Åre Skidfabrik

The only alpine ski factory in Scandinavia, Åre Skidfabrik produces skis for their own successful ski brand Extrem Skis alongside Norwegian brands SGN skis and Stereo Skis plus American winter sports brand Rocky Mountain Underground.

Why do these premium ski brands ask Åre Skidfabrik to produce their boards and skis? Perhaps it’s because of the longevity of the brand – making boards since 1981. Or maybe it’s to do with the way in which the factory has evolved and modernised along the way to meet environmental challenges. Today the factory runs on 100% renewable energy and has a heat recycling system with drilled energy holes for geo-thermal heat – making it the world’s most modern ski factory. Or perhaps Åre Skidfabrik’s work speaks for itself. The brand has won an inordinate number of awards within its history – testament to the passion poured into the prototype testing. The results are seen in the beautifully crafted and consciously made skis and snowboards.

Founders Stefan Cederberg and Patrik Söderlund are the brains and passion behind the manufacturing taking place at Åre Skidfabrik – and they still both work in the factory today – a presence that reflects the journey they’ve come on.

Back in 1981, the pair began by making snowboards in their parents’ garage in Frösön outside of Östersund. Inspired by the snowboard trends in the US, they began experimenting and inventing with epoxy and plywood. Ahead of the curve, they were ready for the snowboarding boom of the 90s, and quickly realised their manufacturing style was not far off what the big alpine giants were doing. This led them to have the confidence to plough time and resource into the business – moving into a factory, investing in machinery, developing the manufacture of skis and creating the Extrem Ski brand. They also worked on the designs for skis as well as boards and became the first Swedish brand to manufacture alpine skis in 25 years.

The year 2022 sees the brand continue to evolve and connect with its audience – creating community bubbles to test skis and work within the gender requirements of ski production – for example the manufacture of a freeride ski for women, Mothertree, together with the female ski network InspireUs were projects that have been awarded the international and prestigious ISPO Gold Award.