Riksgransen

Don't be fooled by the piste map, there are only two chairlifts and four drag lifts, these few lifts lead to a huge amount of mountain. Don't even begin to worry about the resort topping out at 909 meters as you're so far north that they get a stupid amount of snow and top to bottom is a good long run. The pistes themselves are not taxing as they wind their way back to resort on the front side and down to the three drags on the back.

The joy here is the off piste down to the railway line over the border in Norway or the stupid amount of rockdrops on the mountain’s front face. A 50 min walk up to the summit of Nordalsfjall opens up a whole new mountain to ride but if you choose anything but the north face you'll have long walk out. From the top of Nordalsfjall you'll get a true picture of where you are; which is the middle of nowhere. This place is so remote and right on the border of Norway and the imaginary border of Lapland and there is nothing but wilderness in all directions, the nearest police station is in Kiruna 140km away. If you don't mind a walk, with the help of a car and a guide can ride a different mountain everyday of the season. If you have the cash you can heliboard numerous of then in just a few hours, even in the midnight sun if it takes your fancy.

They do nothing here for freestylers, other than a few rails near drag 3, but if you can't find yourself a number of routes down this mountain full of, rock drops, kickers, spines and ball braking large cliffs to fling yourself off you should take up another sport and stop getting in everyone else’s way.

Smooth rolling and gentle sums it up here, or in other words pretty dull. If you know your stuff you'll be bored after a day or two, but then if you know your stuff you'll be having a great time on the snow between the pistes. If you are boarding with beginners then the pistes will keep them happy for a week but total beginners won't like the drags or the old school chairlifts which smack you as you sit down and fling you off at the top. Riksgransen isn't about piste boarding it's about being imaginative off piste and riding well into the summer time. Piste loves should save their cash for the following season.

Beginners do make it up here, but in truth, it's a long way to come just for a couple of small easy flats.