Åre

Åre is Sweden's biggest resort and a proper year-round tourist town at the head of a fjord-like lake in Jämtland. Skiing rises out of the village to 1,420 m on Åreskutan, with 91 km of piste split between tree-lined lower bowls and the exposed upper mountain. Because of the latitude, cold snow stays cold, mid-winter groomers ski like corduroy in the shade even in April, but daylight is short in December and skiing is often supplemented with night lifts. The 1954 and 2007 World Championships were held here. Village nightlife is louder than a typical Scandinavian resort, an appropriately Swedish take on après.