IML Ray Allwood has just returned from a trip to Sälen in Sweden. Sälen is not quite far enough north to be in the Arctic Circle, but the daylight hours are still short in December/January. Of course, these shorter daylight hours means there is the possibility of Aurora Borealis, although we didn’t see them on this trip. We chose this area for a trip because a new airport has just opened with direct flights from London Heathrow with SAS airlines, although more on that later.

Sälen is actually the name of the main town, which we never actually visited, but the four downhill and cross-country ski areas are referred to by the town name. We found an apartment on Booking.com in the ski resort of Lindvallen, in a quieter end of town called Sälfjällstorget. The apartment was in a great location with local shops and restaurants close by. The  supermarket was in the centre of Lindvallen a short drive/bus ride away.

There were several reasons we went to Sälen, the new direct flights from Heathrow with a 20minute transfer from the airport being one of them. The accommodation was cheaper than the Alps, so this also helped. However, due to a technical issue at the new Sälen Mountain Airport (it didn’t receive it’s certification to accept non-Schengen area flights in time), we actually ended up in Oslo and a 3 hour coach trip to reach Sälen. Not all was lost however, the scenery on the drive from Oslo was quite spectacular. The issue with the airport should be resolved in mid January 2020.

This is one of Sweden’s larger ski resort with 150km of piste skiing, but more importantly 250km of cross-country trails. The cross-country trails allow access into the mountains for snowshoeing. There are also plenty of other activities in the area. There is snow-mobile hire, dog-sledding trips and an ice karting area. So plenty to keep you entertained. The area fits the bill for rolling Nordic terrain, take a look at Fatmap and most of the slopes are under 30 degrees, the tops of the mountains are large plateaus with great views of the surrounding countryside. Due to the shorter daylight hours, you get the most amazing sunrises and sunsets.

This can be a cold and windy place, but being Sweden they cater for this very well. The little resort areas have Våffelstugan serving Swedish waffles with all sorts of toppings, both sweet and savoury. The must have waffle topping is Hjortronsylt (Cloudberry jam). If you are away from the resorts and near the cross-country skiing trails, then there are wind shelters and warming huts. The warming huts are equipped with grills and wood, allowing you to cook some sausages for lunch.

Sälen is home to the one of the most famous cross-country ski races in the world, the Vasaloppet. The Vasaloppet started in 1922, but the origin of the race is given to be the birth of Sweden. In 1521 the future King of Sweden, Gustav Eriksson Vasa had escaped from his Danish imprisonment and was heading to the Dalarna region of Sweden to convince the people to rise up against their Danish oppressors. In the town of Mora he stood in front of the townspeople, however the townspeople wanted to confer with the surrounding villages before deciding. As the Danish army were hot on the heels of Gustav he headed for the Norwegian border. A few days after he left town, news of the Danish King Christian’s actions throughout Sweden reached the village of Mora, Regretting their decision to not support Gustav, Mora’s two best skiers, Lars and Engelbrekt, were sent in hot pursuit of the fugitive Gustav Vasa, they caught up with him in Sälen. Gustav was persuaded to return with them to Mora to lead the fight against King Christian. In 1523 Gustav Eriksson Vasa was crowned King of the free Sweden.

Here are a selection of images showing the beautiful scenery and the famous Waffle huts.

  • A warm entrance to a bar at the foot of the slopes
  • Winter sun descends below the horizon
  • The Waffle hut to rewarm after a day on the slopes
  • Dogsledding is also possible
  • Amazing light and clouds in the evening
  • Strange light through the clouds