Avalanche safety in Åre

Before you go off piste: Make sure to keep yourself and others safe – a good start is to read up on what you can do to minimize the risk of avalanches before you go out.

Click here to go to SkiStar’s avalanche information for Åre/Duved ski areas >>

#1 Read up

SkiStar’s website provides information about avalanche safety. Here you’ll find facts and tips, what to consider before going out in this area, links to current forecasts and information about avalanches.

#2 Wear the right equipment

A minimum amount of equipment required to travel in avalanche terrain is: knowledge, an avalanche transceiver, a shovel and a collapsible avalanche probe. If you don’t have your own gear you can borrow or rent the equipment (a number of businesses in Åre let avalanche equipment for a day or longer). Make sure that you have enough battery capacity in your transceiver and test that it functions together with your friend’s transceivers before heading out.

#3 Educate yourself

It’s one thing to read up on avalanche awareness. It’s a whole other thing to practice it. Åre Lavincenter offer shorter or longer courses at different levels throughout the winter season. This could be the perfect gift to yourself, or someone you care about. Click the link to find their contact information.

#4 Practice beforehand

If a person gets buried in an avalanche everything depends on anyone close by being able to rescue her or him. The lack of air when you are buried in snow makes every second end minute count. When an accident occurs you want the rescue work to run automatically. For this to be the case, you need to train with your avalanche gear on a regular basis. When snow conditions are right, there is an avalanche search and rescue training course above Åre Lavinscenter’s office in Stjärnbacken. You can also bury an avalanche transceiver in any snow field and take turns with a friend to search and dig it up.

#5  Keep yourself updated

On the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency website lavinprognoser.se you’ll find daily avalanche assessments and forecasts for Storulvån and Åre. The Ski System Operator SkiStar’s website is continuously updated with current forecasts and information about the weather and avalanche situation.

#6 Keep an eye on the avalanche risk

Most ski areas have daily avalanche indicators for areas outside the marked slopes of the ski system. The European Avalanche Danger Scale ranges from 1 to 5 (Low to Very High ) and may change during the day so it’s important to check the indicators on a regular basis. In the Åre and Duved ski areas the current situation regarding avalanches is communicated via the SkiStar website.

#7 Ride with responsibility

Avalanche forecasts and avalanche reports give a hint of how the situation outside the slopes are. However, it’s your own responsibility to make a qualified decision whether to go out or not. Make sure your decision is the right one :-).

Read more about skiing in Åre here.