Riksgransen Cancels Midsummer Skiing

Riksgransen ski area in Northern Sweden has cancelled its annual midsummer ski in late June and will close for the season this Sunday, May 27th, not making it in to June.

The resort which has a long standing reputation as Europe’s spring skiing capital is located 200km north of the Arctic Circle and on the Norwegian border has been a ski destination for about a century, since the railway line arrived here.

Riksgransen is located in an area of 24 hour darkness in midwinter and does not open for its ski season until late February each year, normally ending a four month ski season with a sell-out midsummer ski festival in late June.

This year however the snow cover has already largely melted way and the past week the area’s snow report has stated there was not enough snow left to groom a run and only ‘freeride terrain’ with a snow depth of around 50cm at the top of the ski slopes. So they have decided to call it a day after Sunday.

Riksgransen is also famous in the ski world for running its lifts after midnight from mid-May when 24 hour daylight arrives at its northerly latitude, meaning people can ski or board under the midnight sun.