Great places to ski, sled and ice-skate in Stockholm

Skiing always looks so exotic when you come from a hot climate. And glamourous. Well that's what's in my imagination from watching too many James Bond movies. (As an aside they're playing all the James Bond films on Swedish tv every week which I'm enjoying at the moment.) Though the Swedes you see out doing their morning exercises on skis don't particularly look glamourous and there's definitely no smiling. Or lipstick. I haven't managed to go skiing yet in Stockholm though I have to soon as the snow is starting to melt.

Recently in one of the free train newspapers, there was an article on places to go skiing in Stockholm. The problem is if you don't own skis many of the places don't always have hire facilities. Well that's the excuse I give myself. But there are some. So if you're interested in skiing, ice skating or sledding, here's a list of places to go in Stockholm that are easy to get to. I translated it (with huge help from Hiie of course) straight out of the newspaper. I can't vouch for any of the places as I haven't been to any of them. But I checked their websites and transport details and they look pretty good some of them. So hopefully next weekend we'll get to one.

Skiing, sledding and ice-skating in Stockholm

There are ski trails, ice rinks and sledding hills for the whole snow period.

Flottsbrobacken

The largest hill skiing runs in Stockholm. Five runs. Sledding hill and snowboard park.
Open Monday to Friday 10am-10pm and Saturday-Sunday at 9am-6pm.
The same times apply for rentals of ski gear. The Inn is open every day 11am-3pm.
To get to Flottsbro by public transport take bus 706 from Huddinge station.
www.flottsbro.se
Phone: 08-53532700 (all phone numbers without international and country codes)

Hammarbybacken

Opens at the end of December. Thereafter, open Monday-Friday 10am-10pm, Saturday-Sunday from 9am-6pm, as long as weather permits. Same times for cafe and restaurant as for ski rental and ski lifts. Four hours skiing costs 150 SEK for adults and 100SEK for 8-15 year olds. Younger children ski for free.

It's really cute seeing the young kiddies being dragged by sled to school. How much fun would it be to be a young child in Sweden?

Snowmen in the sun.

Hellasgården

Lighted 2.2 km track  (lit until 9pm). Sledding hill. Hole in the ice for winter swimmers. Sauna including body gym (open Tuesday-Sunday). Long ice skating rink (iceskate rental available).  Food and drinks available during the day Tuesday-Sunday.
Catch bus 401 from Slussen station to Hellasgården and get off at stop Nackareservatet.   www.hellasgarden.se
Phone:  087 163 961

Rudans District ( Rudsjöterrassen)

Illuminated cross-country trails that may have artificial snow if necessary. If weather permits, cleared skating rink at Lake Rudan (Sjö Rudan). Rest Cottage and food and drinks available. Catch the commuter train (pendeltåg) to Handen which is near Lake Rudan, then walk.
No website
Phone: 08 6068975

Three sledding slopes 


Observatorielunden (Observatory Hill. Catch the T-bana to Rådmansgatan station. Bonus: There is a cafe called Himlavalvet serving waffles.

Tanto. Catch the T-bana to Zinkensdamm station. A good slope at Tantogården, and smaller, but very durable, runs at Zinkensdamm IP (Sports stadium).

Nybohovsbacken. Catch the Tbana to Liljeholmen station. Classic, long sledding hill a few minutes walk from the subway.

Sergel's Torg on a mid winter's day. The center of the city.

Ice skating

In Stockholm there are over 30 ice rinks supported by the local councils (communes).  For inexperienced skaters go to Kungsträdgården ice rink, which is the only one where you can rent skates. Open daily until 6pm, Tuesday and Thursday until at 8pm.
Details about this and other sites can be found at the Stockholm website.
There is also a large number of plowed ice skating courses in the Stockholm area. These are listed on www.vikingarannet.com. For courses in skating see www.alliansen.net.

