For Generation X parents, the stylish Swedish ski resort of Vemdalen taps into the love for all things Nordic. In-the-know Swedish families have been learning to ski here since 1936, when cross-country skiing took off followed by downhill.
Kids will soon be at home zooming down the slopes when they attend ski school with Vemdalen’s SkiStar instructors and Valle, the cuddly ‘snowman’ in ski helmet and goggles.
Be at one with nature when you take a dog-sledding expedition with Johnny Nääs and 12 of his Alaskan husky dogs from The Howling Dog Farm.
Get in the spirit of fika at Hovdestugan, a log cabin 914m up the mountain with roaring log fire, reindeer antlers on the walls and piles of semla cake and cinnamon rolls.
Go snowmobiling and ice fishing with Vemdalen Experience. Enjoy the heated handlebars, chase reindeer herds and drill through a frozen lake to catch an Arctic char.
Visit the world’s smallest ski museum in Vemdalen’s natty tourist office, home to an installation of skis throughout the ages by the artist simply known as ‘Local Skier’.
Kids will love the reconstructed Sami Village at Bjornrike slopes, where they can learn about the indigenous Arctic people, see inside a Sami house and meet reindeer.
Check out the indoor subtropical forest, pool and spa at Storhogna Högfjällshotell & Spa, a much loved 55-room hotel right on the slopes, with kids’ play area.
Try cross-country skiing at Storhogna with patient guide Claes Renström and the help of Plupp, a gender-neutral little gonk-like figure created by Swedish writer Inga Borg.
Deck kids out in local Swedish brand Isbjörn, founded by first-time mothers Maria Frykman Forsberg and Camilla Schmidt. Super stylish and hard great for handing down.
Don’t miss mountain lunch at Bräjks, in Bjornrike, a family-friendly hipster hangout with healthy pulled beef burgers, Rescued Juice and squashy floors to absorb sound.
How to book
Crystal Ski Holidays offers a week’s self-catering at the four-star Fallmoran Apartments in Vemdalsskalet from £2,648 for a family of four including flights from Gatwick to Āre Őstersund and transfers (price given is for departure on 25 March 2018).
Snow stuff
Week’s lift pass: adult from £234 (buy one lift pass, get one half price)
Children 7-15 – from £135
Children up to 7 years – no lift pass required
Ski hire from £32 for the week, boots from £19 Children’s ski school with SkiStar: £87 for daily 75-minute lessons over five days or £43 for two 75-minute lessons over the weekend Cross-country ski lessons cost £144 per person for a half day and £31 per extra person.
Find out more here!
Valles family weeks
This year it’s weeks 2-5 and 15-16, but will be different next year. Snowmobiling and ice-fishing day with Vemdalen Experience costs £206 per person, or £824 for a family of four.
The Howling Dog Farm
Two-hour dog sledding trip including coffee break, £83 per person.
Children under 12, half price.
Getting there
easyJet operates direct flights from London Gatwick to Åre Östersund from £53 one way, followed by an hour and a half’s drive south.
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