So we are off to Levi tomorrow for the first time. We've always wanted to go somewhere t'up north and we are treating this as more of a winter holiday than a "ski trip". We are doing 5 nights and we don't have any kids in tow. Just two adults. We usually do our week long alps trip at the end of January but we have moved that to March this year and it seems like a wise choice in hindsight with the current conditions!
Thanks to the help to those who answered a few questions in my previous threads about Levi! I'll try to update this as we go!
Flights - Stansted to Rovaniemi with Ryanair. It was this, or more expensive flights with Finnair to Helsinki and then onwards to Kittila. Flying to Rovaniemi means we had to get a rental car but life would be easier with one anyway even if we flew into Kittila. It does mean I have to endure both Stansted and Ryanair for 3 hours....but I'm sure I'll survive! Middle class problems eh!
Transfer - as mentioned, we are hiring a car. Gone with Alamo. Not used them before. Usually go Enterprise or Europcar but both more expensive. Would have used Finn-rent but they require a credit card for deposit which I don't have! 2-3 hour drive up north which will allow us to stop for a supply shop on the way. I'm used to driving in the Alps and abroad but I'm sure this will be a new experience in the Arctic circle!
Accommodation - AirBnb cottage in the Isorakka area of Levi. It's a little way out of the main town but that's what we wanted. Surrounded by woods, away from bright lights. Sauna and hot tub.
Activities - We have pre-booked a reindeer sled drive to a private lake, to do some Ice-fishing and snow shoeing for Saturday. We are really looking forward to that. Apart from that we are just going to go on the weather for other stuff. We will certainly do 1 day on the slopes. Probably Friday looking at the forecast. We are also going to be giving cross-country a try so will be booking a lesson (probably with the northern lights village as they seem good valued and well reviewed). We also plan on renting some snow shoes and just doing some walking around the area. The OH is keen to try the ice swimming (well it's more a plunge) which is on Friday evening.
All in all, really looking forward to trying somewhere new and obviously massively hoping to catch a viewing of the Northern Lights!
We had an amazing time. It was everything we wanted out of a trip to the frozen north. I think we did the right amount of time there for us. We were always treating it as a winter trip rather than a ski trip. For us, as experienced skiers. After 1 day we were done with the slopes of Levi. But we are spoilt with the areas we usually ski in the Alps. If there was a huge dumping of snow, so we had a load of fresh powder to ski in, that would have been amazing. But I did find that the upper parts of the slopes were a bit windswept and hard in places. Lower down and through the trees the snow was much better to ski on in my opinion. As I mentioned previously, if you are learning or are travelling with children then I can see the appeal of the ski area.
The cross country was great fun. The OH took to it more than me, but I could see myself doing a bit more of it. It is an absolute leg burner though! And Levi has KMs worth of tracks so you'd be spoilt for choice.
Levi as a place just feels lovely. Actually all of Finland did. The centre is a little "touristy" but to be expected. I'm glad we stayed out of town where it was so peaceful. We had an outdoor hot tube (wood fired) and it was just so quiet. Didn't see or hear anyone or cars from where we were. It does feel a lot more "in the wilderness" than a trip to the alps and that is what we wanted. The people were all incredibly friendly.
Cost wise, we were braced to spend a small fortune. However, we honestly found it not much different to a trip to the Alps. We spent 150 euros on food and drink for our 5 nights. That was 4 evening meals, and 5 breakfasts. We bought one bottle of wine which was 7.50 euros and I think we got through 18 cans of beer which were 10 euros for 6. So that alcohol is more expensive. In the bars it was about 15-17 euros for 2 drinks. So London prices!
Just a final note on car hire. I usually book with Enterprise or Europcar. Never ever had a problem with either, but both came in a good chunk of money more than Alamo so I booked with them. Now I'm aware that Alamo is part of Enterprise. You see their logos on the same desks etc. But we literally went to the Enterprise desk, went to the Enterprise car collection, picked up a car with Enterprise on the side and even the ice scraper had Enterprise on it! I was really confused as to why if I had booked with Enterprise, it would have cost me £50 more for exactly the same.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 7-02-24 12:56; edited 1 time in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Have fun, @Fridge03. Looking forward to your report - something different. I looked at google maps to see the geography of your trip - and discovered that there's a Rovaniemi Close in Chichester!
