it snowed today.
It was a GOOD day!
@sinbach wow, that's early! You clearly have different climate in the mountains than we have on the coast, on the same latitude. Every year I wish for a white November and December, to make it more fun and less dark, grey and boring. We sometimes get the first snow in Nov, sometimes in Dec. But it stays on the ground only from mid-Dec the earliest, or January. Hope you will share some pictures on DD soon of the beautiful landscape!
I suddenly remebered that I've been in Funäsdalen many years ago in the summer. We rented a cabin with a couple of Swedish friends and were hiking in the mountains. I would like to go there skiing sometimes... we always go skiing in Finland, because it's just to take the car. It's more expensive and takes more time to go to Sweden. But I would appreciate to ski downhill i de svenska fjällen!
@sinbach thanks for that information! Good to hear that we can save money by taking the ferry to ski in Sweden instead! (I use to go to Sweden every year, but don't know anything prices for ski passes and lodges). And even if we wouldn't save money, I suppose it would be worth the money to experience the mountain area. We don't have any mountain ranges in Finland, like Skanderna! Yes, Finland is super expensive. Our cars are among the most expensive in Europe so few people drive with brand new cars. Just one example. Some people buy cars from Sweden, and save money even if the tax for imported cars are around 20 %. Sweden don't have car taxes. That's why it's so much cheaper to lease a car in Swe, compared to Finland with 24 % VAT.
@tanjaostman yes, we spent new years skiing one year in Finland's arctic circle at Levi, and even though we were given our cabin for free by family friends, we were broke from the price of lift passes, rental equipment, and the price of food. we didn't rent a car at that time, but it was still super expensive for us. though we had a wonderful time, we would not be able to afford it again.
@tanjaostman BTW, of course I am a HUGE HUGE fan of Funäsdalen, Bruksvallarna, and Ramundberget - it really is much slower here and is not for everyone. I LOVE it, but if you would like the cute factor and really best Swedish experience - Åre is the place to go. We love going to Åre as a treat. They have great shops, amazing restaurants, and the best wine selection in northern Sweden. Åre does get super crowded though during the busy times of the year and is why we prefer to be here in Burksvallarna. Bruksvallarna has Sweden's best cross country skiing, but is super slow and not many people - which is how we like it. It does however, mean that there is less here in terms of shops, stores, restaurants, etc.
@sinbach thanks so much for that info! 🙏 Many people from Österbotten (the area where I live) go to Åre, and take the ferry from Vasa to Umeå or Turku-Stockholm. But we prefer the same things as you - nature! Bruksvallarna and Funäsdalen sounds perfect! If we go skiing, we don't need entertainment and shops. But restaurants and grocery stores are of use.... My husband loves cross-country skiing, so that would be perfect for him as he does long distances! I do it as well, but short distances. I prefer downhill 🎿, but I'm not 20 anymore, so I am fine with slower slopes. Edvin would also be fine with it. You are guilty of giving me temptations!! 🤣 I just feel that I have to go there!
@tanjaostman in that case, it's good for you to know that one ski pass will get you onto the lifts of several different ski mountains. Just in our area alone we have about 10 different locations for downhill skiing within driving distance that use the same pass. As for cross country, a single button is good for everywhere and it's on the honor system - no one checks for it. our cabin is on the trail, so it is ski in and ski out. if you ever do come, shoot me a note and we can send some recommendations.
@sinbach perfect! Thanks! 😊
@tanjaostman Funäsdalen is 20 minutes from our cabin. there are thousands of miles of cross country trails here which is what we enjoy and we can ski until mid-june. i would argue that you actually save money in sweden (depending on how long you stay). we have always found finland super expensive. we often take the ferry over when we travel to finland and take our car because car rental is so much cheaper in sweden, as is the price of fuel, food, lodging, and skiing. sweden is cheaper than even the US when it comes to lift passes. even now when we go skiing in america, we find the prices almost twice as much as in sweden.