Winter begins in Finland
Published in Woman's Weekly magazine Nov 2011
Published in Woman's Weekly magazine Nov 2011
Winter begins in Finland
I have to confess that I nearly cancelled my trip to Lapland in Finland. It was January, post-Christmas blues were setting in the Parker household and I had a bad case of man flu. To make matters worse, one of my trusted (although dated) guide books described the area I was visiting as “uninspired” with “little to detain you” apart from a “dishevelled” ski resort. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement and my mood wasn’t lifted by the Monday morning rush-hour traffic that threatened to curtail my adventure before we had even reached Heathrow airport.
We were flying to Rovaniemi, the capital city of Lapland where every day is Christmas thanks to the attendance of it’s famous resident, Santa Claus. Hoards of camera wielding Japanese tourists seemed to think this a great idea as we all made our way to the airport’s baggage hall that was festooned with every kind of Christmas related cuddly toy and decorations imaginable. It was certainly the first time I had collected my luggage under the gaze of plastic reindeer but it was fun and made me smile for the first time that day.
We were heading to the modern, family resort of Levi, situated in the district of Kittilä inside the Arctic Circle. At this time of the year, with barely five hours of daylight, Levi seemed to shimmer in a luminous twilight of almost ethereal quality. Stepping out into the clean Arctic air I was struck by a feeling of being at the edge of civilisation in one of the most dramatic landscapes I had encountered. Glittering tundra and numerous frozen lakes lay before me in an unspoiled wilderness dotted with the occasional sighting of an illuminated log cabin shining brightly from the edges of a deep forest. I didn’t even mind the sub zero temperature of -15C, thanks to the dry climate and calm winds, which helped to make it feel warmer than it actually was.
Although there’s a fantastic selection of un-crowded downhill ski runs to suit all levels from beginners through to the superstars of the Alpine Skiing World Cup circuit, I decided to pursue a non-skiing agenda, which began at the controls of a snowmobile. I’m not sure how many layers of clothes I had to put on to satisfy my guide but by the time I had zipped up my thermal bodysuit and mittens I must have looked like the Michelin tyre man. I found the snowmobiles surprisingly easy to drive although we were under strict instructions not to exceed the speed limit of 45mph. This law along with drink driving is taken very seriously and it’s not uncommon for riders to be stopped and breathalysed by Levi’s very own snowmobile police patrol complete with blue flashing lights! Fortunately our group was well behaved although we were slightly disappointed that we hadn’t encountered the Starsky and Hutch cops of the Levi snow patrol team.
Our snowmobile safari took us to the Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm where we were greeted by a couple of herders wearing the traditional Sami clothing of brightly coloured tunics (gaktis) and winter moccasins made from reindeer skin. Traditionally, the Sami wore no socks but stuffed their moccasins with dried sedge grass for keeping their feet warm and snug. Luckily for us, they had also arranged a warming fire inside a Lappish Kota (tepee) as the snow and temperature began to fall. With the light fading fast, the herders were keen to show us how to handle a reindeer sledge and I was soon taking up the reins of a grey beast with huge antlers. Fortunately, he seemed to know his way around and our gentle taster ride went off without a hitch. Afterwards I headed to the farm’s log cabin where warm soup and coffee was much appreciated along with a presentation of my very own reindeer drivers licence. I had passed the exam with flying colours!
Families will love to visit the ice and snow sculpture park that’s become an annual event in Levi thanks to the skill of some of China’s finest ice artists. Beautifully lit pagoda’s and palaces compete for your attention and I even managed to walk across the Great Wall of China, although it was extremely slippery under foot.
