Reindeer, Singletrack and Waffle Stalls in Sweden

Sweden is known for crispbread, great forests, and IKEA. Perhaps soon it will also become famous for mountain biking in Åre, Östersund, and Storulvån. The biking areas in the Northwest of Sweden are great.



If you travel from Stockholm about 600 kilometres north, close to the border of Norway, the landscape becomes mountainous. The landscape around Åre and Östersund is called Jämtland. Further south you will find Härjedalen. For years this area was known for outdoor sports like skiing, hiking, rafting, cross-country skiing, paragliding and much more. For years I've travelled to the north of Sweden. What then began as a love for travelling, has turned into a search for new singletrack. The search was worth it and has clearly paid off.



The Jämtlandsfjällen (fjäll = mountain) is a hiking paradise. Nature-loving Swedes and Norwegians visit here for a few days and enjoy the great nature and solitude. The area offers many kilometres of well-marked trails, from short walks to multi-week tracks. Some of these trails are also picture-perfect for bikers. In the mountains, there are no roads. The only thing you will find are the singletracks you have always dreamed of. The biking in northern Sweden can be challenging. Going uphill every stone and every step requires good riding technique and well-trained legs. In 2016 four of us have ridden the best trails and had the chance to experience the hospitality of Sweden and the fantastic landscape.

Storulvån

Our trip starts in the far west, close to the Norwegian border, a small road leads to Handölan and further on to Storulvån. In Storulvån there is a station of the Swedish Tourist Association STF. The STF operates throughout Sweden and manages hostels and mountain huts. In winter Storulvån is a paradise for ski touring and cross-country skiing - in summer it is the starting point for many hiking tours. A few years ago the STF began to offer guided bike tours in Storulvån. Meanwhile, there is a small network of day tours. Tours over several days are also possible. Even a small Fatbike fleet can be rented. In the surrounding area? you can find a couple of mountain huts. They are simply equipped, offer dormitories and food and are inviting to stay for a night.



The following days we do different tours around Storulvån. For most tours we will have to take our shoes off once or twice to cross a river. From the meltwater, the ground can be soggy and muddy. To cross these wet parts there are wooden planks to ride on. In the beginning these crossings need some practice in balance but after a few days they become our friends and will accompany us for rest of our trip. In Canada, these planks are called North-Shore-Trails. In Sweden, they are known as 'Spång.'


Åre

Åre should ring the bell for the winter athletes. Biathlon, Ski World Cup, and World Championships, as well as the Olympic games in 1954 were held in Åre. Next to the winter sports you can find the biggest bike park of Scandinavia. Åre is easily reached in about one and a half hours by car or train from Östersund. We will be staying in Åre for three days in a quiet hostel from where we can pay a few visits to the bike park. The trails are diverse and offer a wide variety of different levels of difficulty. We ride our all-mountain-bikes and will have a lot of fun on the flowing trails. For example on the jump line 'Shimano,' the technical 'Nelson,' or the seemingly endless 'Easy Rider.' It's a park for anyone and almost every child. Addictive.


Åre is not only worth a visit because of the bike park. In the small town, there are many cute little coffee bars hidden away. If you like outdoor clothes, you will find a few exclusive shopping opportunities here. Also with a broken bike, you are at the right place. Åre is probably the place with the greatest concentration of bike shops all over Sweden.

Lofsdalen

About three hours drive south of Åre, there is another bike park for downhill oriented bikers. It is slightly smaller than Åre and contains six slopes and a chairlift. Lofsdalen is still a 'secret spot' which is mainly visited by local bikers.



Vålådalen

Vålådalen is not far from Åre, but the exact opposite of the ski metropolis. In Vålådalen the Swedish cross-country national team trains all year round and yet the small town remains idyllic and quiet in a remote valley. We stay here to do one of the most beautiful tours in this area. 'Pyramiderna' is a five-hour tour through 'Issjödalen.' On this tour, you will pass through dense coniferous forests, landscapes with small birch trees and bushes, big moorlands and at the peak the alpine and stony highlands. On the way up, we keep constantly looking out for delicious cloudberries and mushrooms. Good driving technique is required here. The top of the plateau offers panoramic views of the river Valan and the 'Pyramids.' These 'Pyramids' grew out of a lake which lost its water thousands of years ago. The remaining sediment and rocks now form these three pyramids.