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?
@Fridge03, looking forward to reading this, sounds like a magic holiday!
Did something similar for Mrs P's 50th celebration at start of December. Stayed downtown Levi and a few things of note - eating and drinking out - no more expensive vs. major alpine resorts (no Scandi premium over say France). Supermarkets in Levi - everything you could ever need. Standard of driving we saw - awesome. If you have any issues - people are super helpful. Snow shoeing - we took a guide and a definite highlight. We did husky rides too - if either of you are dog fans then its worth it - as is snow-mobiling. Also signed up with one of the Northern Light tour companies when we got there - they would only take us out when they thought activity and cloud conditions would give high probability of success. Crazy Reindeer is great if you like that sort of thing - as was the local food. Special mention for upstairs at Restaurant Utsu at Levin Iglut where we celebrated her 50th - pricey but worth the £££ for a special occasion. Seems like you're going with the same approach as we did - a proper winter holiday with some skiing as part of it - so hope you enjoy as much as we did.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Xc skiing at Levi is the go, so many tracks and wonderful cozy break options, although quite cold and very short days atm I guess.
Hello all. Just sitting down to enjoy a cuppa so would update how we are getting on so far!
We had a rather fraught drive to stansted from Sussex. My engine warning light decided to come on half way! The car was still driving fine and I suspect it was a reoccurrence of a previous issue with the ecu, so pressed on. Managed to arrive and will deal with it when back!
I have somewhat of a dislike for both Stansted and Ryanair. More so the airport. With Ryanair you get what you pay for. But Stansted is seemingly designed to give you a crap experience. Airports aren’t great anyway but Stansted goes out of its way to frustrate you.
Anyway, flight on time. 3 and a bit hours on a Ryanair flight is never going to be a luxurious experience but I did pay the extra for the extra leg room seats. They did make a big difference especially being 6ft 1 and usually struggle in their normal seats.
Landed at Rovaniemi bang on time and what a lovely efficient airport. And incredibly clean. Through border control in about 5-10 mins and the bags were already waiting for us.
The wait to collect the hire car from Alamo/enterprise was about 30 mins. Mainly because one proud Brit was showing Europe why they are better off without us. Anyway, we’ve never ever had a problem with them. And we were on our way after only 5 mins at the desk.
It’s a long straight drive to Levi and was quite scenic but it was starting to get dark so the eyes were having to concentrate hard after a long day of travelling. We stopped at the S market in Kittilä for a quick shop for supplies. I was expecting horror prices but to be honest I was pleasantly surprised with the prices. Obviously more expensive than a Lidl in the UK but no real difference to alps prices in my opinion. Yes the cheapest bottle of wine was 7.5 euros but that’s the cost of a wine in the uk? The beer was probably more expensive than the alps but certainly not as bad as I thought it would be.
Then onwards to Levi. We arrived at our cabin in the woods on the outskirts of the village and were very happy. Private. Away from the lights. Outdoor hot tub and sauna at the go. Perfect.
Onto today, our plan was always going to be more chilled. So we woke up about 8, had some breakfast and walked the 3km into the village. A lovely walk as it has just started snowing. Probably had about 5-10cm throughout the day. Temps hovering about 0 to minus 5. Not too bad. The one thing that struck us was just what a lovely place it is. I can see why Finland is voted the happiest country.
We had a mooch around some shops, the OH bought a new woolly hat. We then walked up the steps the to secret cafe which was lovely. We had hot chocolate and crepes with a stunning view as the cloud had cleared and the sun appeared briefly.
We then walked down and found the trial to the golf club lifts. About a 3km walk through the woods and it was just magical really.
We then eased back to our cabin, hopped in the car to collect our skis from Elan hire. So much cheaper than hiring from Zero point.
The plan is tomorrow to hit the slopes all day. Hoping that there will be some fresh snow overnight to play in. And then we are going for an ice swim and sauna in the evening at Immeljarvi! We must be mad!
The only disappointing thing so far is that we’ve had good northern light activity both evenings but the cloud cover has scuppered any chances of seeing them so far. Still, 3 nights left!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Flew into Helsinki Tuesday morning, picked up rental and stopped at our flat for a couple of nights visiting family and friends before driving up to Tornio. Chilling out before early start and hoping to get out on the slopes at Ylläs mid morning for three days before heading out to Levi. Although similar length drive to French alps but a lot more *technical*. Was considering getting train but general strike scuppered that plan.