The highlight of my trip was undoubtedly the Siberian husky sled tour under the expert guidance of Mr Reijo Jääskeläinen who’s something of a sporting legend out in these parts. His list of Alpine achievements goes before him including numerous Finnish and Scandinavian dog-sledging championships, victories in the Nordic Marathon and he also completed a 700km expedition in Greenland with Eskimos as guides. What Reijo didn’t know about Husky dogs wasn’t worth bothering with and he had the trophies to prove it. I liked him immediately and quickly accepted his offer to be a passenger with his team. His team consisted of twelve Siberian Huskies of pure muscle and the noise from the dogs as they were being prepared was deafening – they were so excited and just aching to run. After one sharp whistle from Reijo the barking stopped we were off at a blistering pace that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I could feel the surge of raw animal power flow through my body as the Huskies speed through the dense forest. There was no noise to break the magical spell except for the faint whirr from the sledge as it cut through the powered snow. The exhilaration was quite unlike any other form of transport I had ever experienced and it left me with a grin on my face for the rest of the trip.
Finally, you can’t leave Lapland with trying a sauna, which incidentally, in this part of the world is pronounced to rhyme with “towner” rather than “corner”. Finns and their saunas are inseparable. It’s part of their heritage and they are everywhere. Unfortunately I discovered mine was set right beside a frozen lake and it slowly dawned on me that the ice pool carved through the lake wasn’t intended for a spot of fishing but as a plunge pool for yours truly to lower down, naked into the cold water. You will be pleased to know that I survived this ordeal and although I can’t say it was the most pleasurable experience of the trip, I did enjoy drinking a post sauna beer under the stars in a hot tub.
Factbox:
Finnair offers return flights to Kittilä via Helsinki (approx 15 minute drive to Levi).
http://www.finnair.com/ Chris stayed at The Sokos Hotel Levi
http://www.sokoshotels.fi/en/hotels/levi
Double rooms from (£varies depending on date of publication) per night based on two people sharing. Price includes breakfast. Perhesafarit Snowmobile Safari
http://www.perhesafarit.fi
Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm
http://www.ounaskievari.fi/ok/esivu.php?id=1
Polar Speed Husky Farm
http://www.polarspeed.fi
ICIUM Wonderworld of Ice
http://www.icium.fi
For more information on Levi, please visit http://www.levi.fi/en For more information on Finland, please visit http://www.visitfinland.com/uk
I have to confess that I nearly cancelled my trip to Lapland in Finland. It was January, post-Christmas blues were setting in the Parker household and I had a bad case of man flu. To make matters worse, one of my trusted (although dated) guide books described the area I was visiting as “uninspired” with “little to detain you” apart from a “dishevelled” ski resort. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement and my mood wasn’t lifted by the Monday morning rush-hour traffic that threatened to curtail my adventure before we had even reached Heathrow airport.
We were flying to Rovaniemi, the capital city of Lapland where every day is Christmas thanks to the attendance of it’s famous resident, Santa Claus. Hoards of camera wielding Japanese tourists seemed to think this a great idea as we all made our way to the airport’s baggage hall that was festooned with every kind of Christmas related cuddly toy and decorations imaginable. It was certainly the first time I had collected my luggage under the gaze of plastic reindeer but it was fun and made me smile for the first time that day.
We were heading to the modern, family resort of Levi, situated in the district of Kittilä inside the Arctic Circle. At this time of the year, with barely five hours of daylight, Levi seemed to shimmer in a luminous twilight of almost ethereal quality. Stepping out into the clean Arctic air I was struck by a feeling of being at the edge of civilisation in one of the most dramatic landscapes I had encountered. Glittering tundra and numerous frozen lakes lay before me in an unspoiled wilderness dotted with the occasional sighting of an illuminated log cabin shining brightly from the edges of a deep forest. I didn’t even mind the sub zero temperature of -15C, thanks to the dry climate and calm winds, which helped to make it feel warmer than it actually was.
