Try skating for a different winter adventure
Sweden’s tour-skating tradition offers a different view of winter, with Dalarna among the destinations highlighted in this article.
When winter arrives, skiing tends to dominate the conversation. From December to March, slopes and cross-country trails are busy. But skating offers another way to enjoy a winter outing and see the landscape from a different perspective.
Skating is about more than ice hockey and figure skating. Frozen lakes can offer a new view of the surrounding countryside, including in the Swedish mountains. Whether an outing is possible depends on the ice conditions.
A hockey nation with room for more recreational skating
Given Sweden’s Olympic and world championship hockey gold medals, its many clubs and its players in international leagues, the original article argued that Swedes did surprisingly little recreational skating.
Sweden has many natural skating destinations. Around Dalarna’s well-known ski resorts are lakes noted for their skating routes and scenery. Routes differ in length and difficulty, with options for beginners as well as experienced tour skaters.
Dalarna: a skating favorite
Sweden is often described as the birthplace of tour skating and of the first skating association. Touring routes can be found from Skåne to Norrbotten, although their availability depends on temperatures and ice conditions.
Among these destinations, Dalarna has earned a reputation as a skater’s paradise. Places highlighted in the original article included Brunnsjön, Flosjön and Ljustern.
These lakes were described as having plowed skating tracks of varying lengths and surface smoothness, with food and barbecue areas nearby. Other activities mentioned included snowmobiling and kicksledding on the ice. These descriptions reflect the source article; local conditions determine what is available for any particular visit.