Lida District

Ski slope for beginners. SEK 60 per day for adults, SEK 40 for children. Equipment rental. Open daily at 10am-3pm. Three lit  tracks for skiers, 800 m, 2.3, and 2. 4 km (lit to 10pm), and several long, unlit tracks (up to 17.9km. Prepared artificial snow. Sledding hill is lit until 9pm every day. Cleared skating lanes on Sjö Getaren (Lake Getaren) with the right weather. Rental of cross-country equipment. The inn is open from 10am-5pm each day. To get to Lida take the commuter train (pendeltåg ) to Tullinge station and from there catch bus 721.
Website: www.lida.nu
Ph: 08 778 4380

Ursviks Motionsgård

Lighted tracks from 400 metres up to 10km until 10pm. Motionsgården  has a sauna, cafe and gym training opportunities. Open Monday-Thursday and 9am-9pm Friday-Sunday at 9am-2pm. Barbecue facilities at the end of the lighted tracks.
Ursviks Motionsgård Address: Ursviksvägen 99
Catch the bus 157/504 from Sundbyberg station.
No web page
Ph: 087068377

What is it with people throwing their sneakers onto electricity wires?

Gärdet-Kaknästornet at Djurgården
If there is enough snow (20 cm) they make skiing tracks on Gärdet and  northern Djurgården.

There are lighted tracks at Fiskartorpets outdoor facility located on Björnnäsbacken 15 at Northern Djurgården. Catch bus 55 to Storängskroken bus station (Ph: 084 116 210) and then walk.

My little attempt at a snow cat on the balcony table.

Photograph at top of page copyright: Telegraph

Contact: Countdown to Transformation by Dr Steven Greer: book review

I've just recently finished reading the most amazing and moving account of extra-terrestrial contact. Well this blog is about all kind of travels, even interstellar! The book's called 'Contact: Countdown to Transformation: The CSETI experience 1992-2009' by Steven M. Greer MD.

Aerial view of  Mt Shasta from the west. California, USA

The CSETI (Center for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence) organisation was founded by Dr Greer in the US and who, since the 1990's, has organised regular contact events involving sometimes large groups of people with et's (extraterrestrials). The book is a detailed account by the people involved in the various events they call C-5 (close encounter of the fifth kind) and of their experiences and methods they used to establish contact.

Basically anyone can have contact with et's if they have the right intentions and the right level of  consciousness. They do this by raising their level of consciousness through meditation techniques.

An excerpt from the Introduction:

The Purpose of CSETI

....'since that time we have been all over the world using these protocols and making diplomatic contact, and we have not been disappointed. It is important to note that these efforts have been done with a higher purpose. They are far different from accidentally seeing a craft. These contact events represent a concscious effort to put humans in direct communication with extraterrestrial intelligence for peaceful, diplomatic and highly spiritual-not religious- purposes.

....Extraterrestrials are not interested in humans who are still living in the illusion of separation. It does not matter how many stars you have as a general or how many Ph.D's you have, or how rich you are. They are interested in whether or not you have realized this single fact: that the conscious mind is a singularity, and that we are all one being, we are all one people. If you understand and experience this fact with clarity and purity of heart as you endeavour to become a diplomat from humanity to their people, these visitors will respond. They have never not responded. We have never gone on an expedition where some expression of this higher intelligence and these extraterrestrial civilizations has failed to occur.'....

Just amazing stuff. I admire these people enormously for the work they're doing as they are really putting their lives at risk, as the book shows, with the constant efforts by various arms of the military to stop these encounters. It may seem far fetched to many of you but the proof is in the pudding. You can try it yourself if you like. And that is one of the goals of CSETI, to empower everyone to have these experiences. They've recently created an iphone/ipad ET contact tool for this purpose. It's a self contained course with all the protocols and it includes working scientific instruments for detecting anomolous activity.

Dr Greer is also involved in the development of new 'green' technologies and other progressive projects.

This book is an inspiring and mind-expanding read.

The book can be bought at the CSETI website (link above) or at Amazon. Here's an affiliate link to amazon.



If you're interested in finding out more take a look at the CSETI you tube channel for interesting lectures and visuals.