Skiing in Finnish Lapland
Posted by: David Leedham on 08 October 2006
looking to book a late season family skiing trip. Anybody have any recommendations for resorts. First 2 week of april is all we can aim for time slot wise. Snow a certainty here at this time.
Posted on: 09 October 2006 by DIL
You really need suggestions from someone local to get best value for money, quality of skiing, ambience tips. However, a quick google found these links. Lots in Finnish, so if there isn't a union jack "in english" sign on the web pages the it'll be click and try time. Good luck.
BTW "Skidåkning" is skiing in Swedish.
http://www.deveplan.fi/polar/sw/fi/aktiviteter_fi.htm (Links to several resorts.)
http://www.levi.fi/pages/index.php?id=1&language=eng
BTW "Skidåkning" is skiing in Swedish.
http://www.deveplan.fi/polar/sw/fi/aktiviteter_fi.htm (Links to several resorts.)
http://www.levi.fi/pages/index.php?id=1&language=eng
Posted on: 09 October 2006 by Ian G.
Hi,
I've been skiing there once many years ago in a place called 'Ruka'. That was in January and it was bloody freezing (-25C - wind-chill during the day). 'Day' was an academic definition only as it was not light for very long. The main runs had floodlights which was kind of kool for a while but a little harder to pick out the terrain.
The runs were fine but pretty limited in the same way that Scottish skiing is rather small scale, in contrast to the mega-runs possible in the Alps.
As my better half is Finnish I visit there regularly - but not often in winter!
Ian
I've been skiing there once many years ago in a place called 'Ruka'. That was in January and it was bloody freezing (-25C - wind-chill during the day). 'Day' was an academic definition only as it was not light for very long. The main runs had floodlights which was kind of kool for a while but a little harder to pick out the terrain.
The runs were fine but pretty limited in the same way that Scottish skiing is rather small scale, in contrast to the mega-runs possible in the Alps.
As my better half is Finnish I visit there regularly - but not often in winter!
Ian
Posted on: 09 October 2006 by DIL
David,
If you are going late March / early April you have the best possible weather in so much as you have lots of daylight (Past the spring solstice so 12 hours + daylight) and the temperature will swing quite a lot between day and night. If you are lucky and are blessed with clear skies, you will have freezing conditions overnight and above freezing during the day. I'll second Ian's comment about scale. Finland is a pretty flat place when all said and done.
As alternatives, I believe that there are some resorts just over the boarder in Russia which are slightly bigger than those in Finland. And there is some resonable skiing to be had in Sweden too; in the north Hemavan and Riksgränsen spring to mind.
E-mail a few places, also turist information in the major cities in northern Finland, you will no doubt find somewhere to your liking.
/dl
If you are going late March / early April you have the best possible weather in so much as you have lots of daylight (Past the spring solstice so 12 hours + daylight) and the temperature will swing quite a lot between day and night. If you are lucky and are blessed with clear skies, you will have freezing conditions overnight and above freezing during the day. I'll second Ian's comment about scale. Finland is a pretty flat place when all said and done.
As alternatives, I believe that there are some resorts just over the boarder in Russia which are slightly bigger than those in Finland. And there is some resonable skiing to be had in Sweden too; in the north Hemavan and Riksgränsen spring to mind.
E-mail a few places, also turist information in the major cities in northern Finland, you will no doubt find somewhere to your liking.
/dl
Posted on: 10 October 2006 by David Leedham
Thanks for the information David and Ian.
Any info on Swedish/ russian skiing experiences ?
Any info on Swedish/ russian skiing experiences ?
Posted on: 10 October 2006 by DIL
David,
A few links to the main resorts in northern Sweden.
Hemavan http://www.hemavan.nu/ENG/index.htm. Never skied here, but have been a couple of times in the autumn to fly gliders here. I believe there are direct flights here from Stockholm. Like many of the large resorts, they do guided heli-skiing (http://www.hemavan.nu/skidakning/heliski.htm#).
Riksgränsen http://www.riksgransen.nu/ENG/startsida_EN.htm Fairly major resort (For Sweden). I've skied here once. OK, but seems to attract the younger 'ski-bum' crowd. Fairly challenging skiing (For me at any rate!). Fly to Kiruna then train to Riksgränsen.
Björkliden http://www.bjorkliden.com/bjorkis/skidakning/index.htm. Skied here once. Prefered it to Riksgränsen as the runs were easier. Possible to get the train to / from Riksgränsen, its only 10-15km(?) between these two resorts. Fly to Kiruna then train to the resort.
Hope this helps.
/david
A few links to the main resorts in northern Sweden.
Hemavan http://www.hemavan.nu/ENG/index.htm. Never skied here, but have been a couple of times in the autumn to fly gliders here. I believe there are direct flights here from Stockholm. Like many of the large resorts, they do guided heli-skiing (http://www.hemavan.nu/skidakning/heliski.htm#).
Riksgränsen http://www.riksgransen.nu/ENG/startsida_EN.htm Fairly major resort (For Sweden). I've skied here once. OK, but seems to attract the younger 'ski-bum' crowd. Fairly challenging skiing (For me at any rate!). Fly to Kiruna then train to Riksgränsen.
Björkliden http://www.bjorkliden.com/bjorkis/skidakning/index.htm. Skied here once. Prefered it to Riksgränsen as the runs were easier. Possible to get the train to / from Riksgränsen, its only 10-15km(?) between these two resorts. Fly to Kiruna then train to the resort.
Hope this helps.
/david