More than 130 miles above the Arctic Circle in Sweden, at Riksgränsen (on the border of Sweden and Norway) the skiing is never over until the midnight sun finally droops below the horizon. Skiing all summer long is indeed possible in Scandinavia.
Putting on your skis in Northern Sweden in June, July and August more than makes up for the unchallenging slopes and the disorientating 24-hour daylight. You are afforded plenty of time to enjoy a slice of winter and satisfy your summer wanderlust.
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Taking into the slopes
The Ice Hotel, a small ski resort 94 miles away, has now melted and won’t reopen until late autumn, but the residents of Riksgränsen are still pushing their boots into their ski bindings, picking up their poles and taking to the slopes.
Riksgransen shot to fame in the mid 90s when Ingemar Backman launched his infamous method there, but its remoteness and lack of park facilities have ensured that over recent years, it has been largely overlooked in favour of central European glaciers.
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Skiing All Summer Long in Scandinavia
“It’s become a bit of a legendary place for the Swedes,” explains Torkel Karoliussen, a champion Norwegian Telemark skier who has visited Riksgransen more than a dozen times. “The season doesn’t really start until March, and it’s best in May, and you can ski under the midnight sun in June.”
Little has changed in the surrounding countryside over the centuries. The region is still highly populated by the Sami community, an indigenous people whose main income derives from reindeer farming: it’s thought they own 100,000 reindeer in the area. It is also rich in mountain wildlife, with foxes, brown bear, lynx and hunting wolverine stalking the mountains.
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More information
A good Web site for train information and reservations from Sweden is Snälltoget Bus transfer details on the Swedish side: www.ltnbd.se. For trains from Norway: NSB.
Skiing All Summer Long in Scandinavia, compiled by Tor Kjolberg