Finland Skiing
Finland is a nation of snow & cold, numerous ski resorts but no high mountains. Better known Finnish ski resorts like Ruka & Levi are no more than a foothill when compared to the great ski resorts of the Alps. And whilst there is a fascination with skiing amongst the famous snow-ghosts of Ruka & Levi in the dark of an Arctic winter, we wonder whether the journey is worth the effort? Afterall, the ski area at Ruka has only 201m of vertical and a longest run of just 1.3km. Hardly the stuff of legend, but legendary it is ....
It is often said that you shouldn’t go to Finland specifically to ski or snowboard; you should go to see & experience Finland and just ski or snowboard while you’re there. Looking at the ski resort stats that makes complete sense to us. Whilst there are around 80 ski areas throughout Finland, only a handful are measurably worthy of interest to international visitors. Aside from the well-known Ruka & Levi, the largest ski resort (by a fair margin) is the relatively unknown Ylläs. Another of note is Pyhä with its easy access to off-piste freeride in the adjacent Pyhä-Luoston Kansallispuisto National Park, marking it as a potential Powderhounds haunt.
Levi, Ylläs & Pyhä ski areas are all situated above the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, so an added attraction for winter visitors is always going to involve those much loved snow-ghosts, long & cold crystal-clear nights, the northern lights (Aurora borealis), plus of course reindeer, dog sledding, snowmobiles, cross-country skiing, Sámi culture and saunas …. lots of saunas! Before mid-November & after mid-February, the stunningly beautiful light during the day is another feature of the region, but that can be said for all the mountainous regions above the Arctic Circle.
Pros & Cons of Skiing in Finland
Pros
- Guaranteed snow in winter.
- Long ski seasons from October to May.
- Perfect pistes.
- Wonderful (almost mystical) tree skiing/snowboarding.
- Stable, cold, dry powder in the side & backcountry.
- One of the world’s best locations for viewing the Northern Lights.
- Huge range of other winter activities to try like dog-sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing.
- Sámi culture & reindeer.
- Endless tracts of winter wilderness for the intrepid to explore.
- Most affordable of the European ‘Arctic’ nations (Russia doesn’t get included these days for obvious reasons!).
Cons
- Low ‘mountains’ (they are really just hills!)
- Small ski resorts
- Short skiable verticals
- Relatively short length of piste trails
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective)
- Modern, safe, clean country for travellers.
- Very cold & dark for much of winter.
- Doesn’t possess the high, dramatic mountain ranges and views of other ski regions.
- Saunas (love them or loathe them!).
Best Ski Resorts in Finland
Despite having a vast number of ski areas, there are a limited number of Finnish ski resorts large enough to pique our interest (not that size necessarily matters!). Read on for a brief overview of four of the best ski resorts in Finland.
Ruka
Well known for its summer storage of winter snow and opening pistes in October, Ruka has a big reputation that defies its relatively tiny stature. Despite being touted as Finland’s premier ski destination, Ruka’s highest lifted elevation of only 492m above sea level, skiable vertical of just 201m, and total ski trail length of less than 20km, place it firmly on the ‘visit if you happen to be in the area’ category! What it lacks in verticality is offset in part by over 200 ski days a year (WTF!), convenient resort villages, reliable snowfall, modern ski lifts (most chairs & the Village-2-Valley pulse gondola are less than 10-years old), a tip-top snow park and a massive network of 260km cross-country ski trails.
Check out the Ruka Ski Trail Map below.
Ruka is located over 828km by road north of Helsinki, which can be driven in 9hr if you are extremely hardcore. By far the quickest way there is to fly from Helsinki (HEL). The town of Kuusamo is the closest to Ruka, and its airport (KAO) is the gateway to the ski area, just 26km (20min) away by road. Ski buses direct to Ruka meet all the scheduled flights landing at Kuusamo airport (most are from Helsinki, but there are direct flights from a few other European cities in winter), and pre-booking a seat is recommended.
Villages are situated on both sides of the ski area (Ruka Village in the west, and Ruka Valley in the east). Much of the accommodation is ski-in ski-out or very close to it. Check out the hotel, apartment & chalet options via our Ruka Ski Accommodation Listings page.
Levi
From our perspective, a visit to the well-known ski resort of Levi makes far more sense for international travellers than a visit to Ruka. Aside from being bigger in stature, it is also quite close to Finland’s largest ski area, Ylläs, making the one-two combo a tasty prospect. Plus of course it also has those incredible snow ghosts to ride through. The other benefit of Levi’s geographic location is its proximity to Swedish Lapland (Abisko, Riksgränsen) and also to Norway’s Lyngen Alps & further on to Narvik and Lofoten Islands. Now that sounds like the Ultimate Arctic Ski Safari thought bubble put into words. Sound like a plan!
