Umeå, Sweden is definitely an underrated destination when it comes to cross country skiing! Throughout the winter months there is constantly around 1m of snow across the landscape meaning there are always amazing powdery tracks. We spent a week and a half in Umeå last February where we basically went skiing at a different track every day. After 9 days of exploring, here are my favourite 4 places to cross country ski in Umeå!
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Some useful phrases to look out for while cross country skiing in Sweden:
Längdskidor: Cross country skis
Spår: Track
Elljusspår: Lit up track
Konstsnöspår: Artificial snow tracks
Skidbackar: Ski hills
Fritids: Leisure time
Some things you shouldn’t forget cross country skiing:
It is obviously very cold in Umeå during the winter, and when you are spending all day outside cross country skiing it is important to make sure you are prepared! This means wearing the right clothes, having the right equipment and of course bringing great snacks!
What to wear cross country skiing
This depends on the temperature but we always stick to wearing thermals, a breathable t-shirt, a woolen jumper and a windproof coat on the top and then either thermal skiing trousers or thinner wind-proof trousers on the bottom.
Here are some things we make sure to bring with us every time we are skiing:
- A quality thermos to bring coffee or soup in! It’s surprising how quickly you can get tired when it’s cold and need a quick, warm energy boost!
- Compeed or another type of blister coverage. You can easily get blisters on your feet as well as your hands from holding the poles as you ski.
- Spare socks (usually Marino wool) incase your current ones get wet.
If you are visiting Umeå and want to read more about what we did there in the winter (other than cross country skiing) you can see my recommendations here!
Below in the descriptions of these tracks in Umeå I will refer to both classic cross country skiing and skating. Classic skiing refers to skiing within pre-marked tracks while skating means that there is a wider, flat surface where you can “skate” between the classic tracks. Most cross country tracks in Umeå have both classic and skating tracks, and some tracks that contain a little bit of both. Most of the time there will definitely be a classic track, while the skating is an extra.
The best cross country skiing tracks in Umeå
Gammlia skogen
Gammlia skogen (otherwise known as Stadsliden) is my personal favourite place to cross country ski in Umeå! Here, there are 5 different tracks, all with different difficulties and lengths, that wind around a beautiful forest with occasional views over the city of Umeå. It is amazing to ski here just before sunset as the snow reflects the fading light and it is magical.
The cross country tracks here are 1.9km, 3km, 3,2km, 3.7km and 10km in length. They are all lit apart from the 3km track. These tracks are also all set up for both classic cross country skiing and skating! If you are interested in downhill skiing (slalom) there is also a ski hill next to Gammlia skogen that you can test out!
Nydalasjön
Nydalasjön is one of the most popular inner city cross country skiing tracks in Umeå. On the weekends there are hundreds of people skiing and skating here (for good reason)! One thing I loved most about Nydalasjön is that around the edges there are many different sitting places carved into the snow, almost like igloos. If you bring a lunch of fika with you on your skiing adventure it’s amazing to sit in one of the snow “caves”, basking in the sun after a long ski!
Nydalasjön has three electrically lit tracks – these are 1.8km, 4.3km and 5km in length. The 4.3km track is an artificial cross-country skiing track so can be used a little out of the snow season. There is also a 6.4km, 8.6km and a 10km track which circle around the edges of the lake. Dogs are allowed on all of these tracks aside from the 4.3km artificial snow track. All the tracks here are made for skiing and skating and there is a big mix of professional and beginner skiers.
Röbäck
Röbäck is a really beautiful cross country skiing area with many tracks that are suitable for beginners and more advanced skiers. There is also the option here to take the “Historic places” track, which leads you past various historic landmarks within the Röbäck forest. This is a fun track for kids as well as less serious skiers. Röbäck has a 1.3km, 2.4km, and a 5.3km cross-country skiing track available for classic skiing as well as skating. There is also an 8.8km and a 10km skiing track that is reserved for classic skiing only.
Tavelsjö
Tavelsjö is a very interesting area just 30 minutes outside of Umeå. The area is known for having 10 peaks, which hikers can climb both in the summer and winter, as well as multiple cross country skiing tracks through the forest and across the lake.
You can read more about visiting Tavelsjö for hiking, ice bathing (isvak) and fresh baked sourdough pizza in my guide of things to do in Umeå in winter!
On the lake Tavelsjö there is a 15km track which starts at the cafe Root and basically runs around the edge of the lake. This can be quite a hard track if it is a windy day as there is no protection at all. It is very beautiful though and amazing to know you are cross-country skiing over a frozen lake the entire time!
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Callie says
Is renting ski equipment in any of these areas possible?
katiesaway says
I don’t think so sorry. But you can quite easily rent them in the city centre and take them with you, or they have free ski rental at the Fritidsbanken!