Husky sledging and zip-lining in Sweden

Hurtling through the sky

Or so I thought. The day was far from over, as a zip-lining activity had been organised for us in the afternoon. After a light lunch at the Aregarden, Are's oldest hotel, we made our way to a ski shop right in the centre of town, to be kitted out with a very sturdy harness and a helmet. Having filled in the medical form and listened carefully to the safety instructions, I started feeling slightly wobbly. Did I really want to do this? Jimmy, our cool instructor, was quietly reassuring.

We made our way to some kind of little hut on stilts perched on the slopes. Joanna, Jimmy's colleague, went first and Jimmy sent us one by one careering at incredible speed along the zip-line. As I waited for my turn and watched the others throwing themselves into the void, I could feel my legs shaking and my heart pumping. I finally took the plunge, screaming my head off. Well, what a feeling! You're flying through the air at up to 40mph, and it is fantastic!

It doesn't last long, just a few seconds, but you get to go down four different runs. I discovered it was easier to launch off backwards - you don't have to look at the drop that way. I must admit, despite my earlier reservations, I was ready to do it again by the end of it.

One thing to bear in mind is that on some of the lines, especially the last one, you feel quite a jolt when you hit the brake. In fact, your whole body shudders. And don't touch the line with your hands, if you want to come out of it with all your fingers intact!

Eating, drinking and cabaret

And yes, I also did some skiing which was great too. And lots of eating and drinking, both on and off the slopes. Food was great and varied. In one restaurant, we had very tender strips of reindeer which we cooked ourselves on a hot stone placed in the middle of the table, with lots of relishes, and side dishes.

Another restaurant, which is worth the visit, is Wallmans, where the waiters do cabaret acts in between serving tables. They are extremely professional and a lot of them go on to bigger and better things in the showbiz world. Wallmans is something of an institution in Sweden, and there are four of them in the country.

There are quite a few restaurants on the slopes offering good food, and even one with its own vodka and schnapps distillery. Tasting sessions can be booked. There is also a huge bar called 'Probably the best apres-ski in the world' where live bands perform on stage.

Need to know

I stayed at the Holiday Club hotel. The rooms are spacious and confortable, and the hotel boasts its own Sauna world (complete with pools) which is a great way to unwind after a fun-filled day.

The ski resort of Are lies less than one hour's drive from Are Ostersund airport. Neilson operates charter flights between Heathrow and Ostersund on a Sunday to Sunday package. Visit www.neilson.co.uk or call 0845 070 3460.

For weather and lift information, and online booking visit www.skistar.com.

Zip-line bookings can be made at www.campare.se/english. For dog sledging, visit www.aresleddog.se or call (+46) 0647-303 81.