Patrik Frisk, former CEO of Under Armour, has purchased a ski resort in Sweden. Branäs Group announced the sale of Ulricehamn Ski Center in Västergötland to Frisk and his family last Thursday. Frisk told Freeride magazine that he wants to give more young people, families and clubs in the region access to a unique alpine facility.
Frisk is changing the name of the ski area to Ulricehamn Ski, Bike and Hike, making it clear that there are plans to create a year-round area for snow sports in the winter and mountain biking and hiking in the summer. The municipality of Ulricehamn has told Swedish media that it supports the initiative and sees potential in the facility attracting visitors year-round rather than just in winter.
The new venture will be led by Fredrik Porat, who most recently worked as bike manager at SGN Sport (Bike Nation, Team Sportia and Sportringen). “We want to create something unique here, southern Sweden’s most complete and accessible destination for people interested in downhill skiing and possibly mountain biking,” he commented. The plan is to open the slopes on Dec. 17.
The purchase could also mean that Frisk is returning to Sweden after many years abroad with VF Corp, Aldo Group and Under Armour. Ulricehamn is located 100km east of Gothenburg and 375km southwest of Stockholm, between the towns of Borås and Jönköping. There are currently about 2.6km of slopes and 7 lifts, located at an altitude between 179 and 288m.
Branäs Group acquired Ulricehamn Ski Center in 2017 and, after five seasons, decided to focus even more on its Branäs and Kungsberget ski resorts, both of which are among the country’s top 10 ski areas based on the number of ski passes sold.
