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Åre Resort Reviews


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Visitor reviews for Åre Ski Resort

Åre Ratings

Overall: 4.2. Based on 3 votes and 14 reviews.

Rate this resort

Snowsure: 4.0

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Åre is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.7

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Åre has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 4.3

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 5.0

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 4.3

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Åre

Public Transport: 4.0

  • There are no buses or taxis to Åre
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.7

  • No places to stay in/near Åre
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 2.7

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.7

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Åre

Ski in/Ski out: 4.7

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.0

  • There are no child care facilities at Åre
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 4.0

  • Åre relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 4.0

  • There are no snow groomers at Åre
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Åre are groomed daily

Shelter: 3.0

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Åre is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 4.0

  • If snow conditions are poor at Åre, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.0

  • Åre usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 5.0

  • The staff at Åre are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Åre are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.7

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 4.7

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.7

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 3.7

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.0

  • No intermediate terrain at Åre
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 5.0

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 5.0

  • Not even a kicker at Åre
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 4.5

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Åre
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 3.5

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Åre has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.0

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.7

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 5.0

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 4.3

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 4.3

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 4.0

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.0

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.7

  • Overall, Åre is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.0

  • Overall, Åre is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

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April 14, 2018
Michael from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Have had a great ski holiday in Are. I think we were lucky with the weather: blue skies and no wind all week. Went last week of March with perfect snow all over the mountain and no slush even at the end of the day! Probably best later in the season; cold and dark in January I guess. Easy to get to from Ostersund airport and only about a 75 minute drive. Very little traffic. No more expensive than France, with higher standards. Skistar run the resort and in my opinion do an excellent job. If you hire equipment and buy lift passes in advance they give a good price reduction. Also, as the resort is not high, you're not likely to suffer from any altitude sickness. Quite a lot of T bars, however. I think these are there because of the wind that other people have reported on. Plenty of easy off-piste through the trees that my children love. Went over Easter and it was quite busy with some long queues especially in the morning, all quite orderly though. Despite being busy the runs were not at all crowded. All in all, had a great family holiday. Makes a pleasant change from the Alps. If you go, be sure to have a ride on the old funicular. Over one hundred years old and absolutely beautiful!
January 03, 2013
Nikolas from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Been there 4 years ago. Great place over all, for my taste anyway. Well laid out resort, some nice tree lines at the back of the mountain. Snow park is one of the best I've seen both sides of the the Atlantic. Village might lack the charm of the some of the places in the Alps but the super friendly people more than make up for it. Apres-ski: awesome. Take a ride on snowmobiles around the lake and beyond.
November 20, 2012
blue-ice boy from Ski New Zealand New Zealand
Are. Yes, I thought I was back on Mt Ruapehu Summit when I stepped out of the Tram LOL. Blue bottle ice everywhere, nice sharp edges, ice not and issue, very used to it's smiles! Mind you that was in the days before groomers I guess (1983). But 'The friendly folk on the Mountain' more than made up for it! Awesome couple of days skiing; will be there again this winter!
November 09, 2012
Mark from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I come to Are every February-it's just such an amazing place! Lots of drags to good pistes and half the time it really does feel like you're in your own private ski resort. My recommendation is go there-you'll never want France again!!
April 18, 2012
