Riksgransen and Bjorkliden: Arctic Skiing on Sweden's Border with Norway

These are two small railway villages at the end of Sweden, where the ski season starts when the polar night ends and keeps going until late May. Getting the timing, the train and the off-piste right matters more here than anywhere else in Swedish skiing.

When you need this

You want to ski in March, April or May, after the resorts further south have closed. You are choosing between Riksgränsen and Björkliden, or working out how to combine them. You are coming without a car on the one-train-a-day line to Narvik, or you want off-piste and heliskiing above the Arctic Circle and need to know what that takes. Or you were about to book January and wondered why nothing is open.

Two villages, one pass

Riksgränsen (“the national border”) and Björkliden sit in Kiruna Municipality on the E10 and the Ore Railway (Malmbanan), west of Abisko between Lake Torneträsk and Norway. Björkliden is 104 km from Kiruna and Riksgränsen 132 km; Abisko is 93 km. Both lie at about 68.4° N, roughly 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. (Björkliden’s own site says 250 km; the latitude says otherwise.)

The standard lift pass (skidpass) is valid at both, and a pre-booked pass includes the resort bus between them. The Arctic Ski Pass adds Narvikfjellet above Narvik in Norway: three resorts, 44 groomed runs. Children up to 7 ski free with a helmet.

Both villages exist because of the railway. Björkliden was founded to house the engineers building the Ore Railway, which carried iron ore from Kiruna to Narvik from November 1902 and opened to the public in July 1903. Until the E10 was finished in 1982, the train was the only way in. Skidfrämjandet (today Friluftsfrämjandet) opened a tourist station at Riksgränsen in 1928, Sweden’s oldest ski school started there in 1934, and the first lifts came in 1947 at Björkliden and 1952 at Riksgränsen.

Why the season runs so late

The mountains on this stretch of border catch some of the deepest snow in Sweden. According to SMHI, the national weather agency, the June record snow depth is 164 cm, measured at Riksgränsen on 1 June 1906. Nearby Katterjåkk still had 177 cm on 29 May 2020. The country’s all-time record, 327 cm in February 1926, was set at Kopparåsen, on the same railway about 20 km from the border.

That snow, and months of polar-night darkness, give the resorts a season unlike anywhere else in Sweden. They stay closed through the dark months and ski from February into late spring.

The 2027 season

May skiing means Riksgränsen. In 2026 Björkliden closed two of its lifts on 25 April because of the snow situation and ended its season on 3 May, three weeks before Riksgränsen. Every date is subject to snow and weather.

Riksgränsen calls its spring night skiing skiing under the “precursor” of the midnight sun. Expect very light nights rather than the sun above the horizon at midnight. Our midnight sun guide has the dates when the sun really stays up.

Getting there without a car

The railway is the classic way in, and it stops in both villages. Riksgränsen’s station is in the middle of the village close to the lifts. At Björkliden the station is about 1 km below the resort, a 10–15 minute walk uphill. The trip from Stockholm takes about 18 hours.

Three things have changed recently, and most ski sites have not caught up:

• One train a day each way. Since 13 April 2026, only SJ’s Stockholm–Narvik train runs between Kiruna and Narvik; the Luleå–Narvik day train is gone. A missed or cancelled train usually costs you a day.
• The Boden change ends in December. Until 12 December 2026, travelers from Stockholm change trains at Boden early in the morning. SJ expects through cars to Narvik from 13 December 2026.
• No night train from Gothenburg. Riksgränsen’s own travel page still says trains leave in the evening “from Stockholm or Gothenburg”. SJ ended its Gothenburg night trains when it took over the northern contract, so west-coast travelers change in Stockholm.

Train tickets are not sold at the stations or on board, so book online in advance. Our guides to the Kiruna–Narvik train and the night train to Lapland cover timetables and booking.

Flying. Kiruna is about 90 minutes from Stockholm, and the drive from Kiruna to either village takes about 1.5 hours. Harstad/Narvik airport at Evenes in Norway is the alternative, about two hours from Riksgränsen by road. See flights to Kiruna.

Bus 91 runs Kiruna–Abisko–Björkliden–Riksgränsen (end stop Riksgränsen vändplan) in a winter season from February and a summer season from June to September; some trips start at Kiruna Airport. Kiruna Lappland, the local tourism organisation, gives February–May on its English page and February–April on its Swedish one, so check Länstrafiken Norrbotten’s timetable for your date. Pay by card on board or in the app.

The rail line itself can close. After an ore train derailed at Vassijaure in December 2023, traffic between Kiruna and Riksgränsen stopped for 65 days. Trafikverket, the Swedish transport administration, plans to renovate the snow galleries between Björkliden and Riksgränsen in 2027–2030, so expect planned closures and replacement buses.

Driving the E10

From Kiruna, the E10 follows Torneträsk past Abisko to both villages and on to Narvik, about 40 minutes beyond Riksgränsen. In storms, Trafikverket closes the stretch between Björkliden and Riksgränsen or lets traffic through only in convoy behind a plough (kolonnkörning), sometimes overnight or for days. It also runs preventive avalanche control below the Nuolja range between Abisko and Björkliden. Keep a spare day at the end of a trip. Our guide to mountain roads in winter explains how convoys work.

