@thecramps, ah my feet, yes they are ok. Heels covered in Compeed but they aren't sore.
Getting from Äkäslompolo to Levi is a bit of a pain by bus as the buses from Äkäslompolo go to the airport or train station. I think it might be possible to go to Ylläsjärvi then Levi but I think its pretty irregular. My go-to website for buses in Finland is https://www.matkahuolto.fi/passengers as they cover most bus companies. Car hire - I have never seen anywhere in Äkäslompolo that rent cars - maybe asking one of the Lapland hotels would be your best bet as they might have some deal with some company, however, I expect this will be quite expensive. I think your easiest option would be a taxi although that will not be cheap.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Orange200, How much light depends a lot on how cloudy is it. Technically it is polar night at the moment but I could easily cross country ski today between 11 - 3 pm without a head torch on unlit ski tracks and it was very cloudy and snowing today. A few days ago it was clear skies so there is enough light to do stuff outdoors from 9:30 - 15:30. Ok its definitely not bright but its fine for snowshoeing or xc skiing on the prepared tracks.
Downhill skiing is all floodlit so its bright from when they open at 9:30 until the lifts shut at 18:00. Levi in particular have invested a lot of money in really good bright lights that are also energy efficient. Ylläs has too but fewer of their slopes are lit (hence why not all open until February).
So the short answer - a minimum of 4 hours but it can be longer.
I've got a really good head torch that is USB chargeable and I can happily xc ski in the dark with that Rental shops here also rent decent head torches for around €5 a day.
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?
So the last day of the trip today. I worked in the morning hours of darkness and had an early lunch in the cottage before heading out for one last cross country ski. We decided to go on the classic skis because 1. my legs were still tired from yesterday and 2. it was snowing quite heavily so skate skiing in fresh snow would have been hard work. We decided to do one of my favourite routes here - north to Kotamaja. This is the most scenic part of the xc ski track network here in my opinion. We went up the climb over the western shoulder of Kesanki before descending down to the laavu at Hangaskuru. The descent was very slow as the tracks had pretty much filled in with the falling snow. From Hangaskuru we continued north on the very up and down track to Kotamaja - this seemed to be much more effort than I remembered. From Kotamaja we headed straight back to Äkäslompolo. In total it was 20 km with 316 m of elevation gain. Thoroughly enjoyed the day.
If anyone is interested in a really good map (OS standard) of the area, there is this website https://app.karttaselain.fi/ which also has an app you can download also called karttaselain.
There is also the https://map.yllas.fi/ webpage. As there is no piste ticket to buy when you cross country ski here to see the fully updated status of the tracks you need to pay to access this map. It costs €10 as a minimum which is pretty good value for 300 km of xc tracks in my opinion. You can read more about it here: https://www.yllas.fi/en/area-info/trail-fee.html
@pam w, yep, its a tough life and I am very grateful that I have the chance to do this. Yep, I've been blown across enough Scottish mountain tops and crofts as a child to stand me in good stead!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@thecramps, sorry I missed the bit about learning Finnish earlier - on todellä hyvää että yrittät puhua suomea! I've been learning for years and I'm still not fluent although I can deal with most situations. I think the hardest thing is that written (book language) in Finnish is very different to spoken Finnish. e.g. If you write "I am" it is "minä olen" but nobody would say that - it would be "ma oon".
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
snow_promise wrote:
@mgrolf, the train cabins are fine, not exactly luxurious but certainly comfortable and no random person snoring next to you! They sleep 2 people in bunk beds which are made up for you with proper duvets and sheets. There are reading lights, power sockets and a little net thing at the top of the beds. In the downstairs cabins there is a small sink unit whereas the upstairs ones have their own toilet and shower. I always sleep really well on the train. The trains are super popular though so you need to book well in advance. The train is cheaper than flying from Helsinki to Lapland and in my opinion a much more pleasant experience. Last night the train was long - 10 double decker car carrier carriages, 4 double deckers sleeper carriages, 5 single decker sleeper carriages and the famous restaurant car.
Fun video. Reminds me of the trains I took in Norway. I took a sleeper from Oslo to Trondheim and then a day train up to the Arctic. There was a great deal of nothing to be seen out of the windows for a very long time. There was a "kids car" with some soft play stuff and toys, which I thought was great - somewhere to take bored kids. Because I'd booked in advance the fares were very good value.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
On the night train back to Helsinki. Car loading went very smoothly and as there are two trains tonight this earlier one seems quite quiet. It was also very cheap - €98 for the cabin for 2 of us and for the car. Only bad but about this early train is that it only has the old style sleeper wagons which are ok but not as nice as the new ones. The train also arrives at 6:53am so it will be an early night.
Here’s a photo of the later (newer train) and the car carriers
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@snow_promise, Hope your journey home went to plan. Thanks for the trip report and the advice re Finnish.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Looks like a fantastic trip!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
snow_promise wrote:
So the last day of the trip today. I worked in the morning hours of darkness and had an early lunch in the cottage before heading out for one last cross country ski. We decided to go on the classic skis because 1. my legs were still tired from yesterday and 2. it was snowing quite heavily so skate skiing in fresh snow would have been hard work. We decided to do one of my favourite routes here - north to Kotamaja. This is the most scenic part of the xc ski track network here in my opinion. We went up the climb over the western shoulder of Kesanki before descending down to the laavu at Hangaskuru. The descent was very slow as the tracks had pretty much filled in with the falling snow. From Hangaskuru we continued north on the very up and down track to Kotamaja - this seemed to be much more effort than I remembered. From Kotamaja we headed straight back to Äkäslompolo. In total it was 20 km with 316 m of elevation gain. Thoroughly enjoyed the day.
If anyone is interested in a really good map (OS standard) of the area, there is this website https://app.karttaselain.fi/ which also has an app you can download also called karttaselain.
There is also the https://map.yllas.fi/ webpage. As there is no piste ticket to buy when you cross country ski here to see the fully updated status of the tracks you need to pay to access this map. It costs €10 as a minimum which is pretty good value for 300 km of xc tracks in my opinion. You can read more about it here: https://www.yllas.fi/en/area-info/trail-fee.html
I completely agree that a trip to Kotomaja is the most scenic from Äkäslompolo, but would definitely say the eestern side of Kesänkitunturi is by far better than the western route. It is a bit longer by 3 or 4km, but it's a blue climb all the way so not so punishing. Sadly for us, the secondary routes weren't prepared at all during our visit, so going around the western side of Lainiotunturi wasn't an option, but if it is, do it, it's great. Keep some bread or nut crumbs to feed the Siberian jays at Hangaskuru shelter though, they will eat from your hand.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
Rental shops here also rent decent head torches for around €5 a day.
