Discover the joy of cross country skiing in Skellefteå with our guide to family-friendly trails. Perfect for skiers of all levels, these routes offer scenic winter adventures for everyone. Calle Lundqvist of Visit Skellefteå is your expert guide.
It may be a bit presumptuous to say that Skellefteå is the cradle of skiing. That everything started here thousands of years ago. But the fact is that the world’s oldest preserved ski, was found in Kalvträsk, right outside Skellefteå. It is dated to 3,200 BCE and is thus over 5,200 years old.
Skellefteå offers one of Sweden’s best cross-country skiing systems up on Vitberget just two kilometers north of the city center. There is a wide range of easy tracks perfect for families, but also tough and hilly ones for those who train hard. In addition, there are about 30 additional tracks around the municipality which gives everyone the opportunity to go cross-country skiing regularly.
For more information, please visit visitskelleftea.se/crosscountryskiing
Vitberget
Where: Vitberget, central Skellefteå
Length: 3 – 10 km (3 km illuminated)
Difficulty rating: Easy – advanced
Suitable for kids: Yes, for the whole family
Description: Vitberget’s 3 km illuminated cross-country ski trail is the one that attracts the most enthusiasts. It’s a gently rolling trail suitable for both classic cross-country skiing and skate skiing. At the start of the trail, there is car parking and a warming hut available.
How to get there: To get there by car, drive up the hill past Skellefteå Kraft Arena and turn left towards the bicycle park, Skellefteå Bike Arena. Immediately after the park, turn right up a small hill, and you will see the parking area straight ahead.
Lövånger
Where: Central Lövånger
Length: 2,5 km illuminated
Difficulty rating: Easy
Suitable for kids: Yes. Suitable for the whole family
Description: The track is a nice forest loop that takes you around the mountain on the other side of the lake and then back to the start.
How to get there: Approximately 1 km from the center. At the church, follow the road Kyrkren until you reach the cemetery. From there, take Dahlephils väg up to Kyrksjön. The ski track starts right next to the lake.
Byske
Where: Central Byske
Length: 0,5 km – 5 km (4 km illuminated)
Difficulty rating: Easy – Medium
Suitable for kids: Yes, for the whole family
Description: The three illuminated ski tracks are the Technique Loop, which is 0,5 km long, tricky, and fun with tight turns; the 1,5 km track, which is easy to ski; and the 4 km track, which has mild elevations. In addition to these, there are also 2,5 km and 5 km ski tracks that are daylight tracks. These two are tougher and more hilly than the other three.
How to get there: The start is just a few hundred meters from Byske center. From the gas station, take the road towards Byske Havsbad. When you get to the football field, the ski track is right across the road by a little red cottage.
Burträsk
Where: Central Burträsk
Length: 1,5 km, 2,5 km, 5 km
Difficulty rating: Easy – Medium
Suitable for kids: Yes, for the whole family
Description: In Burträsk, there are 3 cross-country ski tracks, of which 2 are illuminated. It is the 2 longer ski tracks of 5 km and 2.5 km that are illuminated, and these can easily be combined in various ways to assemble a classic 10 km loop for those who want to go the distance. The shortest track is located north of the two other loops and is a daylight track.
How to get there: Take the road Skolgatan from the city center approximately 0,7 km. All 3 ski tracks start by the ice rink Isbjörnen right next to the school.
Boliden
Where: Central Boliden
Length: 1,5 km, 2,5 km, 3,5 km
Difficulty rating: Easy
Suitable for kids: the whole family
Description: The illuminated track has lengths of 3.5 km (red), 2.5 km (blue), and 1.5 km (yellow). At the beginning of the illuminated track, there is a ski play park for free skiing on a gently sloping hill.
How to get there: Just a few hundred meters from the Boliden center, right next to the lake Sidtjärn. The beginning of the cross-country ski track is located next to Bolidengården, the timbered old house at the edge of the forest.
Jörn
Where: Central Jörn
Length: 5,3 km illuminated
Difficulty rating: Easy – Medium
Suitable for kids: Yes. Suitable for the whole family
Description: The ski track extends from Jörn Experience Hotel and takes you around a nice forest loop around the mountain Majaberget. The total length of the ski track is 5.3 km, but there are a couple of shortcuts that allow the track to be shortened slightly.
How to get there: Approximately 0,5 km from the city center take a right turn at Furugatan. The ski track starts by the indoor swimming pool building that’s right next to the school.
Kåge
Where: Central Kåge
Length: 2,8 km illuminated.
Difficulty rating: Easy – Medium
Suitable for kids: Yes, for the whole family
Description: The track is a nice forest loop which then lops back to the start. It is possible to take a shortcut if you wish to take a bit of a shorter loop.
How to get there: From the ICA supermarket, follow Gamla Kågevägen approximately 0,5 km and take a left turn. The ski track starts right next to the tennis court.
Skiing with kids
When cross-country skiing with children under 10 years of age, it is not the number of kilometers that count. Instead, make the training a carefree game. Create playful tracks, use ski poles, sticks, gloves, practice weight shifting by skiing without poles, and let them try skate skiing. The more variety you can give them, the more fun and playful the training becomes. Preferably ski often and for short periods so that the child does not get bored, but rather can look forward to skiing. Skiing is, for most people, so much more than just a form of exercise. It’s about experiencing nature and socializing, and that is just as important for the smallest skiers. Bring snacks in a backpack, experience and discover what is around you and see the time together as an outing rather than a workout. Call it skiing instead of ”training to ski”.
Can I ski wherever I want?
The Right of Public Access
(Allemänsrattan) is amazing! It offers the opportunity to be anywhere in nature, regardless of conditions. But with all this freedom come responsibilities. So, remember to leave places as you would like to find them and, of course, take all your trash home with you. Please be careful not to get too close to other people’s houses.
What about
equipment?
Purchasing brand new equipment for the whole family might feel both a bit cumbersome and a bit expensive. Especially for those trying cross-country skiing for the first time. However, there are alternatives that make trying out skiing both easier and more affordable.
Fritidsbanken
Think of it as a library but with sports, leisure and outdoor equipment. Fritidsbanken collects items that are no longer in use and lends them out free of charge for up to 14 days.
Fritidsbanken gives children and adults the opportunity to try new activities, while contributing to a sustainable society through the reuse of equipment.
fritidsbanken.se/fritidsbank/skelleftea
HYRAS
HYRAS rents out wax-free cross-country skis and accessories. You can rent equipment for anywhere from one day to an entire season. For more information, visit their website.
Accommodation
The cross-country ski trails in Skellefteå are not just a place for residents. At Vitberget in Skellefteå, you can find one of Sweden’s best-prepared ski trails. So why not make a weekend of exploring them and combine world-class skiing with fine dining and a spa? Check out all the wonderful accommodation packages that Skellefteå offers, all related to cross-country skiing and all guaranteed to give you fabulous apres-ski attention.
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