Although there’s a fantastic selection of un-crowded downhill ski runs to suit all levels from beginners through to the superstars of the Alpine Skiing World Cup circuit, I decided to pursue a non-skiing agenda, which began at the controls of a snowmobile. I’m not sure how many layers of clothes I had to put on to satisfy my guide but by the time I had zipped up my thermal bodysuit and mittens I must have looked like the Michelin tyre man. I found the snowmobiles surprisingly easy to drive although we were under strict instructions not to exceed the speed limit of 45mph. This law along with drink driving is taken very seriously and it’s not uncommon for riders to be stopped and breathalysed by Levi’s very own snowmobile police patrol complete with blue flashing lights! Fortunately our group was well behaved although we were slightly disappointed that we hadn’t encountered the Starsky and Hutch cops of the Levi snow patrol team.
Our snowmobile safari took us to the Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm where we were greeted by a couple of herders wearing the traditional Sami clothing of brightly coloured tunics (gaktis) and winter moccasins made from reindeer skin. Traditionally, the Sami wore no socks but stuffed their moccasins with dried sedge grass for keeping their feet warm and snug. Luckily for us, they had also arranged a warming fire inside a Lappish Kota (tepee) as the snow and temperature began to fall. With the light fading fast, the herders were keen to show us how to handle a reindeer sledge and I was soon taking up the reins of a grey beast with huge antlers. Fortunately, he seemed to know his way around and our gentle taster ride went off without a hitch. Afterwards I headed to the farm’s log cabin where warm soup and coffee was much appreciated along with a presentation of my very own reindeer drivers licence. I had passed the exam with flying colours!
Families will love to visit the ice and snow sculpture park that’s become an annual event in Levi thanks to the skill of some of China’s finest ice artists. Beautifully lit pagoda’s and palaces compete for your attention and I even managed to walk across the Great Wall of China, although it was extremely slippery under foot.
The highlight of my trip was undoubtedly the Siberian husky sled tour under the expert guidance of Mr Reijo Jääskeläinen who’s something of a sporting legend out in these parts. His list of Alpine achievements goes before him including numerous Finnish and Scandinavian dog-sledging championships, victories in the Nordic Marathon and he also completed a 700km expedition in Greenland with Eskimos as guides. What Reijo didn’t know about Husky dogs wasn’t worth bothering with and he had the trophies to prove it. I liked him immediately and quickly accepted his offer to be a passenger with his team. His team consisted of twelve Siberian Huskies of pure muscle and the noise from the dogs as they were being prepared was deafening – they were so excited and just aching to run. After one sharp whistle from Reijo the barking stopped we were off at a blistering pace that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I could feel the surge of raw animal power flow through my body as the Huskies speed through the dense forest. There was no noise to break the magical spell except for the faint whirr from the sledge as it cut through the powered snow. The exhilaration was quite unlike any other form of transport I had ever experienced and it left me with a grin on my face for the rest of the trip.
Finally, you can’t leave Lapland with trying a sauna, which incidentally, in this part of the world is pronounced to rhyme with “towner” rather than “corner”. Finns and their saunas are inseparable. It’s part of their heritage and they are everywhere. Unfortunately I discovered mine was set right beside a frozen lake and it slowly dawned on me that the ice pool carved through the lake wasn’t intended for a spot of fishing but as a plunge pool for yours truly to lower down, naked into the cold water. You will be pleased to know that I survived this ordeal and although I can’t say it was the most pleasurable experience of the trip, I did enjoy drinking a post sauna beer under the stars in a hot tub.
Factbox:
Finnair offers return flights to Kittilä via Helsinki (approx 15 minute drive to Levi).
http://www.finnair.com/ Chris stayed at The Sokos Hotel Levi
http://www.sokoshotels.fi/en/hotels/levi
Double rooms from (£varies depending on date of publication) per night based on two people sharing. Price includes breakfast. Perhesafarit Snowmobile Safari
http://www.perhesafarit.fi
Ounaskievari Reindeer Farm
http://www.ounaskievari.fi/ok/esivu.php?id=1
Polar Speed Husky Farm
http://www.polarspeed.fi
ICIUM Wonderworld of Ice
http://www.icium.fi
For more information on Levi, please visit http://www.levi.fi/en For more information on Finland, please visit http://www.visitfinland.com/uk
