Between the 10th of february to the end of april our plan is to ski along the mountain range in Sweden. We feel happy about that but also a little bit sorry that we can not guide any guest during this period. So instead of personal guiding we came up with an idea to share a few tips about nordic backcountry skiing and alpine backcountryskiing in our home area. We hope that this will help some of you to find good skiing during your visit in the north of Dalarna.
Nordic backcountry skiing
The north of Dalarna is a worldclass area for traditional nordic backcountryskiing. Our favorite destination is Grövelsjön on the swedish and the norwegian side of the border. The map below show one of our favorite tours.
Blåkläppen och Fosksjökläppen via Oskarstugan ca 15 km
This tour contains several of the parts we appreciate with ski touring, such as mountain veiws and some fun downhill slopes at the right gradient for this kind of skiing. It is a tour that is best done in really good weather as it is mostly above the tree line. We always do this tour counter clockwise and start and end at STF Grövelsjön mountainstation. At the start you follow the marked wintertrail to Hävlingestugorna but when you get above the treeline and you leave the trail and aim for the top of Blåkläppen. The downhill on Blåkläppens southside have often good snow and you can, with some turns, have fun on the downhill. Oskarstugan is a good place for a break but you can also ski east and make this tour a little bit shorter. On the east side of Fosksjökläpparna we often go over the mountain but you can also go around it on the north side. After that follow the wintertrail against Grövelsjön and when it begins to go downhill cross over to the other wintertrail and this will take you back to STF Grövelsjön mountainstation
Sushögda circle is a nice tour on the norweigian side of the border in Grövelsjön. Start and end at the parkingspot on the road to Elgå. The tour shown on the map is about 12 km long.
Alpine backcountry skiing
The mountain Elgåhogna is located on the Norwegian side of the border in Grövelsjöfjällen. You can reach it easily from the road between Storsätern and Norwegian Elgå. We usually follow the summer trail along the stream ravine on the way up, but then choose the other path on the way down. If you have the time, it is possible to do several rides up at the top in different weather conditions. However, be aware that some slopes have an inclanation of 25 degrees or more and are there with potential avalanche terrain.
Nipfjället is a favorite close to our home. It is located just north of Idre. There are several good runs here and it is often possible to find good snow on some slope. There are slopes with different gradients and steeper terrain regularly causes avalanches
Have fun and take care
Lars and Elin
