ksu

Copenhagen, due to Christmas Market in Tivoli!

travelinmanS

+100

Scandinavia is to be avoided at all costs in the winter. Depressing, cold, dark and boring IMHO. Is there a particular reason you've limited yourself to these 2 destinations?

Sweden is beautiful and a wonderful destination in the Summer, my signficant other is Swedish and even she doesn't go back in winter anymore.

ksu

Don't be daft! Some attractions in Scandinavia (aurora borealis) only exist in winter, and winter sports are great here. And, as it is colder than many other parts in winter, we are well prepared for winter. We heat our houses properly, we can drive with snow on the roads, and the cultural attractions are better (concerts, theatres...)

SK

I am not limited to these two destinations. It's just that I am looking to go to a place in northern Europe that I haven't been before.

For my pre-Christmas 4/5-day visits (which are followed by Christmas with my family in Greece) I prefer to go to places where winter is winter. So, I've been to Germany many times, and also Austria, Switzerland, Czech republic, Finland, UK, etc. I like cold, snowy winters (as I like warm, sunny summers). I live in upstate NY, where we have lots of snow and relatively cold winters, so cold is not an issue for me.

GUWonder

When there is a lot of snow on the ground, I like the winters in the region. When there is little to no snow, then the winters seem a drag. I tend to really like snow-covered Stockholm.

gnaget

CPH is not likely to have proper winter. Snow before Christmas is unlikely. More likely to be damp, dark and dreary.

Also, the Danes don't really deal well with snow because it's not that common. They don't use snow tires, public transport breaks down, side streets are not plowed and CPH is a mess if it snows. So if you have snow in Copenhagen it's not a good thing. Similar to Washington DC in fact.

I basically only travel to Scandinavia May to October and I am a "native".

I suppose if you really want to push the limits and guarantee winter then you can go to Kiruna or Tromsø and see the Aurora Borealis. The former will be extremely cold.

p.s. Skiing is mediocre in Scandinavia compared to the Alps, Rockies, Japan, and South America. In fact it's kind of like skiing in upstate NY. Also, you have the issue of darkness around Xmas time. In the far north it will be closed because there is no daylight.

tsastor

Scandinavia is not the Alps, but often has better snow conditions and a longer season.

Unlike the Alps many slopes are floodlighted so you can ski longer days or just in the evenings if you please. For the same reason, the dark days are no problem.

GUWonder

Longer season and operating hours but worse ski conditions on average, at least speaking of Sweden. I don't even want to think of the punishment that it would be to be limited to skiing in Denmark.

For northern hemisphere skiing during the mid-December to end of March period, Sweden is never my preferred destination for skiing.

gnaget

Better snow? Powder skiing is pretty much non-existent in Scandinavia. It's like skiing in New England or Upstate NY for that matter. There is a reason that serious skiers in Sweden travel to the Alps.

The big resort is Åre, which is comparable to Killington. Just as obnoxious too. Or Whiteface, having the racing pedigree.

Sure, there is some exotic stuff like Narvik and Riksgränsen but they don't open until February because they are north of the Arctic circle. I have been there. Riksgränsen is not great. Narvik has potential but it is a narrow window, probably March-April. The good stuff is all hiking.

Sorry, where there are floodlights then the skiing is not going to be good. You have that all over the world at small, local mountains. Not something you fly across an ocean for, lugging equipment.

As for Denmark,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ul...-ski-dome.html

The chances of building this thing is close to nil.....

ksu

I am not much of a skier myself, but I find it rather quaint that the sole Norwegian skiing resort that you mention, is not on the top ten list of skiing resorts in Norway. True, some of the places mentioned (Tryvann) are on the list due to their convenient location, but resorts like Kvitfjell and Oppdal certainly should be attractive enough.

tsastor

Of course there is a reason; in fact many reasons. The biggest reason IMO is that you can pretty much spend the whole day skiing once from the very top down to the village and your hotel. The other reason would be the "stimmung", but for me that only means Austria/Tyrol. But you can find very nice ambiance and well maintained slopes also in e.g. Lapland. There the season is longer, usually starting from late November and continuing until late April.

ksu

Don't forget cheap booze. Important for all average travelling Scandinavians. Especially Norwegians.

tsastor

Yes, the ski-standard: Stroh 80%.

(used to be smuggled back in the ski booth )

GUWonder

Norway's skiing is better than Sweden's skiing. I don't dare compare it to Denmark.

I routinely run into Norwegians skiing in Colorado in February and March and they seem to ordinarily prefer the skiing in Colorado to anywhere in Scandinavia.

The skiing in Sweden is cheaper for me than in Colorado, and yet it is not worth the discount.

gnaget

Your list has 10 conventional resorts that all are small mountain skiing, which is fine if you live there, but are not destinations. Åre in Sweden is better but also not worth the journey, in my opinion, unless you live in Sweden. The fact that the peaks of most Norwegian mountains are about 1000 m should tell you something.

Narvik offers some interesting off-piste skiing, dropping right off into the ocean. But the slopes that are lift-served are not very interesting. And the season is limited, early March to early May. In May you get the exotic factor of 24 hour sunlight, but this also impacts the snow. Spring arrives quickly by the ocean whereas you can ski through midsummer 50 km inland in Sweden.

Over on the Swedish side there is heli-skiing at Riksgränsen. One issue is that Norway prohibited heli-skiing at least about 10 years ago. Not sure if that's still the case.
http://www.mountainguide.se/default2...&languageId=44

p.s. Look at this photo to get an idea of the spectacular skiing in Narvik. http://www.fremover.no/lokale_nyhete...cle6594953.ece
But being at low elevation and by the sea increases the likelihood of rain, so it's a bit of crapshoot if you travel from afar.