Almost exactly two years after our first visit, a request brought us back to the far north – to Åre and Sälen. Back to our Swedish Timbaer family members, Lin and Fredric. And back to a winter wonderland that could hardly be more beautiful – or colder.

How it all started

The trip was triggered by a ski instructor training course Fredric was attending. His 175mm ski, wrapped in natural fiber paper, attracted attention there. And not just from anyone – but from the owner of a well-known sporting goods store in Åre.

On a whim, we set off. After a slightly bumpy start (our skis arrived a day late 😅), we visited Daniel at his shop, Aresportshop – a well-established business right at the entrance to Åre. Besides the main shop, Daniel runs his own ski school with around 17 employees, as well as two pop-up stores in the most popular hotels in the ski area.

Daniel focuses on strong brands – and on the exceptional. This is precisely where Timbaer could come into play: possibly as the first official Timbaer dealer in Sweden starting next season.

Test drives at -20 degrees

After visiting the shop, we headed straight to the slopes. Perfect snow, impressive colors in the sky – and a crisp -20 degrees Celsius (feeling like -30 with the wind chill). We mainly tested the 175 and 172 models – exactly the ones Daniel could easily imagine adding to his product range.

With many impressions in tow, we continued our journey to Sälen. Five hours of driving through snowy landscapes – and not a single minute of boredom.

Halls, cold, and big plans

Fredric was waiting for us in Sälen – again in a freezing -20°C, but with fantastic conditions. We happened to run into ski resort photographer Tano Vidal, who spontaneously took some impressive snow photos of us. We risked everything for the perfect shot – accompanied by Spanish commentary and a great atmosphere. The fact that our toes went numb after just a few minutes was quickly forgotten.

Over dinner – a Swedish game menu – we discussed the next steps for Timbaer in Sweden. A particular highlight: Fredric was once again selected for the Swedish national ski instructor team and will represent Timbaer at the Interski Congress 2027 in Vail – the world's largest gathering of snow sports instructors. We're already looking forward to it.

The next day it was back to Switzerland – this time without delayed luggage, but with many ideas, strong partnerships and unforgettable impressions in tow.

Sweden – we'll be back.