If ever a near complete freeride mountain existed...it's here. Flatout unbelievable open terrain with chutes, natural half pipes, and anything you could possibly imagine in a naturally existing state.

While the food options are limited, and the chairs are old school without a bubble, the experience at this place 200km north of the Arctic Circle on a clear day is pretty unforgettable. Word to the wise...I wouldn't go as a beginner, here. You should know what you're doing before you show up.

Sidenote: getting here is best achieved by flying into Narvik, NOR and taking the train over. Super super easy and with beautiful terrain.


See our video here

It snows a lot in Riksgränsen, compared to the rest of Sweden. But... it's not really like at the best places in the Alps, the Rockies, Japan or even some parts of Norway (check out Myrkdalen or Röldal). The snow is also often wind packed or damp. The size of the ski system or the vertical isn't that impressive either.

Anyway - on a good day Riksgränsen is great. It's possible to ski almost all over the mountain and there's many exciting chutes. The season doesn't start until the end of February and a good year it lasts all the way to Midsummer's day in June.Sunny days in April or the beginning of May can be fantastic and it's one of the few lift systems in the world where you can go skiing in midnight sun.

Abisko Nuolja a few miles away is also definitely worth a visit. Sweden's La Grave - one lift, no pistes, but wide open areas for off piste skiing. Unfortunately the weather systems are a little weird around here - many times it can dump in Riksgränsen, when there only comes a few snow flakes in Abisko. A good year, however, there's a lot of snow also in Abisko.
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It’s a long way to Rijksgransen. You might wonder when you arrive if it was worth it. The base area is not very sophisticated and there is not much there apart from one large base complex with accommodation, a ski shop and a restaurant. The ski area is not huge and the lifts are old, although the two chairs are detachable. The drag lifts are a bit rustic, but really only for the beginners. The visibility can be terrible, sometimes for days. After a few days there one of the locals asked me what my favourite run was and agreed it was a great run. I said I liked it a lot, and one day I hoped to see it.
However, when the sun comes out and the snow dumps, the true character of this place is obvious. There are endless opportunities for off=piste skiing, within easy reach. We felt we had only scratched the surface after 9 days. The Scandinavians are the champions of ski touring, and you can expect company in the principal area at the back of the field, but it is very friendly and helpful company.
We managed to get one day of heliskiing at the end of our trip. All the other days were no fly days. We had to wait until almost midday to fly, but because of the long days it was almost 6pm when we finished. We could not make it to Kebnekaise, that is on the bucket list still, but the terrain and snow conditions were up there with the best.
This place is a long way to go and not on the map for most European skiers, but if you can get there and can be patient with the low light days, you will be rewarded.
See our video here