After all it is free
After all it is free
So today was a ski day.
We aren’t used to waking up and getting out so late. The slopes don’t open till 930 and it’s still pretty dark till 830/9ish. So we set the alarm for 8, had a chilled breakfast and prepared to get out into the sunny, yet cold day.
We decided to drive to the lifts over by the golf club. It’s a bit quieter there and slightly closer to our cabin. When I say quieter, there was 5 other cars in the carpark at 10 when we arrived. And even when we skied down to zero point; the carpark was probably 2 thirds full. The busiest carpark was south point but again, not exactly heaving.
The only downside about getting on where we did was it’s a very long t bar. We haven’t skied in a year, so the OH wasn’t too happy about that
I run hot most the time. Even in the alps in January I usually just have a base layer on, a long sleeve top and my jacket.
However this was different level of cold, and it wasn’t even “that” cold by Finnish standards.
By the end of the day, I had my merino base layer, a long sleeve mid layer, my thick fleece, insulated ski jacket, balaclava over the head and under the helmet, glove liners and my thickest gloves with hand warmers inside.
I think the issue is, because it’s not that steep or the runs particularly long, you don’t warm up that much. And then you are back on a chair cooling down again.
But the sun was glorious even though still low in the sky. The wind came and went. The views were, spectacular. Odd to describe really. It doesn’t have the majesty of the mountains but just looking out and seeing an endless winter landscape is beautiful.
The skiing is what it is. It’s very subjective. If you are used to the European mid-large resorts like we are, you will find it limited. However, if you’re a family or learners then it’s a great area. The lack of vertical does mean the ski to lift time ratio is skewed much more towards being on a lift than skiing in comparison to other, higher and bigger resorts.
However, that’s not a gripe. We knew this was the case when booking to come here and so are treating this break as a winter trip rather than a ski trip!
All the being said, we still had a great day on the slopes. The more exposed runs did have a few patches of hard stuff showing but on the whole, soft snow could be found all over. Even on our last run of the day (about 4) we found some fresh corduroy still. I also enjoyed how easy it is the ski side piste here. Nipping in and out through the trees through the soft stuff was lovely.
We ate lunch (which felt like dinner because of how dark it was getting) at restaurant horizont. A nice setting. We had 2 reindeer pizzas, a beer, a glass of bubbles and 2 coffees. Came to 65 euros. Don’t think it was that bad to be honest!
The lights came on about 3, so we did our last hour under flood light. Having done this in the PdS, I can take it or leave it to be honest but can appreciate that it’s a must in mid winter here to keep the slopes open past 3!
We decided to not do the ice dip as we were both shattered and just fancied a night in with a beer, music and using our own sauna in the cabin.
Tomorrow we are heading off on a reindeer sleigh ride to a lake to ice fish. Hopefully catching something nice, which will be cooked whilst we go exploring on snow shoes!
Should be fun.
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.
A great couple of days.
Yesterday we drove out to near Katkajarvi to a reindeer farm. We didn’t book a private tour, but it was just me and the OH. Right result. Our guide, Petra was not only instantly likeable with her witty chat but so knowledgable and answered all our questions with ease about her life, the reindeer, living in the Arctic circle etc.
We got a reindeer and sleigh each. A quick crash course in how to drive them and we were off the 2km or so to the lake. It was magical really. Just eerily peaceful. When we arrived out our destination we rewarded our reindeer with some lichen and moss that they like the eat. When then headed inside a Kota to warm up with some hot berry juice.
It was then down to the lake, drill, stool and lines in hand to ice fish. It didn’t look like it would be our day after 30 mins or so we left the lines in the water and headed off for a snow shoe trek into the wilderness. We learned all about the forest, how the manage the reindeer, the predators in the area etc. It was great.
After returning to our lines to find out the fish had outsmarted us today, we headed back into the Kota for hot salmon soup with fell bread. We then headed back to the meeting point via sleigh once again.
A fantastic way to spend a day, we were out for a good 5-6 hours.
