SkiStar Åre: Ski season opening in Åre – Gästrappet & Hamrebacken to open on Friday

Winter has now arrived in Åre. Over the last few days, the elements have been clement to Åre, bringing both sub-zero temperatures and snow. This in combination with effective snow-making has enabled us to open the ski season on Friday 8 Dec with the pistes Hamrebacken in Duved and Gästrappet in Åre, meaning that at present we can offer the greatest skiable vertical in Sweden of 454 metres.

Following a mild autumn and the delayed winter weather, the past few days Åre has seen the arrival of a combination of sub-zero temperatures and natural snow. The past 24 hours have seen another decimetre of fresh snow and the forecast tells of more snow in the next few days. At the moment we are recording 28 cm of natural snow at the metering point in Rödkullen. Åre’s season opening on Friday will invite skiing in Hamrebacken to the first point of unloading and also in the Gästrappet piste. The opening of the pistes has been made possible through lots of hard work on snow production in combination with the beneficial minus degrees.   

“It feels great being able to open the new ski season with the highest vertical drop in the country. I am thoroughly proud of and impressed with our determined personnel who have struggled really hard in order to accomplish this”, says Niclas Sjögren Berg, Destination Manager SkiStar Åre.

The ski testing weekend ‘Snö, Test & Fest’ with some 40 equipment exhibitors will take place by the VM8 lift loading station. Here all the skiers and boarders on site in Åre can view, touch and even test the new products.

“The exhibitors are seriously geared up to meeting the skiers in Åre and to demonstrate the season’s news in a piste that is ideal for ski testing”, comments Catharina Utanskog, Event Manager SkiStar Åre.

There is much else going on in Åre this coming weekend. The cross-country ski tracks in Åre Björnen will open for the season, both the 3-km and the 5-km tracks and in Ullådalen it is possible to go ski touring in the snowmobile trails. At Åre Square the Christmas market will be in full swing with local traders and small-scale food producers, good food, genuine handicraft and an excellent opportunity for Christmas shopping. Åre’s Lucia will make a performance accompanied by singing children and at Kyrklägdan, by the church, you can test Snowtubes.

Ski pass prices opening weekend:

Hamreliften with Hamrebacken Free

VM8:an with Gästrappet 40 % discount on normal pricelist

Opening hours:

The lifts will keep the normal opening hours this weekend. In order to provide for the best possible daytime skiing, there will be no all-night skiing this year.

Hamreliften with Hamrebacken: 09.30-15.00

VM8:an with Gästrappet: 08.00-16.30

For more information visit skistar.com

For more information:

Linda Wasell, PR & Information Manager SkiStar Åre

Tel: +46 70 395 62 71

E-mail: linda.wasell@skistar.com

Niclas Sjögren Berg, Destination Manager SkiStar Åre

Tel.: +46 70 633 90 51

E-mail: niclas.sjogren.berg@skistar.com

Catharina Utanskog, Event Manager SkiStar Åre

Tel.: +46 76 826 60 78

E-mail: catharina.utanskog@skistar.com

Or visit SkiStar Åre: www.skistar.com/are

About Åre:

Åre is the alpine capital of Scandinavia with an international atmosphere. The trains stop right in the middle of town and there are two international airports within just over one hour’s drive. In 2007, Åre hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships which tells something of the standard of the pistes. Besides skiing, there are many restaurants for culinary sensations, a wide offering of activities and an amazing selection of shops for the size of this town. Åre is a first-rate winter tourism destination with about one million skier days. The distribution among SkiStar Åre’s guests is 71% Swedish and 29% international guests.

About SkiStar

The SkiStar AB (publ) B shares are listed on the Nasdaq OMX Mid Cap Stockholm; the group owns and operates the ski resorts at the alpine skiing destinations Sälen, Åre and Vemdalen in Sweden together with Hemsedal and Trysil in Norway. The market share in Sweden amounts to 48%, in Norway 29% and overall in Scandinavia 39%. The group’s core business is alpine skiing with the guests’ experience in focus. The list of other activities includes accommodation agency, ski schools and ski rentals.