photograph courtesy of Viven Kim Thorp

Through February 18th, the little Swedish ski hamlet of Åre is hosting the 2007 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. Visitors from Lebanon to Austria are there—a contingent of the latter has even set up a tent bar on the town square!

We’ve been lucky enough to visit Åre three times. Heck, we learned to ski there last year! The tiny lakeside town, an hour from the Norwegian border by car, is Sweden’s premier ski destination as well as the training spot for the Swedish women’s national ski team.

Since the summer of 2005, locals have been prepping for the Championships, building a massive downhill run over the main highway, tearing down the cute old train station, and opening a slew of new restaurants and shops.

Changes haven’t gone unnoticed. Dagens Nyheter—a daily Swedish paper—made note of Åre’s transformation in a recent article.

Åre is fairly easy to visit. You can board a sleeper train in Stockholm or Arlanda airport or fly to Östersund and catch a train or bus. Either way, you’ll end up smack in the middle of town, just across the street from the massive Holiday Club hotel.

We’ll be back on Friday with tips and suggestions for making the most of Åre.

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