We then headed into Levi for a drink whilst deciding where to eat. We thought that the reindeer looked so tasty, we’d try some. So headed for Nili Poro. You can’t book unless a table of 6. And they were busy but they managed to get us in.
The food was brilliant. The OH had morel soup and the reindeer steak of the day. I had a fish platter followed by slow braised reindeer. Both were delicious!
We then called it an evening and headed back for a sauna and bed.
I had been keeping an eye on the Aurora app since arriving in Levi but every night has so far been cloudy so the lights have been hidden. Well at about midnight I got a ping saying they may be visible. A quick glance out the window showed a starry night and the webcam had some green on it. So we jumped in the car and drove down to Immeljarvi. Unfortunately half of Levi were there as well, so we repositioned to the shore of Sirkkajarvi. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and we were treated to a great show of the lights. We felt so lucky to see them as have always been dream of ours. A real bucket list thing ticked. Hopefully won’t be the last time!
We got back in about 2am. Which meant we were quite tired for our cross country lesson this morning at Northern Lights Village but it didn’t hinder our excitement as it’s always been something we wanted to try.
We chose to drive out to there rather than stick to lessons in Levi as they had really reviews and everything was included in the cost. It was a good choice. We had a fab 2 hours. It was just us and another couple so a small group. We took to it quite quickly and before we knew it had done three laps of the lake! We are quite sporty so do pick things up quite quickly. Our instructor was very good at explaining things as well as patient!
After two hours, we’d done 6km and boy can we feel it in our legs this afternoon!
We were going to ski this afternoon but by the time we got back, had some lunch and a tea we decided to shelve that. We’ve got the wood fired hot tub started and will go for a walk. Going to have a nice chilled last evening and then decide what to do tomorrow. Our flight is 9pm so won’t leave here till about 430/5. Need to be out of our cabin at 11 so will probably have a little ski for 3 hours, get changed in the car, grab a bite to eat and then head for Rovaniemi.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
It sounds absolutely wonderful....
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
So back home now so will give a little update!
On our last day, we decided to swap our downhill skis for some cross country ones. We packed up the car, cleaned the airbnb and headed out onto one of the many tracks around Levi. We did a 6KM route. One thing I can say is that A, you notice even the slightest inclines on cross country skis and B, we kinda winged the best technique of getting up them! But we had a great time. I think I'd prefer to learn the skating style rather than the "classic" style. But boy did we certainly feel our legs after!
We didn't need to leave Levi till about 5, so we visited Water World really with the thought of just using their washing facilities but we actually had a great time there. It's a great facility and wasn't too busy when we visited. Yes it was pricey (circa £50 for 2 with towel rental). But we had a good 3 hours there and swimming in the outdoor pool and then hot tub in the fresh falling snow was lovely. I also made use of the ice plunge and hot water pool to try and help the legs recover.
After freshening up, we grabbed a bite to eat at Rennas Italian. I'd seen it mentioned online and had a rather lovely carbonara (and the OH had a pizza). The portions were HUGE! But well worth the money.
We then headed back to Rovaniemi. It was a breeze to bag drop, through security and 90 minutes in a quiet spot in the terminal. Our flight left slightly late as they had to de-ice the plane. It was about -18 when we left. About 20 mins into the flight it was announced that the Northern Lights were visible (from the other side of the plane annoyingly). Que absolute mayhem has most of the passengers literally scrambled over others to try and see out the windows. I honestly thought it was quite dangerous and embarrassing. We didn't bother joining the melee. We already had the pleasure of seeing them and for those that did get a glimpse out the window they said it was barely worth it. So we didn't feel too aggrieved.
We managed to get out of Stansted within 30 minute of landing, which is quite an achievement based on previous times through there. Annoyingly, the junction M11/M25 was closed which meant a lovely 20 mile detour through Dagenham and Tilbury to get back towards the crossing.
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.
Fridge03 wrote:
Annoyingly, the junction M11/M25 was closed which meant a lovely 20 mile detour through Dagenham and Tilbury to get back towards the crossing.
Nice that you got to see all the best sights on the journey home too!
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
So to sum up our trip....
