Åre news winter 2025

The winter season deadline in Åre is usually the traditional ski testing weekend around Lucia, December 13. Everything new should ideally be ready by then, and this year is no exception. Restaurants need to be built, magazines sent to print, snow cannon systems must be fully excavated and ready to go at the slightest degree below zero. The last month is usually filled with busy days and short nights. Here’s the list of news in Åre for 2025—what will you not miss experiencing this winter?

Hearty news

Restaurant 720 at the top of Bräckeliften rises from the ashes! After the fire in 2023, when the building burned down to its foundations, the plans for its rebirth have been set, and this winter it’s finally time. Owners Andreas and Viktor say they strive to recreate the atmosphere and feeling of the old 720, while also developing the new building with larger terraces, more toilets, and a modernized kitchen to provide visitors with a better overall experience. Of course, we look forward to once again being served beer in frosty glasses at 720 meters above sea level and gazing out at the snow park in Bräcke this winter! 720 >>

Like a house party in the kitchen – that’s how restaurateurs Nicklas Gustafsson and Philip Hafstad describe their new restaurant opening in the heart of Åre. Husk c/o Svartberget will be a neighborhood bistro with strong influences from the 1970s, where those who experienced that era can relive the feeling of their teenage years, not just through the comfort food in the kitchen, but through the interior style, music, and overall atmosphere. Svartberget’s brewery will fill the taps with local beer. The name? Husk means “remember” in both Danish and Norwegian, and here new, wonderful memories are to be made! Husk >>

At the historic Tott Hotel, renovations have been ongoing for several years, and this winter will see the opening of Zoft, a brand-new restaurant that embraces the details of a bygone era. The yellow villa’s mullioned windows, the generous open fireplace, and not least the magnificent view over all of Åre. The menu spans from the Mediterranean to Asia, with a wide selection of bar options to encourage a stop on the way between the slopes and the village. The name Zoft describes the atmosphere they want to create here. A cool glass on their terrace could be the perfect end to one of spring’s best ski days. Zoft >>

At the heating cabin in Rödkullen, Basecamp is expanding its café operations through a collaboration with the charcuterie company Scan. In the new kitchen, this winter you will be able to order hot meals for all family members. As an extension, Basecamp is also opening a food stall and a new heating cabin at the base station of the Bräcke skilift. Here, Skistar has created larger spaces around the lift entrance through groundworks to improve accessibility and flow. Basecamp >>

With a majestic location and rich history, Hållfjället is a place where time can seem to stand still. The tourist station from 1943 is now being carefully restored to open as an off-grid mountain lodge in 2025. We follow their work with anticipation! Hållfjället >>

New taste experiences are emerging around Åre through driven and engaged individuals. This fall, we’ve had the chance to try warming chai from Åre Te & Kryddor, which has opened in Duved. For Friday coziness, Ostgaraget offers a bag with selected quality treats. And in Undersåker, Fävikens lanthandel, a country store carrying local produce, is growing. The place is opening in December filled with the finest food craftsmanship and raw ingredients from Jämtland.

New on the mountain

The 2024/25 ski season will last longer than usual, as Easter is late this year, and lifts and slopes will remain open until May 4. The areas of Duved, Tegefjäll, and Björnen will also remain open longer than usual and close on April 27. All updated information about lift and slope opening times can be found here >>

In Björnen, snow reliability is being improved from the Björnliften lift up to Copperhill, where a new snow cannon system is being installed. This effort will extend the possibilities for getting to and from both the hotel and other accommodations with ski-in/ski-out access in the Björnen area. At the bottom of the Björnen skilift, a new slope-side restaurant will open in the nearby neighboring building.

In the children’s area at Rödkullen, kids will be able to try skicross in a safe environment this winter, experiencing both the joy of skiing, speed, and excitement. A kid-friendly skicross course, Valles Ski Cross, is being built and will be ready for the winter season. In Duved, space is also being made for a skicross course as Mullfjällsbacken is being widened.

Skistar is working strategically and continuously to reduce its carbon footprint while improving its products and services. In this spirit, seven previously gasoline-powered snowmobiles will be replaced with electric snowmobiles this winter, and an electric piste groomer will also be added. The result will be both lower emissions and a quieter mountain environment.

