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Zipline Åre
It must be admitted that the Alps surpass Åre when it comes to skiing, but when it comes to ziplining, this small idyll in Sweden’s Jämtland has the most thrilling ride in Europe. If you’re up to it, you can fly through the air at 75 kilometres per hour, 65 metres above the ground.
A zipline is a cable along which you fly through the air in a harness above the landscape of Åreberg.
“We have the longest consecutive facility in Europe, and about 4,000 people visit every year. The feeling of throwing yourself into free space, far above the treetops, can not be compared with anything”, says Tony Wallin, site manager at Camp Åre.
The first two lines at Åreskutan were installed in January 2007, and a further six had been set up by the summer of the same year. The longest line provides nearly 400 metres of adrenaline-powered travel across flowing streams and deep ravines.
The lines are grouped into two systems, with four lines in each. The green system has lines with slightly lower speed, height and length, while the black system is for the rider who wants more excitement. The lengths in the green system range from 50 to 150 metres, those in the black system from 200 to 360 metres. The greatest height above the ground in the black system is 65 metres, and speeds can reach 75 kilometres per hour.
“We get quite a few families with children, and occasionally a stag party. I must point out, however, that we only allow those who are fully sober to ride the zipline”, says Tony Wallin.
Outward‑bound organizer Camp Åre has taken the initiative for the project and has launched what it calls “Ecotours”. These are very popular in the US, and their purpose is to promote Åre as a leading European tourist resort for both summer and winter visits. Ecotours involve a guide telling visitors about the natural world in Åre, and its history. Such a tour, including riding the zipline, takes about two hours.
The possibility of accidents is never far from your mind when the only things preventing you falling are a cable and harness. But Tony Wallin is quick to contradict this idea.
“It’s no more dangerous than driving a car or walking along the street. The cables can hold a load of two tonnes, and this means that a group of twelve people and two guides can be suspended at the same time without problem. It is, actually, more dangerous to walk around in the terrain under the zipline stations than it is to ride between them. We run the zipline all through the year, except for during thunderstorms – for obvious reasons”, says Tony Wallin.
A zipline is a cable along which you fly through the air in a harness above the landscape of Åreberg.
“We have the longest consecutive facility in Europe, and about 4,000 people visit every year. The feeling of throwing yourself into free space, far above the treetops, can not be compared with anything”, says Tony Wallin, site manager at Camp Åre.
The first two lines at Åreskutan were installed in January 2007, and a further six had been set up by the summer of the same year. The longest line provides nearly 400 metres of adrenaline-powered travel across flowing streams and deep ravines.
The lines are grouped into two systems, with four lines in each. The green system has lines with slightly lower speed, height and length, while the black system is for the rider who wants more excitement. The lengths in the green system range from 50 to 150 metres, those in the black system from 200 to 360 metres. The greatest height above the ground in the black system is 65 metres, and speeds can reach 75 kilometres per hour.
“We get quite a few families with children, and occasionally a stag party. I must point out, however, that we only allow those who are fully sober to ride the zipline”, says Tony Wallin.
Outward‑bound organizer Camp Åre has taken the initiative for the project and has launched what it calls “Ecotours”. These are very popular in the US, and their purpose is to promote Åre as a leading European tourist resort for both summer and winter visits. Ecotours involve a guide telling visitors about the natural world in Åre, and its history. Such a tour, including riding the zipline, takes about two hours.
The possibility of accidents is never far from your mind when the only things preventing you falling are a cable and harness. But Tony Wallin is quick to contradict this idea.
“It’s no more dangerous than driving a car or walking along the street. The cables can hold a load of two tonnes, and this means that a group of twelve people and two guides can be suspended at the same time without problem. It is, actually, more dangerous to walk around in the terrain under the zipline stations than it is to ride between them. We run the zipline all through the year, except for during thunderstorms – for obvious reasons”, says Tony Wallin.
