Arctic adventure: skiing in Sweden’s northernmost resort
The shadowy figures walking along the roof of the covered walkway above the railway line look like refugees crossing the border. But the skis and snowboards they carry tell a different story.
The “regattas” are actually skiers and boarders who have just finished the “Norvege Svången” (Norwegian bow): an off-piste descent from the top of National border ski resort in Sweden that swings briefly across the international border to neighboring Norway before returning to its home country and ending at a railway line.
I observe all this while enjoying a beer on the deck of Niehku Mountain Villa, my home for three nights in Riksgränsen, Sweden’s northernmost ski resort, 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The award-winning lodge was built within the framework of a former railway shed that was once used by steam trains on the Ofoten Line. In addition to taking skiers to Arctic Sweden for over 100 years, the line has transported iron ore from the world’s largest iron ore mine in Kiruna to the permanently ice-free port of Narvik in Norway.
More than a billion tons of iron ore have been pushed along the line since it was built in 1902 and without it the Riksgränsen would not have existed, as the city was originally built to serve the railway. Before it was developed as a ski and outdoor destination, Riksgränsen was briefly abandoned as residents struggled to cope with the phenomenal snowfall it receives most winters.
But with the installation of the first ski lifts on the slopes above the railway line in the 1950s, locals and those soon to follow could finally take advantage of all that snow – as could Niehku Mountain Villa and its unique heli-skiing operation.
After a 17-hour overnight journey on the sleeper train from Stockholm, the transfer to Niehku goes about as smoothly as possible, with the villa almost in sight from the platform. Here I meet Niehku’s co-founder and manager, Jossi Lindblom, who is also a trained mountain guide. Relaxed and calm, Jossi tells me that they could take me out on a heli-ski later that day. “But no rush,” he smiles. “It won’t get dark until September.”
One of the advantages of skiing in this northern part of the world is that there is snow to be found until early summer. So it’s not until 6pm that I’m standing atop the 5,725ft Tjåmohas peak in the Abisko Alps, with Lake Torneträsk glistening in the sunlight far below as the helicopter clatters away in the distance. I’m in a group with three Swiss skiers and our smiling, easy-going guide, Bernie Adler from South Tyrol. Before we set off, Bernie takes the time to point out the various peaks we can see from our vantage point, including Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise, which stands at around 6,890 feet. (Locals calculate the height of Kebnekaise based on how much snow it receives each winter, which, as with the nearby Riksgränsen, is usually a lot.)
And so we’re off, following Bernie along Tjåmoha’s north face where we find boot-deep powder, all the happier a month away from midsummer. Our next descent takes us from the summit of 6,532-foot Kåtotjåkka, this time down sun-warmed, south-facing slopes, where buttery spring snow and a warm, lemony light dot the landscape, with loads of excitement from us.