FINLAND
FINLAND
Finland has many cross country ski areas to explore with good links from the UK, and guaranteed snow in most parts, especially in the north, from Mid October to as late as May.
Helsinki
Helsinki suffers from lack of snow in recent years, but has been included for completeness of information. There is a seasonal indoor ski hall that might be worth trying. If you're there and it has snow, that's great - but don't plan it into your itinerary.
Lahti
Lahti is about 100K north of Helsinki and boasts 170K of cross country ski trails. 145K of these are part of the Salpausselkä route network and the trails start in the city centre.
Kittillä
The area around Kittilä town has a network of its own tracks to offer, and some which join up with the Ylläs and Levi networks.
- Ylläs / Äkäslompolo
- Levi
- Pyhä
- Luosto
The Ylläs ski area has a total of 330 km of cross country ski tracks, including 38 kilometres which are illuminated. The main area for cross country skiing centres around Äkäslompolo and you can get buses from here to the start of other trails in the area.
Situated in Finnish Lapland within the arctic circle, Levi has its highest elevation at 258 metres. It has 230 kilometres of prepared cross country ski trails, including 28K of floodlit trails with some dedicated dog walking loops.
Located on the edge of the Artic circle within the Pyhä-Luostoi National Park, it is a wilderness area with dramatic scenery.
Europe’s northernmost holiday resort is situated 250 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.
Salla
Salla lies far away from the rush and the noise, yet easy enough to reach the area.
Ruka
Wilderness Skiing
For those looking for a little more adventure off the beaten track whilst being at one with nature, in Finland this is classed as a wilderness environment. Some of these areas do still have prepared tracks, whilst other will have more of an off-track approach.
- Saariselkä
- Oulanka
- Hossa