Last I’ve was out snowboarding with friends was January 2020, not long before the world went to shit and little did we know that there would be limited opportunities to do it again until 2 years later.
It was around mid January the small WhatsApp group of us so went boarding at La Clusaz in 2020 started chatting thinking about getting the gang together and hitting the slopes again this year
I booked a place in Åre Sweden that Kristaps found on Abnb which was more than big enough for all of us but unfortunately this year not everyone was able to come due to work commitments and timing with the spontaneous decision to go.
In the end there was only 3 of us this year, we met up at Ostersund airport and we all jumped in a hire car for the 90 minute journey to Åre. It’s the first time I’d driven in a vehicle with studded tires and on roads covered with so much snow so it was a bit of an adventure
Pillerin, Matt & Myself
After getting some food shopping supplies for the week on route to Åre we got to the Abnb unpacked ready for the following days boarding on the slopes, we were at the Tegefjäll part of Åre and the slopes were comfortably quiet with very little queuing to get on a lift which was amazing.
In our little resort of Tegefjäll 10 mins drive from the main resort the Slopes were comfortably quiet, enough people there to give an atmosphere but quiet enough not to be crashing into people.
At the top of the lift from our area there was a great little tipi where we popped in a few times for a lunchtime beer and burger to replenish our energy for boarding. This little place was much more fun and cost than the more commercial eating places dotted on the slopes.
We spent the majority of the time at Tegefjäll, getting the lifts and boarding across to Duved another area linked by lifts and slopes. We easily spent a day getting the lifts, boarding across up and down, to Duved, grabbing lunch and by the tine we boarded back the lifts were closing. It was quite leisurely area and a pleasing way to spend the daylight.
The weather was a bit hit and miss over the week that most of the lifts in the main Åre resort were closed die to wind and I think it wasn’t until the Thursday when we managed to get across to the main resorts and try the slopes there. There was quite a bit of queuing to get tot he very top but once we got there it was amazing, everything was covered in layers and layers of snow dust.
Getting down front he top was fun as there were quite a few flat parts of the run requiring a fair amount of speed to get across without having to take the board off and walk. It was so soft and powdery near the top and at some points with pretty limited visibility.
We finished the last couple of days back at Tegefjäll and had a very slow last day on Saturday as we were all aching from a LOT of boarding. We finished almost all the food we had bought for the week that evening and watched The Muppets film (2011) which is still brilliant! The whole week flew by and it was so good to be back on the slopes with friends after that last couple of years. Next trip is to Dubai working on the closing of the Expo 2020, stay tuned 🙂
