Author Patrik Lundberg warns that ski vacations during Sweden's sports break in the mountains will soon only be accessible to the upper class. Surveys show that costs for a family's week have doubled since 2013 and now stand at around 41,000–42,000 SEK. Many respond with tips for cheaper options but note that the trips are too expensive for average families.
In a column in Dagens Nyheter, author and journalist Patrik Lundberg writes that a sports break trip to the Swedish mountains, including skiing, afterski, and cabin stays, costs over 40,000 SEK. "What was once a very folksy vacation is no longer that," he tells Aftonbladet. Lundberg, a middle-class father of two and high-income earner, questions who can actually afford such trips.
According to a 2024 Länsförsäkringar survey, the price for a sports break week in the mountains has doubled since 2013 and now stands at about 41,000 SEK. Ica-banken's survey estimates an average of 42,000 SEK for a family with two children, covering accommodation, lift passes, ski equipment, lunch, and ski lessons. Lundberg calls it a class issue and warns that "soon only the upper class can go to the mountains."
Reader reactions have poured in after the column. Many offer tips to cut costs, such as staying in dorms, bringing food from home, or using family cabins. Others share that the trips remain unaffordable. In an Aftonbladet chat, users express frustration: "It's completely insane to have to pay for skipasses for everyone in the cabin even if they don't ski," one writes. Another recalls childhood: "When I was a kid, going on a mountain trip was the most boring thing we knew. We had so much snow at home that we didn't understand why we had to go there."
Lundberg suggests local activities instead to create memories without the pressure to travel. "It's possible to create fantastic memories outside the slopes," he says. The discussion arises annually during sports break times, which this year fall in February.
