Exploring Sweden's Mountain Biking Playground at Åre Bikepark

Situated just over 7 hours north of the Swedish capital Stockholm, is the country's biggest mountain biking wonderland; Åre Bikepark. With 35 trails totalling over 50km worth of singletrack, it's a dreamland for mountain bikers. Whatever your preference Åre caters to them all, from open mountain top trails with endless rock slabs to negotiate, fast and flowy jump lines through the trees sure to get your adrenaline pumping, or steep, rooty and rocky tech trails that push the limits of your fresh tubeless setup.

Whilst on a trip through Scandinavia, myself and 3 friends Tina Gerber, Monet Adams and Hanna Jonsson headed over to Åre bike park where our token Swede and Scandi bombshell Hanna, took on the role of being our very own personal guide.


I always find myself going through phases of the type of riding and terrain I like, one day I could be bouncing off the ceiling stoked on jump lines, and the next all I'll want to do is thrash some technical rocky descents. Thankfully Åre was well equipped to ensure that I'd never get bored of riding the same old stuff. At the end of the week in Åre I came away with 2 favourite tracks: Bräckebäcksleden and Shimano. Both tracks are a perfect example of the range on offer at the bike park as Bräckebäcksleden is a rocky, rooty, tight and often quite dark track weaving through the trees. Shimano on the other hand, it's wide open, fast, and packed with jump after jump. Åre is a place where the novelty of a trail doesn't wear off.








As a mountain biker from Sweden, Hanna is no stranger to Åre bike park, but this time it was different.




But it's not just the tracks that will provide endless fun and entertainment, the local town of Åre itself is packed with coffee shops, bars, restaurants and culture, allowing you to fully immerse yourself into the Swedish lifestyle. Heck, even go and try out some real, authentic Swedish meatballs, you won't be disappointed! We were never gutted when the lifts closed at the end of the day because it meant we could move onto our next best thing; food and drink.






Finally, and more personally the best thing about Åre; the abundance of wonderful and friendly dogs. No good bike ride or adventure is ever complete without saying hello to a four-legged friend or two, and a run is going to be made even better when you get to pet a dog before jumping on the lift.



Getting to Åre

If you're not driving, you can take advantage of the local public transport or book a transfer. The local airports to Åre are Trondheim just west over the border in Norway or Ostersund, an hour and a half away from Åre itself. Or, if you've found yourself in the capital and you're in the mood for a long-distance bus ride, you can even jump on a bus in Stockholm and wind up in Åre.

More information can be found here.