It’s a first-world problem, but you must choose between the Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun.
That’s because the ski lifts in Riksgränsen don’t start turning until the end of February when the sun finally climbs above the horizon for a few minutes each day. You’ll only have a few weeks when you might still catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis, but day by day, the night sky will become increasingly saturated with ever-changing hues of rose, saffron and lemon until you’re bathed in it 24/7 by May. We think it’s a small price to experience what has become a Mecca for spring freeriding. And, among the cognoscenti, Riksgränsen is legendary for its off-piste skiing, whether you’re earning your turns or treating yourself to heli-drops.
So, just as most skiers in the northern hemisphere are running out of options for spring skiing, the scene in Swedish Lapland is just beginning to go off. After breakfast on any typical day, the clouds can lift to reveal Riksgränsen washed in low, Arctic light, and, in an instant, the mountain will go from ghost town to a swarm of skiers tearing up powdery bowls, railing groomers, or backflipping off cornices like some frenzied winter carnival. This near-instantaneous transformation is a marquee for the resort’s potent draw — a little bit Alaska, a little bit Alps, and a whole lot of stoke. In bounds, there are just two chairlifts and four T-bars scaling 400 metres of vertical, but they top out above 30 marked runs on a treeless mountain where you can ski anywhere in any direction, including in and out of Norway. The entire mountain is a massive natural terrain park with rollers, wind-lips, cliffs, gullies and steep landings everywhere.
The added draw is that to the south, you’ll find a vast, equally treeless range boasting more than 200 rounded peaks, including most of the highest mountains in Sweden (~2000 metres) and covering an area of 5000 square kilometres. Fresh turns and face shots are easily accessible from the top of the chairlift until June or during a short but incredibly sweet heli-ski season from mid-March to the end of May.
Riksgränsen owes its existence to the nearby mining town of Kiruna. Perched atop one of the world’s largest iron deposits, getting the ore to market required building a railway to the ice-free harbour in Narvik, Norway. Officials dwelling in isolation at the customs house on the border had little else to do but ski. Eventually, they rented rooms in the rail buildings to other skiers, and after World War II, lifts appeared. The mountain was big and bold, its season stretching into June. With the added novelty of skiing under the Midnight Sun, it soon became northern Europe’s most important ski area, drawing outsiders and trendsetters.
Too far off the beaten path to hold international alpine races, Riksgränsen was a freeride Mecca from the start, a place where pro mogul skiers, racers, or those who’d just wrapped a season in the Alps would migrate for a season-ender bender of fun and frolic in sweet corn snow. This made for a vibrant freestyle destination in the 1970s, a snowboarding ground-zero in the 1980s, and host to some of the first ski and snowboard freeride competitions in the 1990s. The Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships continues to this day as the world’s longest-running freeride event, held on the 50-degree face of Nordalsjfall, looming just south of the ski area.
The reputation as a spring ski destination continues to grow, possibly partly due to global warming, as snowpacks in more southerly locations disappear earlier each year. A two-hour drive through northern Sweden from the airport in Kiruna or 50 kilometres from Narvik, Norway (and its own fabled ski area), Riksgränsen can also be reached by the scenic Arctic Circle Train from either city or on an overnight trip from Stockholm.
The sun doesn’t go to bed from the end of May onward, so you don’t have to either. This works well if you’re a young freerider amped up from sending kickers all day, but it also works well if you like to earn your turns because you’ve got lots of time for a leisurely lunch — in fact, as many snacks as you want — while sitting in the sun in just your shirt sleeves. It also allows heli-skiing operators to slow the frantic pace faced by their southern competitors rushing to get a certain number of laps in by nightfall. In fact, many Lapland operators might not venture out till the late afternoon when the photos are best. Golden hour lasts … for hours. In other words, leave your headlamp at home.
Surprisingly, Riksgränsen enjoys considerably milder winters than most would expect in the Arctic due to its proximity to the warm North Atlantic Current. The prevailing low-pressure systems dump massive snow for months before the lifts open. The best months for powder are March and April, but you’ll also need more patience to find the blessed combination of snow, sun, and no wind. Then follows “vårvinter” — Sweden’s “fifth season” when winter starts to recede before spring takes hold — cold snow persists on north faces while corn is ripe for harvesting on southerlies. Spring takes its time here, but it is usually t-shirt weather by May, and corn snow abounds. Usually, the base will still be well over 200 centimetres at the end of June.
Riksgransen is tiny but has everything you need, including groceries. Accommodation ranges from simple guest houses with bunk rooms to the award-winning Niekhu Mountain Villa, the world’s most exclusive heli-ski lodge (and a dining experience par excellence).
