Borgafjäll with children – Barnens skidland, the Avasjö side and the mountains around Borgasjön

Borgafjäll lies at the far end of the southernmost valley in Lapland, in Dorotea Municipality, where the Konstvägen sju älvar art route ends. The village has fewer than a hundred permanent residents, and the steep Borgahällan rises above the Borgasjön lake. The ski resort has been around since 1968 and is still small, with three lifts, no queues to speak of and a valley that suits a family with toddlers just as well as someone hunting for powder. With children of preschool age, the Avasjö side will be your base.

Two sides of the same mountain

The Borgafjäll slopes have two starting points, and it is good to know which is which before you book accommodation.

Borgaliften is the main lift, 1,225 metres long with 289 metres of vertical. The longest runs start from here: the black Mårdsvängen and Björnryggen, the red Harhoppet and Vargstupet, and blue and green runs such as Logången and Vargungen down towards the valley. At the bottom is the warming hut, with tables and benches, a microwave, a coffee machine and toilets. You can leave your shoes there during the day. Next door are Äventyrscenter Borgafjäll and Fjällbistron Johannas.

The Avasjö side is a little way along the road, down by Borga Skicenter. This is where Avasjöliften runs, 720 metres long, and it is where everything for the youngest is. The restaurant, the hire shop and the car park are by the lifts, so a four-year-old can walk from the car to the children's lift without carrying their skis very far.

Barnens skidland and the children's lift

Between Avasjöliften and the ski centre is Barnens skidland, with its own children's lift, 80 metres long with only 15 metres of vertical. This is where the youngest learn to stand on skis and ride a lift by themselves. When that is going well, Barnbacken, the children's slope, and the green Familjespåret run from the top of Avasjöliften are waiting.

On selected days, the mascot Njalla the Arctic Fox comes to Barnbacken at Avasjö. She doesn't say much, but she is always up for a high five and happy to pose for photos. The schedule of visits for the season is posted on the resort's website.

Stay near the Avasjö side if the children are small. That way you can go back for lunch in the middle of the day, and anyone who is tired can rest while the others do a few more runs.

Lift passes and ski school

Children under seven ski free across the whole lift system if they wear a helmet. They still need their own lift pass card, the chip card that the ski days are loaded onto. You pay for the card once, and it can be reloaded next winter. Borgafjäll uses the Axess system, so a card from another Axess resort can also be loaded. The youth pass applies from 7 to 17 years.

Two things are particularly good for families with children. A valid day pass is also valid for evening skiing. And for parents of small children who can't ski on their own, there is a parents' season pass, which two parents share while they take turns on the children's slope. The lift ticket booths are at the bottom of the lifts on both sides, and they only take cards and Swish (the Swedish mobile payment app). Current prices are shown when you book.

Ski school is arranged through Borga Skicenter. Check the weeks and age limits when you book. You can also hire the children's equipment there, and the children's package for ages 0–14 includes skis, boots and a helmet.

Ski routes, off-piste and the rule for children

Borgafjäll has a good reputation among off-piste skiers, and the piste map shows why. Between the pistes under Borgaliften there are ten orange ski routes, and on the Avasjö side Trollskogen runs through the forest. Ski routes are ungroomed, about ten metres wide, at least red in difficulty, and there may be obstacles. They count as off-piste, and all skiing there is at your own risk.

With small children in tow, three things apply in Borgafjäll:

• The little ones stay on the children's lift and the groomed runs. The orange ski routes are for children who can already handle steep and uneven snow.
• Never go off-piste outside the lift system with children without a guide. Beyond the ski area boundary on the piste map, you are skiing in mountain terrain where avalanches can happen, and the snow can look kinder than it is.
• Read the avalanche forecast. Borgafjäll is part of the Södra Lapplandsfjällen forecast area, the same area as Kittelfjäll and Saxnäs.
• The adult who heads out into the powder carries a transceiver, probe and shovel, knows how to use them and has company.

If one parent wants to head out into the powder while the other is on the children's slope, Äventyrscenter Borgafjäll organises guided tours and catskiing.

Easter and spring skiing in Borgafjäll

Borgafjäll opens late and closes late. These are the opening times for 2026/27, half past nine to four:

• Weeks 50–51: Friday to Sunday. Opening day will be Friday 11 December at the earliest, if there is enough snow.
• Week 52 to week 1: every day. On Christmas Eve, the lifts close at two.
• Weeks 2–5: Friday to Sunday.
• Weeks 6–14: every day, from 8 February to 11 April.
• Weeks 15–16: Thursday to Sunday. The last day is Sunday 25 April.

So all the Swedish sportlov weeks (the February ski break) and most Easter holidays fall right in the period when the lifts run every day. See which week your municipality has in easter break 2027 and sportlov 2027 (Swedish February ski break). On Fridays from Christmas to the end of March, there is also evening skiing on the Avasjö side between four and seven. The lifts stop at 23 degrees below zero, so pack extra warm clothes for January.

Accommodation in Borgafjäll

Most of the accommodation is cabins and apartments. Borgagården is a cabin village with views of Borgahällan and the Borgasjön lake, close to the slopes and the snowmobile trail, and some cabins have an open fireplace and a sauna. Borga Skicenter rents out newly built apartments on the Avasjö side. There are also Borgaporten, Camp 64, Snowlodge and Sutme stugby, as well as privately rented cabins. For food, there is the ICA Nära Borgafjällens lanthandel village shop.

How to get to Borgafjäll

Borgafjäll is further away than it sounds, but the roads are straight. From Stockholm it is around 720 km, only 60 km further than to Åre. From Umeå it is 310 km and from Sundsvall 350 km.

• By air: to Vilhelmina from Arlanda, with Amapola. From there it is about 150 km by hire car or air taxi. Lycksele and Östersund are alternatives, with a longer drive.
• By car: via Dorotea, which is about 100 km from Borgafjäll. Fill up with fuel and do your shopping in Dorotea or Vilhelmina.
• Bus: you can get all the way by bus, but it involves changes. Plan the journey well in advance. If you want to take the train and bus all the way to the mountains, there is more in the guide on train to the mountains.

Borgafjäll or its neighbours?

Borgafjäll suits families who want a small, quiet mountain valley, short distances and a children's lift of their own where nobody jostles for space. With older children who want more slopes, Kittelfjäll is the neighbour in the same forecast area, with two children's areas and its own off-piste course for children. Further north is Hemavan and Tärnaby, with more lifts and an airport close to the slopes. At the very top of the country is Björkliden, where the season runs even longer. If you want a bigger village further south, Klövsjö is a good fit, and the rest of the Swedish mountains are gathered in ski trips in Sweden. If it is the children's first time on skis, there is more in the guide to the first ski trip with kids, and what they need to bring is in the ski trip packing list.