Off-piste, heliskiing and avalanches

The terrain beyond the pistes is real avalanche terrain. The resort’s avalanche assessment covers only slopes you reach from an open lift and ski back to an open lift or run. Everything else falls under Naturvårdsverket’s national forecast at lavinprognoser.se, whose Abisko/Riksgränsfjällen area covers Björkliden, Låktatjåkka and Kårsavagge.

• Check the forecast every morning in season. The 2026/27 forecasts were due to start on 11 December (preliminary). Out of season the map shows ej bedömd, “not assessed”.
• Carry transceiver, probe and shovel, and know how to use them. Without that training, take a guide.
• Guided off-piste runs at both villages from February to May, including a short kids’ session at Björkliden.
• Heliskiing at Riksgränsen is booked for March–May and always runs with a certified mountain guide and avalanche safety equipment.

Our mountain safety guide covers weather and avalanche basics for the Swedish mountains.

Låktatjåkko

Above Björkliden, at 1,228 m, Låktatjåkko calls itself Sweden’s highest-situated mountain station (fjällstation). In 2027 it is open from 18 February to 9 May. A tracked over-snow vehicle (bandvagn) leaves Björkliden at 10:00 and comes back down at 12:30, from 18 February to 2 May. The classic way up is on touring skis.

In summer, Björkliden’s mountain golf course opens around early July, with 24-hour tickets for golf under the midnight sun; see golf in Sweden.

Mistakes to avoid

• Booking a January ski week. Neither resort opens before February.
• Planning around two trains a day. Aggregator sites still show the old timetable.
• Trusting the Gothenburg night train on Riksgränsen’s own page. It no longer runs.
• Assuming Björkliden skis as long as Riksgränsen. In 2026 it closed three weeks earlier.
• Expecting to buy a train ticket at the station. Book online.
• Skiing off-piste because “the resort is open”. The resort’s assessment stops at the lift system.
• Not pre-booking the pass, and missing the included resort bus.

Practical information

FAQ

When is the ski season at Riksgränsen and Björkliden?

February to May. Riksgränsen’s 2027 season runs from 18 February to 23 May, opening at noon on the first day. Björkliden had not published its 2027 dates on 15 October 2026; in 2026 it ran from 6 February to 3 May. Neither opens in December or January, when the far north is in polar night.

How do I get to Riksgränsen without a car?

Take SJ’s train toward Narvik: it stops at Björkliden and Riksgränsen, and Riksgränsen’s station sits in the middle of the village. Only one train a day runs each way, and tickets are not sold at the station or on board. From Kiruna, bus 91 also runs in a winter season from February and in summer.

Can you ski under the midnight sun at Riksgränsen?

Nearly. From 30 April to 21 May 2027 Riksgränsen opens its two chairlifts on Fridays and Sundays from 22:00 until about half past midnight. The resort itself calls it skiing under the precursor of the midnight sun: very light nights rather than the sun above the horizon. Night skiing needs its own card.

Should I stay in Riksgränsen or Björkliden?

Riksgränsen if you want heliskiing, its off-piste or skiing in May; it has the longer season. Björkliden opened earlier in 2026, offers guided off-piste including a kids’ session, and is the base for Låktatjåkko, Sweden’s highest-situated mountain station. One standard lift pass covers both, and they are about 20 minutes apart by road, with a resort bus for pre-booked passes.

Can I ski in Norway on the same pass?

Yes, with the Arctic Ski Pass. It covers Björkliden, Riksgränsen and Narvikfjellet above Narvik, 44 groomed runs in all, and the bus between the resorts is included when you pre-book. The ordinary Björkliden and Riksgränsen pass does not include Narvik. Narvik is about 40 minutes by road from Riksgränsen.

Is off-piste skiing at Riksgränsen safe?

Only with preparation. The resort assesses avalanche risk only for terrain reached from an open lift back to the lift system. Beyond that, read the Abisko/Riksgränsfjällen forecast on lavinprognoser.se and carry transceiver, probe and shovel. Both villages offer guided off-piste, and heliskiing always runs with a certified mountain guide.

Related guides

• Skiing in Sweden: resorts compared: how the Arctic resorts stack up against Åre, Sälen and Idre.
• Kiruna to Narvik by train: the one-train-a-day line that stops in both villages.
• Abisko National Park: the national-park neighbor about 15 minutes east of Björkliden.
• Mountain roads in winter: E10 convoys and closures explained.
• Crossing the Sweden–Norway border: before a day at Narvikfjellet.

Facts verified 2026-10-15. Sources: Riksgränsen and Björkliden (resort operators), Låktatjåkko mountain station, Naturvårdsverket (lavinprognoser.se), SMHI, Trafikverket, SLAO, Kiruna Lappland and Swedish rail trade press — full register in this topic’s source file. Season dates and prices are 2026/27 figures. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.