What happens when the lifts are closed due to wind or cold weather in Sälen?

Lift closures on the Sälen due to wind are one of the disruptions that cause the most concern ahead of a week’s skiing, yet cause the least disruption in reality. It happens every season, usually lasting a few hours and rarely a whole day, and almost never across the entire area at the same time. Knowing how it works before you set off makes the difference between a wasted morning and a day that turned out differently but still turned out well.

Here we’ll explain why the ski lifts close, which ones close first, what happens to your lift pass in the event of a closure, and how to check the conditions before you get kitted out. If you live in a house near the ski slope What’s more, you have a practical advantage that’s particularly valuable at this time of year: you can go back and wait for the wind to die down, rather than sitting in a car or queuing at a café.

Short answer: it happens, it passes, and it rarely lasts the whole day

A typical lift closure at Sälen looks like this: the wind picks up during the night; the most exposed lifts at the top do not open in the morning; the rest of the system operates as usual; and by mid-morning or lunchtime, the closed lifts reopen as the wind dies down. Over the course of a full week’s skiing, most groups experience this at least once, and most hardly even notice it.

The decision is always made by the ski lift operator based on safety considerations and real-time wind measurements, and the ski lift operator is also the best source of information if you want to know the current situation. Always check their latest ski lift status – no one else can guarantee that a lift is running.

Why ski lifts are closed – wind, icing and cold weather

Wind is the most common cause. A chairlift with suspended chairs can only withstand a certain amount of crosswind before the chairs start to sway, and the limit is set with a generous margin. So, the fact that a lift is closed does not mean that it is dangerous to ride at that particular moment, but rather that the margin has started to shrink.

Icing is the second most common cause and the most time-consuming. When supercooled, moist air settles on cables, chairs and masts, ice forms which must be removed before operations can resume, and this takes time. Cold weather alone rarely closes ski lifts but does affect operations, and at very low temperatures, operators may choose to open later or close earlier out of consideration for both guests and staff. Visibility is a fourth factor: in thick fog or heavy snowfall, slopes may be closed even if the lifts are running.

Which ski lifts close first and which ones stay open the longest

The pattern is predictable and worth knowing. First, the lifts that go highest and are most exposed close, often on bare mountain ridges and above the tree line. Next come the long chairlifts with a high lift height. The short T-bar lifts and the runs situated in sheltered woodland terrain last the longest – there, the wind is barely noticeable even when it’s blowing hard at the summit.

In practical terms, this means that a windy day isn’t a day without skiing, but a day spent skiing somewhere else. What’s more, the forest runs further down are often at their best at that very moment: soft snow, good visibility and shorter queues, as everyone else is standing looking up at the summit.

What applies to ski passes in the event of a service interruption

The ski pass is a contract between you and the ski lift operator, not between you and us as the rental company. It is therefore the ski lift company’s terms and conditions that determine whether any form of compensation is payable, and these terms are typically drafted in such a way that the closure of individual ski lifts does not entitle you to compensation as long as the resort is otherwise operational. In the event of more extensive operational disruptions, different rules may apply.

You should therefore read the ski lift company’s terms and conditions when you buy your pass, and check whether your travel insurance includes cover for lost skiing days – this is unusual but does happen. The terms and conditions of your booking set out what applies to your accommodation; a closed ski lift is not a fault with the property and does not affect the tenancy agreement.

Here’s how to check the weather in the morning before you get dressed

A routine that takes three minutes and saves an hour:

• Open the ski lift company’s app or website and check the current lift status – it is updated regularly throughout the day.
• Check the wind forecast for the next few hours, not just the current conditions. If the wind is set to die down around lunchtime, you should sail low at first and then high.
• Check the temperature, taking wind chill into account. Minus ten in calm conditions and minus ten in strong winds are two completely different days for a child.
• Have a plan B sorted out by the time you’re having breakfast, so that the decision doesn’t have to be made by four people shivering in a car park.

You can find out more about how the weather behaves throughout the season on our page about the weather in Sälen.

Plan B, which is actually fun

A windy day is an excellent opportunity to do the things you’d otherwise never get round to. The cross-country trails in the forest are often completely sheltered from the wind when it’s blowing up in the mountains, and they’re groomed regardless of the ski lift’s operating status. A swim or a visit to a spa is always a good option. The same goes for a proper lunch indoors, a visit to a local producer, the toboggan run or a morning spent in the sauna with a book in the house – which a well-equipped house makes far more appealing than a hotel room.

We’ve put together more ideas for days when the weather calls the shots in our round-up of what to do in Sälen when it rains – the list works just as well in strong winds.

If your entire stay is cancelled – what to expect

It is unusual, but storms lasting several days do occur. In such cases, the same principles as above apply, with two additions. The first is that the ski lift company must provide regular updates and that their terms and conditions govern any compensation for the ski pass. The second is that your travel insurance is the party that may compensate you for any parts of the trip that are missed – accommodation is still provided even when the lifts are closed.

What happens in the event of a shortage of snow is a completely different matter, governed by a different set of rules, and we have dealt with this separately in the article on how the snow guarantee works in Sälen.

Summary – a windy day doesn’t have to be a wasted day

Lift closures in Sälen due to wind are common, temporary and rarely affect the entire area. Check the ski lift company’s lift status every morning; expect the highest lifts to close first and those near the forest to stay open the longest, and have a plan B ready as early as breakfast. Compensation for lift passes is determined by the ski lift company’s own terms and conditions, whilst accommodation is unaffected. Anyone staying close to the slopes who can pop in and wait out a gusty morning loses practically nothing at all – and often gets the best skiing in the afternoon when everyone else has already given up.