 Poster: A snowHead
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So after many years of skiing Levi, the hotel we used to book via Inghams is no longer an option and other circumstances mean self-catering is the best option. I've narrowed it down to three places to stay (again via Inghams) but thought we should also consider Yllas. Does any one have knowledge of the supermarket offerings in Yllas? We know Levi has two really good ones so hoping Yllas is similar. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@scorpio21, oooh I'm off to levi over new year for a week, staying in K5 cabins. May just pick your brains over the skiing at some point! 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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There's actually two resorts, one on the north side and one on the south. The supermarkets are a few miles off the skiing areas so it depends where your accommodation is. I think you are more likely to be nearer to a supermarket if you stay on the north one. The supermarket there is in Äkäslompolo. But then again you will be further from the piste. The south one has got one near the Ylläsjärvi lake and is quite small.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hmmm.... That is very helpful and useful, thank you @imu2002
Maybe I'll stick to Levi.
@PaulC1984 ask away, I know the lay of land at Levi very well!
👍🏻👍🏻
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@scorpio21, we have stayed in log cabins in Akaslompolo twice now. Getting to the alpine slopes is by bus, but they are frequent and nothing like as crowded as they get in France. There are x-country tracks all over the place and you are never far from them. Nowhere is more than a 10-15min walk from the supermarket, which is the biggest supermarket in Lapland. We thoroughly enjoyed our holidays there, but if you need to have the supermarket and pistes on your doorstep, then Akaslompolo may not be for you, but if like us you don't mind a little walk, it's great. Yllas is the busier side, but the supermarket is smaller, however we haven't stayed on that side of the fell. Skiing there though is easy and the two sides are properly linked, although there is a 100m flat that can be hardwork against the wind.
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We've stayed in Yllas a few times and I'm actually originally from Finland. The supermarket Jounin Kauppa in Akaslompolo is 'world famous'  It's big (Tesco style) and very well stocked but best to get there on or short after transfer day - we have a few preferred specialist products and have found that we can find absolutely everything on day one, whereas the shelves are considerably emptier later in the week. There's also a couple of fantastic bakeries and coffee shops nearby just a couple of doors down. As well as souvenir shops and a pub, and a few good restaurants nearby. Most hotels and residencies have sledges available for shopping trips, it's a lovely walk to the shop wherever you're staying in the Akaslompolo side and heavy shopping bags sit nicely in the sledge, provided there's enough snow for them (Easter time there sometimes isn't enough snow on the roads even if the piste are still perfectly snowy and well groomed). I'd say even if you stay in the Yllas side, it's worth taking the ski bus to Jounin Kauppa and back for at least the first big shop, that is if you're self catering. Skiing wise, Yllas is the biggest ski resort and there's more variety than in Levi and therefore I personally would always choose Yllas over Levi. Akaslompolo side there's plenty of very easy nursery slopes with dead easy drag lifts. My son at 4 and 5 years old was doing several weeks of ski lessons in France and when in more advanced groups was really struggling with some button lifts as he was just too tiny physically - wouldn't have had any of these problems in Lapland as the easy buttons are super slow and easy even for the smallest skiers and bigger beginners. Always tempted to take board lessons there myself!! Yllas side has bigger and more exciting runs, beautiful wide reds including two World Cup runs - they are classified as blacks in Yllas but absolutely not the Alps equivalent blacks, quite enjoyable nonetheless and kids come home knowing they've skied World Cup blacks!
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@PaulC1984, we've always visited Levi in March so there are more daylight hours, but I think most are floodlit. The best slope for night skiing is the front slope, which is lit as soon as dusk turns. The route you suggest sounds perfect, if your other half is not so confident, the 7s (especially the 7Bs) are lovely swooping easy runs but not sure if they are lit.
It does get extremely cold though and the lifts don't stay open particularly late. It's good to make the trip back over the green and down the front piste the final one for the day (assuming you are staying in Levi centre) because there are various ways to ski down it, fast, slow, big curves, moguls etc
Hope that helps a bit
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@PaulC1984 - just realised you are staying at the K5 so you would do the front piste at the end of your day. It's a beautiful sight when it's dark and you can look across the town before making the final run down.
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