Riksgränsen, ( no, Riksgrensen), ''The National Border'' in
Swedish, 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 partia ...
-resort in
Kiruna Municipality,
Lappland,
Sweden, 200 km north of the
Arctic Circle. 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, ...
. 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 (
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 (184 ...
: 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
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five ocean ...
. 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