This summer, Skistar initiated a unique partnership for fossil-free bus transport with Länstrafiken, which will continue this winter with electric buses operating frequent routes. This initiative is unique in that a private company is collaborating with regional Länstrafiken to make improvements to the infrastructure for both guests and locals.

This winter, a new digital queue system will be in place at eleven of Åre’s ski lifts. The system continuously assesses the number of people passing through and provides more transparency about expected wait times. This will help you, as a guest, to find areas with fewer people, shorter lines, and more skiing.

New activities and events in Åre

Music festival Åre Sessions expands this year to become both the first and last festival of the winter season, with the new addition Åre Pre Sessions during the opening weekend of December 13-14. Among the artists are Daniela Rathana, Yaeger, and Storken. Keep an eye out for the program for the season finale from April 30 to May 4, with artist announcements throughout the winter. Åre Sessions >>

In close collaboration with World Cup Åre, the first-ever Nordic Sustainability Arena will be held this winter, bringing together stakeholders with a strong focus on climate to accelerate sustainability efforts. The goal is to drive change that preserves our white winters. Nordic Sustainability Arena >>

During the event Midvinterfestivalen at the turn of January and February, classical tunes will echo through this valley. The organization Kammarmusikens vänner (Friends of Chamber Music) have invited some of Europe’s finest musicians to Åre and Östersund. Concerts will be held at Åre Old Church and Bergstugan in Fröå. Midvinterfestivalen >>

For this winter, Adventure Store Åre has really ramped up. They quietly opened their store in Såå at the end of last winter, and now it’s packed with machines ready to hit the mountain. Here, you’ll find snowmobiles, ATVs, and all kinds of relates equipment from leading brands, plus a workshop to take care of your fast and loved machines. Adventure Store Åre >>

The activity company Explore Åre is investing in and building a 700m² event hall in Brattland, next to Åre. The facility will include offices, storage, and specially designed spaces for the business, generous event areas, a large kitchen, and other features that enable flexible event solutions close to the mountain. Explore Åre >>

Åre Ljusfabrik will become a new experience; in addition to buying local handicrafts in their factory shop, visitors will soon be able to enjoy their own candle-making session. The activity is a great way to socialize while crafting a number of handmade candles to take home. Once the candles are finished, homemade goulash soup, sourdough bread, drinks, and coffee will be served to the group. Back at home, the cozy experience continues as you light your handmade candles, which burn for a long time. Åre Ljusfabrik >>

The musical “The Little Mermaid” will be performed at Holiday Club on January 3, 2025, as a spectacular and grand finale to the Christmas holiday. This will be the second show arranged by Dröse & Norberg in Åre, following last year’s performance of The Jungle Book. This performance is a true family adventure with newly written music, imaginative costumes, exciting characters, and a captivating set design. Dröse & Norberg >>

Of course, it’s virtually impossible to list everything happening in Åre over an entire winter, but take a look at Åre’s calendar, which is continuously updated with activities and experiences. Here, we also list all of this year’s major events.

We’re also a little proud

Just in time for the start of the winter season, the World Ski Awards has named some of the best places in the world for a ski holiday. Åre won no less than three awards this year: Sweden’s best ski resort, Buustamons Fjällgård for best ski boutique hotel, and Copperhill’s The Villa for best ski chalet.

Hotel Åre Fjällsätra has worked hard to preserve and update a historic location and has rightfully been rewarded by being nominated as a Gazelle company by newspaper Dagens Industri. What the hotel owners first dismissed as spam turned out to really be an invitation to the prestigious award ceremony in Blå Hallen in Stockholm.

Åre Skidfabrik, the only ski factory in the Nordic region, which produces local skis with a strong focus on sustainability, has been named Industrial Company of the Year in Jämtland Härjedalen.

Åre’s activity hotel Holiday Club is celebrating its 20th anniversary in November! The construction of the large hotel by the shore of Lake Åresjö is a milestone in Åre’s history. A bold project, which in July 2024 celebrated its highest occupancy month (of all months of the year since the hotel opened), a milestone in itself. Double congratulations from us!

Åre Destinations’ own award, “Årets Eldsjäl” (Spirit of the Year), is being awarded this year to Patrik Nordin, the force behind the ever growing summer event Fjällmaraton. He receives the award for his innovation in creating new types of races at different times of the year and for his dedicated work building sustainable trails in the mountains. The races have great significance for the entire Åre valley in strengthening the summer season. Warm congratulations!