Tolvmannabacken

Tolvmannabacken in Kisa in southern Östergötland is the province's largest ski resort with a catchment area between Norrköping, Linköping, Jönköping and Västervik. The vertical drop is 140 meters, there are 6 lifts and 10 slopes. The name is believed to have come about in the late 1800s. Tolvmannabacken was originally the name of a logging road that cut across the current ski slope. Since there were mountain ravines, twelve men built the stone setting required to cross, and since then the name has stuck. The slope came into its own in 1953 when a group of downhill enthusiasts were looking for a suitable ski slope. Today, the facility is part of the Branäs Group (which also owns Kungsberget and Vallåsen, among others). It is a family-run resort with a ski and snowboard school, a sledding hill and lighting on all slopes. The season usually lasts three months, from the Christmas holidays until the end of March. The Branäs Group has also set itself the goal of becoming the best in Europe at saving and producing snow, and in Tolvmannabacken the traditional method of covering the snow with bark is being tested.