Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
An excellent web resource for fishing in Sweden is
www.cinclusc.com/spfguide,
or con-
tact
Sportfiskeförbundet
(Angling Federation;
08-704 44 80;
info@sportfiskarna.se
)
.
Skiing
Large ski resorts cater mainly to downhill (alpine and telemark) skiing and snowboarding,
but there's also scope for cross-country touring. For cross-country (Nordic) skiing, the
northwest usually has plenty of snow from December to April. The Kungsleden and other
long-distance hiking tracks provide great skiing. You can also ski along parts of the Vas-
aloppet ski-race track in Dalarna (the town of Mora is a good starting point). Most towns
have illuminated skiing tracks.
Take the usual precautions: don't leave marked routes without emergency food, a good
map, local advice and proper equipment including a bivouac bag. Temperatures of -30°C
or lower (including wind-chill factor) are possible, so check the daily forecasts. Police and
tourist offices have information on local warnings. In mountain ski resorts, where there's a
risk of avalanche (
lavin
), susceptible areas are marked by yellow, multilingual signs and
buried-skier symbols. Make sure your travel insurance covers skiing.
Skating
When the Baltic Sea freezes (once or twice every 10 years), fantastic tours of Stockholm's
archipelago are possible. The skating season usually lasts from December to March. Less
ambitiously, there's skating all winter on many city parks and ponds, including Kung-
strädgården in Stockholm, with skate-rental booths nearby.
Dogsledding
Sweden's Sami have readily adopted dogsledding as a means of winter transport, follow-
ing in the footsteps of the indigenous people of Siberia, and excursions are available in
most northern towns. Apart from being the most ecofriendly means of exploring the Arctic
regions, it's also one of the most enjoyable ways of getting around, allowing you to bond
with your own husky team and to slow down and appreciate the surrounding wilds as the
