Sälen is purpose-built for smooth family holidays. The bases are easy to navigate, signage is clear, and shuttles link the areas so mixed ability groups can split up and still meet for lunch. Lindvallen and Högfjället lean beginner-friendly; Tandådalen and Hundfjället add steeper pitches, snow parks, and playful “Fun Ride” tracks.

Skiing in Sälen

Beginners: This is a great place to learn. Large nursery areas with magic carpets, wide greens, and calm gradients help you build confidence. Ski schools have long experience with families, and kid specific programs (like Valle’s ski school, ages 3-9) turn lessons into play.

Intermediates: Cruisy, confidence-building skiing is the norm. Link blue and easy red groomers across the different areas and mix open slopes with sheltered forest runs. The lift network makes it easy to rack up mileage without repeating the same few pistes.

Advanced: You won’t find big vertical drops, but there’s enough to stay engaged: a handful of steeper reds/blacks, faster fall-line sections in Tandådalen/Hundfjället, plus bumps after snowfall. It’s ideal for sharpening technique and keeping a mixed group happy.

Snowboarding: Great for learning and progression. Broad groomers are perfect for carving, and the parks are clearly tiered by ability, smaller features in Lindvallen and a larger park in Tandådalen, so riders can step up at their own pace.

Cross-country skiing: Sälen is prime Nordic country. You’ll find 65+ km (40+ mi) of groomed trails for classic and skate, including illuminated loops for evening sessions and longer forest routes for endurance days. This is the home region of the Vasaloppet, so maintenance and signage are excellent.

Families

Everything is set up for kids: gentle slopes, short walks, and services clustered near the lifts. Valle the snowman hosts daily activities and shows, and the Troll Forest (Trollskogen) is a must-do for younger skiers. Most lodging is apartment-style, making meals and naps easy. The ski bus is included with the SkiPass, so you can leave the car parked all week.

Activities

Snow activities: Snowshoeing, tobogganing, dog-sled and reindeer experiences, snowmobiling, “Fun Ride” tracks, and snow parks for jump/rail practice.

Non-skiing activities: Indoor pools and waterpark areas, saunas and wellness, bowling.

Sälen après-ski

Après-ski is relaxed and family-oriented. Expect sunny terraces on busy weeks, live music on peak dates, and cozy lounges for fika or a local beer. Tandådalen and Lindvallen are livelier; Högfjället and Hundfjället stay quieter and low-key.

Sälen restaurants

Simple and crowd-pleasing. Mountain cafés serve soups, waffles, and hearty Swedish comfort food at lunch; in the villages you’ll find pizza, burgers, pasta, grills, and Scandinavian dishes with local game and fish. Bakeries and coffee bars are easy to drop into between laps. In school holidays and weekends, it’s smart to book dinner ahead.