard is also a fun option. Another disadvantage is the price. There are ways to make the trip cheaper, for example staying cheaper and not in the middle of the village, as there are good connections with the ski bus. But unfortunately it is a fact that skiing, the sport we have chosen to love so much, is an expensive and weather-dependent sport.

I would give Åre a 4a. In Swedish terms, this is among the best skiing you can get if you want to stay within the country's borders. Truly a place you must visit!

Sweden's best ski resort, of course.
Åre offers skiing and experiences in a mountain environment for all ages and stages in life. Just like in all other ski resorts in Sweden, you can get tired of the piste/lift system, but the off-piste possibilities are almost endless. The system's size, height differences and different directions also make it possible to plan the skiing according to the weather and wind. For those who do not venture outside the system on their own, experienced help is available in the form of mountain guides etc.

For those of you who are completely new to the resort, I recommend setting the clock for an early morning in VM8 ("Eight in eight") to feel Manchester on a world-class slope. Treat yourself to a second breakfast on the Svartberget plateau and then join the seven sleepers who couldn't make it to eight. A trip with trail skins or behind a scooter to the top of Åreskutan should also be made if the weather permits.

The weather in Åre is a chapter of its own. It is, as usual, varied Swedish weather on steroids. When it's bad, REALLY bad - when it's good, it's DIVINE good.

Doesn't the whole family/company like skiing? Good! Then they can explore the village, swim at the Holiday Club, have coffee at the beer cafe and prepare dinner while you plow the piste. Then they can advantageously connect in the slope just in time for afterskin.

Was in Åre v.3 generally good experience few people in the system and short, fast lift queues before the high season starts. Unfortunately, this year there was little snow, which could be seen both inside and outside the system.

A good mountain if you want to go on a piste with fun varying slopes where you can lie on and carve. However, the slopes this year were not as good as they usually are with many slopes and generally worse than usual. In previous years when I have been there, they have usually been nice and well-piste slopes.

Since the snow conditions were not so good when I was there this year, you had to ride with extreme caution on the off-piste, even though it was fantastic in places. Went to the eastern gorge a few times with good snow, but in places you got a few scratches. Strongly recommend going east anyway, but tricky last bit by the forest that really needed more snow this year to go there.

Åre as a village is cozy with quite a lot of places to hang out and good restaurants for being a ski resort. As there is a lot of skiing around, it is a perfect place for families with children or if you are a beginner. Because there are really nice slopes and other things to do than just skiing in the village.

Overall, I would give Åre:
Skiing: 3/5
Outlets/restaurants: 5/5
Other activities: 4/5
Overall: 4/5