Sälen or Kläppen – what’s the difference between the two?

Asking whether it’s Sälen or Kläppen is actually the wrong question, as the resorts are situated in the same valley and it takes less than half an hour to drive between them. The important thing to know is that Kläppen is not part of Sälenfjällen: it is a separate resort with its own owner, its own lift pass and its own character. So you can stay at Sälen and ski at Kläppen, or vice versa – but you’ll have to pay twice if you want to do both.

Here, we’ll sort out the distances, the ski pass situation, the slopes and which accommodation suits each person. Are you looking for mountain chalets in Sälenfjällen The section on distances below is what you need to read first, as it determines whether a visit to Kläppen during the week is practical or not.

Quick answer: Kläppen is not part of Sälenfjällen

In brief, the differences are as follows:

• Owners and ski passes: Kläppen operates independently with its own lift pass – Sälenfjällens: four resorts share a single pass.
• Size: Kläppen has around thirty runs around a mountain – Sälenfjällen has well over a hundred spread across four resorts.
• Location: Kläppen is a few mils south of Lindvallen, along the same road.
• Character: The Kläppen is compact and family-oriented, with a clear layout – the Sälenfjällen is wider and offers more variety.
• Accommodation: Kläppen offers a comprehensive range of properties around the resort – Sälen comprises all the private mountain chalets in the valley.

Distance and route – how close are they to one another?

Kläppen is a few mil south of Lindvallen along Road 66, i.e. on the way up if you’re coming from the south. The journey time between Kläppen and Lindvallen is around twenty to thirty minutes, depending on road conditions, and it takes a little longer to reach Hundfjället at the top of the valley. This means that a day trip in either direction is perfectly feasible, but it’s not something you’d do every morning. For those coming from Stockholm or Gothenburg, Kläppen is also marginally closer, as you’ll reach it before you reach Sälenfjällen. We describe how the valley is laid out in how the Sälen ski areas are connected.

Ski passes: two systems, no single pass

This is the most common misconception, and it costs people money every season. Lindvallen, Högfjället, Tandådalen and Hundfjället are all part of the same lift pass system – one pass is valid for all four. Kläppen is a separate resort and has its own pass, just as Stöten at the top of the valley does. This means you cannot ski for a day at Kläppen using your Sälen pass. If you want to try both, you’ll need to buy two separate day passes or a weekly pass plus a day pass. For a group of six people, this adds up to a significant cost – plan ahead rather than finding out at the lift ticket office. Always check the current terms and conditions at each resort, as pass structures change between seasons.

The slopes – size, vertical drop and profile

Kläppen has a vertical drop of a similar magnitude to Sälenfjällens and around thirty runs clustered around a mountain, with good width, a clear family focus and a well-known snow park. The advantage is the overview: you can see virtually the whole resort from the bottom station and never lose sight of one another. The downside is that an experienced skier will have covered everything in one or two days. Sälenfjällen, on the other hand, offers variety throughout the week, with four interconnected mountains, long green runs, large practice areas and a few steeper sections. A good rule of thumb: for a weekend, Kläppen is more than enough; for a week, most people want more choice. We’ve listed the resorts in the valley in the ski resorts in Sälen.

Families with children and newcomers in each town

Both resorts are great for families, but in different ways. Kläppen wins on scale: everything is close by, you can see the children from the restaurant, the distances between the car park, the ski lift and the children’s area are short, and a five-year-old can easily walk them. Sälenfjällen wins on variety: four children’s areas, significantly more ski school places to choose from, and the option to move the children on to new slopes as they progress during the week. If you have a small child and are going for a long weekend, Kläppen is often the simpler choice. If you have children of different ages or are going for a full week, the range of options at Sälenfjällens quickly becomes better value.

Accommodation: stay at Sälen and travel to Kläppen (or vice versa)

As the resorts are so close to one another, your choice of accommodation is less restricted than you might think. If you stay in Sälenfjällen, you have the whole valley’s range of private mountain chalets to choose from, including large chalets suitable for groups, and can spend a day in Kläppen if you wish. If you stay at Kläppen, you’ll find a concentrated and often good-value selection close to the resort, but fewer large houses and a longer journey to the Sälenfjällens services in the evenings. For most groups, it’s simply most practical to stay where you’ll be skiing the most, and make a day trip in the other direction on a separate day. If you want the shortest possible journey from your bed to the ski lift, there is holiday cottages a short walk from the ski lift in several of the Sälenfjällens areas.

When Kläppen is sufficient and when you want Sälenfjällen

Kläppen is more than enough if you’re a family with young children on a long weekend, if you want everything within easy reach, if you’re on a budget, or if someone in your group is keen on the park and the jumps. It’s a well-run resort that does what it does well, and there’s no need to travel further afield if that’s the experience you’re after. The Sälenfjällen is the right choice when you’re staying for a full week, when your group has mixed skiing abilities, when you want to be able to switch between mountains from day to day, when you need a large chalet that can accommodate everyone, or when you want your evenings to offer more than just the chalet. The same logic applies to the valley’s third operator, which we’ll look at in whether Stöten belongs to Sälen.

Summary – Sälen or Kläppen: two locations and a choice of route

Sälen or Kläppen isn’t about choosing between two different parts of the country, but between two resorts in the same valley. Remember the most important thing: the lift passes are separate, so decide in advance where you’ll be spending most of your time. Choose Kläppen for a short, compact and affordable weekend with young children. Choose Sälenfjällen for a week-long stay, for a mixed group and for the range of large holiday homes on offer. And remember that you can always stay in one place and spend a day at the other – that’s often the best solution of all. If you’d like help finding the right spot in the valley, please feel free to get in touch.