List: 5 fun things to do in Boden in winter – try it now!

Of course, there is much, much more to do than this, but here are five great tips for things to do. Fun activities to suit everyone on both the sunniest and coldest days of winter in Boden. You are welcome.

1. Let it go downhill

Watch your back! Or no, you usually don’t have to pay much attention because there’s plenty of room. The terrain in Boden is quite hilly, but in addition to the forts of Boden’s famous fortress, the mountains also have a whole bunch of ski slopes.

The largest is Storklinten in Svartlå (30 minutes from the city center), which is even popular with national alpine teams for pre-season training. The stars usually go fast on the big steep slopes, but now there’s actually a whole bunch of slopes to suit all tastes. Manchester, forest trails, park, off-piste, easy, difficult, intermediate and generally cozy. Four lifts, a lift belt, fireplaces, restaurant, cabins, apartments, camping, after ski and more are available. A full-scale ski resort in close proximity. Free bonus: trendy goggle tan.

Even closer are the smaller slopes Pagla and Gruvberget which are great for new and/or small skiers and other people who just like to grill sausages (including vegetarian) and drink hot chocolate.

“But not everyone is a slalom skier!” Well, okay, but it can still be really nice to have a bit of wind and snow on your face. Have you heard of a tailgate, sled, bob (i.e. snow racer or toboggan), snow saucer, mattress, snow rocket, kick, snow kick or tractor tire? All listed are rides that do not require boots or skills. But it’s a lot of fun, for adults, children and young adults. Sledding hills exist, or can be invented, almost everywhere (including the facilities mentioned above), even on Kvarnängen in the city center.

2. Take a dip in the blue

The North Pole sounds chilly but it’s wrong, wrong wrong. At Boden’s indoor waterpark Nordpoolen, the weather is always perfect for swimming, with 30°c in the water and really hot in the sauna. Walking and swimming can generally be a bit of fun, but with four wild water slides, three whirlpools, two outdoor pools, a stream sauna, climbing wall and a bunch of saunas, we take it a few steps further. It will be an adventure, pure and simple.

If you want to really go the extra mile, head for Harads and the floating (well, frozen) Arctic Bath. Here you can take a dip in the river, preferably after a hot sauna with an invigorating spa ritual, and feel the spirit of life return to your tired winter self.

Tip: It’s very cold to swim in an ice pool, but try it anyway. Try to focus and find calm breathing. Afterwards, you will be contradictorily warm and have a memory for life (i.e. a perfect social media post, if you remembered to ask your friend to film it).

3. F.I.K.A.

Rolls, chocolate balls, croissants, vegan rocky road brownie or a more substantial lunchtime focaccia. And then chailatte, espresso, kombucha, boba tea or just a smooth cup of black coffee. Throw in a good friend and you have your afternoon made. Boden has a long tradition of cafés and we don’t mind maintaining it. There is always room for a coffee break.

But. Everything is better outdoors, including coffee, of course. On a reindeer skin on the ice, a mountain top with a view or just in the forest anywhere. Real coffee with cinnamon buns fried over an open fire, that’s good stuff! Tip: A sandwich iron is actually a more important possession than a frying pan, and it also works well for buns.

4. Catch nice fish when ice fishing on the ice

Of course, if you’re new to Boden or just visiting and have never tried “pimpla” (ice fishing) before, it can be a bit difficult to get started. You must: 1. have an ice drill to drill holes in the ice, 2. have an ice fishing rod with lure and maggots, 3. know where to drill and 4. possibly go to the best ice fishing spot by snowmobile. This requires either a friend or relative who can fix everything for you. Or! Hiring someone to take care of everything, such as Sörbyn Fishing, Arctic Adventure or Hide & See.

The benefits of ice fishing are that you’re doing something potentially exciting (you might get a bite) while doing nothing on the ice in the sun on a beautiful spring winter day. In other words, it can be a relaxing activity if you have trouble sitting still but don’t want to be the one digging the snow pit, building the fire or making lunch. Bonus: nice mousetrap in the face.

5. Get carried away

100% immersion is best achieved with perfect cinema popcorn, comfortable velvet armchairs, crisp sound all around, a large screen and the right tilt for good visibility. Folkets hus, in the very center of Boden, does not disappoint (or maybe it does, but that’s the fault of the film, not the auditorium). Sometimes we say Sagabiografen, sometimes Sagateatern – because this is both a theater and a cinema. It features everything from daytime cinema and blockbusters to theater, stand-up comedy, live opera from the world’s concert halls, dance, performance, revues and Björknäsgymnasium’s annual musicals. It has also hosted the occasional world premiere for films shot in the area.

In Boden, we are close to cultural experiences that touch, tell stories and evoke emotions and ideas. We can also recommend a visit to Havremagasinet länskonsthall (one of Sweden’s largest rooms for contemporary art, 3600 square meters in a fantastic historical building) or the Försvarsmuseum – prefect for mice and other history nerds.