Even with the season-opening World Cup Slalom event being held here, Levi is still quite small on a world scale. Its comparatively miniscule 335m of skiable vertical is served by a nearly ridiculous 26 lifts, accessing a respectable 45km(ish) of ski trails (incl. ski routes). Piste quality is superb however, and the snow parks are allegedly first class.
Check out the Levi Ski Trail Map below.
Levi is located above the Arctic Circle nearly 1,000km by road north of Helsinki and can be driven in 11hr by the seriously crazed. Kittilä (KTT) airport is the gateway to the ski area, just 15km (10min) by road from Levi. There are regular flights from Helsinki (HEL) in winter. Ski buses and taxis will get you from the airport to the ski resort.
Check out the hotel, apartment & chalet options via our Levi Ski Accommodation Listings page.
Ylläs
Finland’s largest ski resort, Ylläs has the longest runs (over 3km), the highest skiable vertical (464m), the highest lifted point (719m above sea level) and the most piste terrain (53km) in the country.
Like most ski areas in Finland, the 26 ski lifts at Ylläs are mostly surface tows but also include a modern gondola & 2 chairlifts. The 53km of pistes extend across two separate but interlinked sectors, of which around 60% is rated intermediate & advanced. Each sector, called Ylläsjärvi & Äkäslompolo (presumably named after the nearby villages of the same names), has an even spread of terrain for all abilities, plus extensive day visitor facilities at each base.
For freeriders, Yllas is bookended on either side by wide open bowls, a few steeps, and forest, part of which is in the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park.
Check out the Ylläs Ski Trail Map below.
Ylläs is located 115km above the Arctic Circle and 960km (over 11hr drive) by road north of Helsinki. As with nearby Levi, Kittilä (KTT) airport is the gateway to the ski area, with the southern village of Ylläsjärvi 36km (30min) by road to the southwest. There are regular flights from Helsinki (HEL) to Kittilä in winter. Ski buses and taxis will get you from the airport to the ski resort.
Accommodation for Ylläs ski resort is near the gondola base in the Ylläsjärvi sector, plus further out in the nearby villages of Ylläsjärvi & Äkäslompolo. Whilst 15km apart (by road), both villages are connected to each other & the ski area by a regular ski bus (that requires payment). Check out the hotel, apartment & chalet options via our Ylläs Ski Accommodation Listings page.
Pyhä
On face value it appears to be small, but we reckon Pyhä has enough going for it that anyone within a few hundred kilometres of the hill may as well go and visit. Because let’s face it, a few hundred kilometres above the Arctic circle is nothing. Reasonably close to the other major Finnish Lapland ski areas of Levi and Ylläs, Pyhä is best for those willing to go out wide for a bit of adventure. The beauty of Pyhä for ski-tourers & freeriders is that the ski area & its adjacent side country (in the Pyhä-Luoston Kansallispuisto National Park) is nearly fully surrounded by cross-country ski and other winter trails at its base, allowing for easier returns to civilisation after riding powder.
On a global scale the statistics for Pyhä are not exactly inspiring; but that can be said of just about anywhere in Finland. So coming here with eyes wide open is a good start. The ski area has a highest lifted point of 500m above sea level and a skiable vertical of nearly 300m. There are less than 15km of piste trails served by 9 ski lifts including 2 modern chairs that go top to bottom on either side of the hill, effectively removing any need to use the surface tows (unless one is a novice!). Terrain is mostly rated easy but there is always a little for intermediates & advanced. The longest run is just under 2km.
Check out the Pyhä Ski Trail Map below.
Pyhä is located above the Arctic Circle between Levi & Ruka is about 950km by road north of Helsinki. Rovaniemi (RVN) airport is the closest, about 125km (90min) by road to the southwest of Pyha. Levi’s Kittilä (KTT) airport is about 150km (or 2hr drive) away to the northwest of the ski area. There are regular flights from Helsinki (HEL) & from some other western European origins in winter. Ski buses and taxis will get you from the airports to the ski resort. Rovaniemi is a major transport hub for the region, with trains coming up from Helsinki city & airport taking about as much time as it takes to drive. There is even the option to load a car onto the train from Helsinki to ease the tyranny of distance. The small ski resort of Luosto is a short drive to the north.
Local accommodations are at the base of the ski area (mostly ski-in ski-out to the lifts & lower pistes), plus a short distance north along the Pyhäjärvi lakeshore. Check out the hotel, apartment & chalet options via our Pyhä Ski Accommodation Listings page.
Finnish Ski Resort Reviews
The Powderhounds have skied Arctic Norway & Swedish Lapland, but honestly cannot say when (or if) we will ever travel to review any ski areas in Finland. More information on skiing in Finland will hopefully come eventually, but there are no guarantees, so you’ll have to hang on to your reindeer and wait; or go and find out for yourself. If you ski in Finland, let us know what you think!
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