Meet the Ahlbergs: Swedish Summers, Road Trip Ski Missions, and the Art of Balance

Summer adventures for the Ahlbergs aren't your traditional vacation plans. In the past year alone, after skiing in France and Japan during their winter holidays, Max and Malin embarked on a multi-day road trip from Stockholm to the remote mountains of Senja, Norway. They stopped to work from hotel rooms by day and drive through the night to reach their objective.

With a three day work week coming up thanks to bank holidays, the Ahlbergs had big plans for the long weekend. Days before embarking, they'd already begun to prep their skis and begin packing. They logged hours in weather apps to see what area has the best snow and chances for sun, and factored in what route to take and the avalanche conditions. A warm winter in the nordics pushed this mission as far north as they could drive, and required some special solutions to reach the snow.

“We were at the office Monday,” Max said. “And then after work, it was straight into the car to drive seven hours north.” From there, they worked a full-day, remotely, from a hotel room in Umeå before driving another seven hours to the famous Ice Hotel in northern Sweden.

“We were really happy that we didn’t sleep in the ice room, but rather in the normal room on the side,” Max joked. “During the day, they open up the ice rooms as a museum.” After getting some shots in the sculpture-filled frozen suites, they hit the road again to travel six more hours north to ski.

It’s a routine that sums up their relationship with skiing: create a path that’s dedicated to performing at work, coming up with creative travel solutions, and fueled by their love of snow.

Both Max and Malin grew up skiing, but their real immersion into the sport came during their early twenties. Malin took a gap year that turned into something longer when she lived in France and Canada and skied every chance she could. “I basically lived the ski bum life for a few years before going back to school,” she said. Max spent his gap years working as a ski instructor, first in Norway, then in Switzerland and New Zealand. “I did the classic back-to-back winters,” he said.

That background is part of what makes them such strong athletes, even now that they’re balancing full-time jobs and limited training windows. “We do what we can with the time we have,” said Malin. “It’s not always ideal, but it works for us.”

They plan their trips carefully, taking advantage of Sweden’s generous vacation policies to stack long weekends or week-long missions. Max and Malin work hard to keep their stoke high, whether they’re ski touring above fjords or logging hours behind the wheel.

Their latest winter trip was impressive for its sheer distance, but Max and Malin aren’t chasing the most extreme lines or far-flung destinations for the sake of it. They’re in it for the experiences and to connect with each other.

The Ahlbergs work hard to build a life that prioritizes adventure without setting aside reality. Sometimes, that looks like taking driving shifts, late-night ski prep, and laptop-powered hotel days, but they’re choices they’ve thoughtfully curated. “You got to work,” said Max, “and then as soon as the workday ends, you stretch, drive, put in more time…and then you can take off a little bit more time.”

The couple and Renoun athletes are more than elite skiers. They’re passionate humans eager to represent how to center skiing in your life. That’s a turn we can all take. 

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