Worldwide Ski Resorts • Sweden • Are
Overview
Are is Scandanavia’s largest ski resort. The village has an Alpine feel about it and consists of brightly coloured traditional houses, grouped around the central train station. It is a clean and attractive resort, well served by an excellent choice of restaurants and is famous for its vibrant nightlife.
There is plenty of accommodation within and around the main village, including good quality hotels, serviced chalets, ski apartments and simple bed and breakfast type lodges. The resort is best suited to beginners and intermediates who are looking to improve their technique on the picturesque runs around this charming region.
Are forms part of a ski area interlinked with the sectors of Duved, Tegefjall and Are Bjornen, situated in the Are Valley in central, west Sweden. The resort has a height range of between 1275 meters to 380 meters at its base.
It has a total of 97 km of pisted runs, the longest of which is 7 km long and 44 ski lifts, although a large number of these are ‘T’ bars. There is an interesting mix of both wooded trails and high, wide sided bowls above the tree line. While the snow record at Are is generally good, the more exposed parts of the higher mountain are prone to closure due to the frequent gales that affect the upper levels. The resort offers good all round skiing for the beginner and the improving intermediate standard of skier, but the more advanced may find it limiting unless prepared to tackle the vast area of ‘off piste’ country to the back of the main slopes.
There are also some steep and challenging black runs to the resort village and the Olympic area has some interesting and often icy slopes that demand maximum concentration. Are is a good choice of destination for snowboarders, boasting varied terrain and a number of ‘parks’. Cross country skiers are also well served by an impressive 300 km of both prepared and natural trails.
Profile
Are forms part of a ski area interlinked with the sectors of Duved, Tegefjall and Are Bjornen, situated in the Are Valley in central, west Sweden. The resort has a height range of between 1275 meters to 380 meters at its base. It has a total of 97 km of pisted runs, the longest of which is 7 km long and 44 ski lifts, although a large number of these are ‘T’ bars. There is an interesting mix of both wooded trails and high, wide sided bowls above the tree line. While the snow record at Are is generally good, the more exposed parts of the higher mountain are prone to closure due to the frequent gales that affect the upper levels. The resort offers good all round skiing for the beginner and the improving intermediate standard of skier, but the more advanced may find it limiting unless prepared to tackle the vast area of ‘off piste’ country to the back of the main slopes. There are also some steep and challenging black runs to the resort village and the Olympic area has some interesting and often icy slopes that demand maximum concentration. Are is a good choice of destination for snowboarders, boasting varied terrain and a number of ‘parks’. Cross country skiers are also well served by an impressive 300 km of both prepared and natural trails.
Mountain Information
The ski resort consists of two main areas served by a selection of lifts from the village. These lead to the ‘high zone’ that lies above the tree line. This section consists mainly of blue and red runs and there are pisted runs that will take you directly back to the village from here. The area above the village of Duved is the second of the main ski areas and has a separate selection of slopes for those looking for a change of scenery. A number of the runs are floodlit to make night time skiing a fun diversion.
The ski school comes well recommended and all instructors have good spoken English. Facilities for children are also excellent and the resort has a kindergarten for children of 2 years and above.
Apres Ski
For a relatively small, traditional village, the après ski scene is surprisingly lively. There are a number of clubs that provide live music groups as well as smaller, quiet bars to cater for all tastes.
Resort Information • Are
 |
Resort Height | 400m |
 |
Top Station | 1274m |
 |
Bottom Station | 400m |
| |
Vertical Descent | 880m |
 |
Drag Lifts | 24 |
 |
Chair Lifts | 4 |
 |
High Capacity | 6 |
 |
Opening Dates | Nov - May |
 |
Rating Expert | 9 |
 |
Rating Intermediate | 10 |
 |
Rating Beginner | 6 |
 |
Apres Ski Rating | 8 |
 |
Snow Reliability | 9 |