From here the trail flows down along an abandoned settlement of the 'Sami' (the native people of North Scandinavia). In the evening we prepare our dinner with the collected goods from the forest. If you take your time to suck in the surroundings, you will wish to be able to stay here.




Östersund and Frösön

To get from the western Jämtland to the more southern Härjedalen, we return to Östersund, where we landed a week ago. We pause the journey here, because the area around Östersund offers great opportunities with the bike. There are well-marked paths that can be used by hikers and bikers. The area around Östersund is known for large and picturesque lakes. In winter, the lakes transform into frozen highways. In summer the water is perfect for swimming, but now it is just a bit too cold! For one day in the area we choose to do a round trip around the nearby island of Frösön. The trails are relatively flat but still not easy. The technical difficulty on these trails are tree roots. Just before we get back to our car we push hard on the pedals and we will be rewarded with fantastic views and a delicious waffle from one of the many waffle huts on top of a hill. Despite the cool weather, it is a perfect day of biking!



Helags / Ljungdalen

The trips to Ljungdalen and Helags are short and easy to ride. The area surrounds the highest mountain in the region and offers great excursions for bikers and non-bikers. So you can hike from the STF Mountain hut to the foot of Helags. There are Arctic fox-expeditions or walks provided on the surrounding peaks.




The STF hut has an excellent sauna with an amazing view of the mountains. It is the best way to relax after a hard day on the bike saddle. The STF hut up here uses local products to prepare delicious meals. Like in all other cabins we get a first class, three-course menu with local fish, reindeer, berries and vegetables from the region.




The return ride the next morning to Ljungdalen is a great downhill track. A technical and flowing trail. There are quite a few uphill sections, which makes one feel the legs in the evening. Luckily we reach a waffle hut shortly before noon. Waffles provide good energy and spirit.





Funäsdalen

We head south. Even though I haven't heard too many good things about Funäsdalen, we still hope it is worth a visit. Funäsdalen advertises a singletrack network of an incredible 500 kilometres. Unfortunately, we quickly realize that the trails run on the winter cross-country tracks. In summer, the tracks are wide and often wet. The topography is ideal and would allow a development similar to the bike Eldorado of the far north. But somehow it seems to be unfinished. I hope this will change over next few years. After two days on the trails and tracks down south, we leave the area for our next destination: Ramundberget.

Ramundberget

If you can describe Ramundberget with three words, they would be flow, trails, and scenery. At first sight, the former mining settlement seems a bit sleepy, but the trails are some of the finest. Ramundberget has only one building which surprisingly isn't an STF accommodation!




The staff of this hotel, do all sorts of activities themselves are able to provide first-hand information on the best and most scenic trails.





During the two days in Ramundberget, we can enjoy the surrounding hills, we can observe the local wildlife and of course get to eat delicious waffles in the mountain huts. Besides the weasel and cranes, chances are high we will spot a moose.











Marieby

The time before our flight from Östersund to Zurich we will use to pay a visit to my friend Johan. A bike tour in the woods, followed by a hand cooked dinner at Johan's place is a great way to end our tour of Sweden. I have known Johan for a few years and I have always enjoyed the trips with him. His traditional Swedish cuisine is always something special to witness and never failed to put a smile on my face. He writes for an outdoor guide magazine and sometimes he works as a farmer.




Together with a few friends they own their own piece of land around Marieby where they created their own bike community. This is one of the first trail centres in Sweden. Some of the trails are freshly built, still soft and only a few days old. The older trails are fun, flowing singletrails which lead trough the woods. I lost complete orientation after a few minutes on some of them. We enjoy our last dinner on the farm of Johan, where he lives with his family and friends. All the people here seem to be bikers and can tell exciting stories from all over the world. A great and successful journey ends here in Marieby.

Those who love nature and don’t mind some technical trails uphill and downhill - the Swedish Jämtland and Härjedalen is exactly the right place! You have to work hard for some parts of the trails, but the area offers a lot of exciting flora and fauna ... and last but not least it is a great adventure.

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MENTIONS: @me-chi

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