We had an amazing time. It was everything we wanted out of a trip to the frozen north. I think we did the right amount of time there for us. We were always treating it as a winter trip rather than a ski trip. For us, as experienced skiers. After 1 day we were done with the slopes of Levi. But we are spoilt with the areas we usually ski in the Alps. If there was a huge dumping of snow, so we had a load of fresh powder to ski in, that would have been amazing. But I did find that the upper parts of the slopes were a bit windswept and hard in places. Lower down and through the trees the snow was much better to ski on in my opinion. As I mentioned previously, if you are learning or are travelling with children then I can see the appeal of the ski area.
The cross country was great fun. The OH took to it more than me, but I could see myself doing a bit more of it. It is an absolute leg burner though! And Levi has KMs worth of tracks so you'd be spoilt for choice.
Levi as a place just feels lovely. Actually all of Finland did. The centre is a little "touristy" but to be expected. I'm glad we stayed out of town where it was so peaceful. We had an outdoor hot tube (wood fired) and it was just so quiet. Didn't see or hear anyone or cars from where we were. It does feel a lot more "in the wilderness" than a trip to the alps and that is what we wanted. The people were all incredibly friendly.
Cost wise, we were braced to spend a small fortune. However, we honestly found it not much different to a trip to the Alps. We spent 150 euros on food and drink for our 5 nights. That was 4 evening meals, and 5 breakfasts. We bought one bottle of wine which was 7.50 euros and I think we got through 18 cans of beer which were 10 euros for 6. So that alcohol is more expensive. In the bars it was about 15-17 euros for 2 drinks. So London prices!
Just a final note on car hire. I usually book with Enterprise or Europcar. Never ever had a problem with either, but both came in a good chunk of money more than Alamo so I booked with them. Now I'm aware that Alamo is part of Enterprise. You see their logos on the same desks etc. But we literally went to the Enterprise desk, went to the Enterprise car collection, picked up a car with Enterprise on the side and even the ice scraper had Enterprise on it! I was really confused as to why if I had booked with Enterprise, it would have cost me £50 more for exactly the same.
Annoyingly, the junction M11/M25 was closed which meant a lovely 20 mile detour through Dagenham and Tilbury to get back towards the crossing.
Nice that you got to see all the best sights on the journey home too!
It was lovely at 1am! Really rounded off the trip!
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
A good northern lights display, must of done ok with temperatures judging from the clothing.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Fridge03, gorgeous pictures, gorgeous descriptions, looks like an absolutely super trip!
Very inspiring, really must sort a Finnish trip..
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?
Glosterwolf wrote:
A good northern lights display, must of done ok with temperatures judging from the clothing.
We got "lucky". Temperatures hovered between -10 to 0 for the time we were there. Not too cold....by Finnish standards! It looks very cold again now and it was -18 on the drive back when we left Levi.
Sounds like you had a great time. We went to Finland in December and loved it - and like you found it wasnt that expensive. I was expecting 14 euros a pint expensive, but found 5-6euros was common for example.
Just to add, if it's helpful - recently come back from 2 weeks in Ruka, a bit south of Levi.
For leisurely skiers and boarders, maybe the not God-like fit, it was great.
Snow sure. And extremely low altitude.
Very nice self catering accommodation, supermarkets within east reach, easy walk to lifts (or ski bus if stay in the valley rather than village), good and cheap ski school instructors, mostly very easy runs with chairlifts (and an FIS black and some short but steep and at times icy reds).
Getting busier and more popular than it used to be, but still relatively quiet (Finnish hols start 11/02 though, and definitely more appearing then). Stays open until May I think; lot more expensive once you get to mid Feb tho'.
Pistes open every day 9.30 - 7pm and 11pm on Fridays.
Light enough by late Jan that it's the same or better visibility than Austria, there is sunshine even, and all pistes lit after dim/dark (which personally I love skiing on).
Lots of other benefits and activities too, northern lights and fantastic sunrises included. (Alcohol and food prices less so good, but not bad if you self catering and restrain yourself if out in one of the several good bars & restaurants.)
As long as you can cope with -25C or worse, and shortish runs which you'll end up lapping (scuse pun) several times a day.
Good for technical practice, if you're that way inclined. Great for beginners and intermediates.
Very nice big freestyle area with rails and jumps and all sorts - also if that way inclined and skilled.
Well, I've just booked again for next year, anyway.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