Phil from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Spent 3 days in Are in mid March. Like another reviewer we were really unlucky with the weather. The top stations never opened, and a few chairs had to close on certain days. In saying this though we still had a great time considering the conditions. Due to lift closure no top runs were open but we still did not have to queue and in many cases we were the only people on some pistes. On-mountain prices were no more expensive than in the village which made a nice change. Would certainly head back considering that we were only to ski the bottom half of the resort. The top half looks like it has a lot of potential and we shall be taking our touring skis to make the most of the terrain.
April 13, 2012
simon from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Feel sorry for another reviewer, they have just had the worst March for 10 years. Been to Are 5 times in the last couple of years. Went in school holidays with my kids in Feb, they had the best ski, board holiday they have had. Lots of snow. Powder off-piste through trees, ski/board school was great, they improved so much more than at French school. Their teachers were great, spoke perfect English and had fun with the kids as well. Went back 26th March for another week, colder weather had returned and it snowed for 5 days so was great again. There are a lot of drags but you get used to them,but hardly any queues for the lifts makes up for that. £6 a pint same or cheaper than France. They have 3 great parks and a jib park in the main area. It's great for families and friends alike. Be back in Feb next year and my birthday in March. They are having January powder in April now, what a turnaround.
March 29, 2012
Chris from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Visited 18-25th March 2012: Thought I'd try Are in Sweden for something a little different and with it being late in the season felt it would be a safe bet after a disappointing trip to Morzine last winter. Things started ok, it was sunny and cool upon our arrival with a dusting of new snow and the slopes were in reasonable condition. Unfortunately, on day 2 things took a turn for the worse. The general theme for the next 5 days being; rain in the village with a mixture of strong wind/rain and wet snow the higher you got. The wind, however, meant that they were unable to open the lifts to the higher terrain for the entire week. This meant that the maximum vertical descent for the week was about 400m. On at least a couple of days some of the lower chairs (Duved and V8) were also closed. This led to pretty limited skiing and considering the terrain that was open, £183 for the a 6 day ski pass certainly felt a bit steep. There are a lot of t-bars in the resort, I guess because of the wind which can mean long slow uplifts. It's a shame about the weather because in good conditions and with the higher terrain open I'm sure that it could have been good fun. The pistes were quiet and there is a fair amount of accessible off-piste riding though the trees to be enjoyed when conditions are good. The resort itself was quiet through the week and got busier at the weekend. Alcohol is pretty expensive at about £6/7 a pint. Most bars were also quiet, Broken just of the main square seemed good and a bar at the top of lift 33 is where everyone seemed to flock to as the ski day drew to a close. On the Friday and Saturday afternoon it was operating a 'one out, one in' policy to see the live band while pretty much everywhere else was dead. I probably would not go back to Are for a week. It does have its good points though. The transfer from Ostersund is relatively short at just over an hour and if you are a beginner or fancied a weekend trip I'm sure this is a decent place. The Swedish were very friendly and all have excellent English and there are a number of other activities available such as Husky, snowmobiles, day trips to Trondheim to help pass away the time. Oh, I also had my snowboard stolen from outside Max Burger on the main square!
February 15, 2011
Richard Bloomfield from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have chosen Scandinavia for the last three years because, despite what other reviews on here say, it is very quiet. We find the town has a good choose of bars and restaurants and there is some night life too. When the cost of eating out and drinking in France is so high, Sweden has become a cheaper alternative. Plus when to you last rent an apartment in France with a sauna in the bathroom! The snow conditions are much the same as any French resort, but rather than ice and slush, the slopes in Are are normally just hard packed snow. You rarely have to wait in lift lines, at worst a couple of minutes, but there are quite a few long drag lifts. It can get cold, especially in early January when the days are also quiet short - ride all day and don't stop for lunch. I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for a cheap winter holiday or late season ride. The people are friendly, speak perfect English. With snow conditions in Europe being so poor this year, it's a no-brainier.
April 07, 2009
Adrian from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Åre has a good range of skiing for beginners and intermediates, especially. Great family resort with some lovely ski areas for young kids; some nice cafes and BBQ areas on slopes. Åre can get a bit windy. I've never seen so many people skiing with neck warmers on. Seems to cater well for disabled skiers. Lots of other activities in the area. I guess that compared to some alpine resports it may seem commercialised or lacking in charm but when you have a young family, the plus points of Åre resort far outweigh this.
October 09, 2007
Jon Jungel from Ski Norway Norway
The big problem with Åre is that the snow is usually very hard and icy. It just doesn't snow enough. When the snow conditions are good, however, it is a very good destination. Among the best in Scandinavia. Good vertical drop, plenty of off-piste and quite fast lifts.