Riksgränsen, ( no, Riksgrensen), ''The National Border'' in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

, is a

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

-resort in Kiruna Municipality, Lappland,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

, 200 km north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. The skiing season is from February to June. From end of May the lifts operate under the

midnight sun The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, t ...

. One of the pistes cross the border to Norway and back to Sweden. No border control there. Riksgränsen is a popular location for the winter testing of pre-production cars by various European manufacturers. Photo-snipers are prevalent, attempting to get the first spy-shots of new models, though their activities are frowned upon by local hoteliers who value the custom of the manufacturers. The same manufacturers frequently use the location for winter launches, bringing journalists from across the world to drive the new cars on snow-covered roads and on courses specially prepared on frozen lakes. File:Riksgr%C3%A4nsen_-_KMB_-_16000300023826.jpg, Riksgränsen, August 1994 File:Riksgränsen,_2020-05-16.jpg, Riksgränsen, May 2020

History

The village was founded around 1900 in connection with the construction of the railway, whose traffic began 1902. Due to railway politics and limited range for steam locomotives, trains changed locomotives and crew and a roundhouse for locomotives was built. Later, after electrification 1923, this roundhouse was removed and locomotives went all the way to Narvik. Tourism picked up in the 1930:s. The first ski lift was built 1952.

Climate

Although the

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

(

Koppen Koppen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Koppen (born 1979), American football offensive lineman * Erwin Koppen (1929–1990), German literary scholar * Luise Koppen (1855–1922), German author * Wladimir Köppen (1846� ...

: Dfc) of the region is very cold, it has considerably milder winters than normally expected for an inland northerly area, due to its proximity to the warm

North Atlantic Current The North Atlantic Current (NAC), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward. The NAC originates from wher ...

. Summers do remain cool in spite of the midnight sun due to similar maritime effects. With prevailing low-pressure systems taking precedence, the climate is snowy and cloudy. The deep snow cover and the time it takes for thawing prolongs the skiing season to the midnight sun window. The snow depth can be above in unshovelled areas during spring. The snow depth charts have sometimes ended during late May when the pack has been shrinking, which skews the June readings that likely are a bit higher. In 2020 snow cover was measured in that month.

References

External links

Riksgränsen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riksgransen Lapland (Sweden) Ski areas and resorts in Sweden Buildings and structures in Norrbotten County Tourist attractions in Norrbotten County