ski in Finland

thanks for your answer. it was very informative.

Mark,

47" of snow has fallen so far in Tofte, MN, which is just south of Grand
Marais. 200km of trails available with another 200 within 60 minutes or so.
Tofte is 4 hour drive fromthe airport in Minneapolis. There are lots of
places to stay near Tofte and Lutsen. Thunder Bay skiing is also very good
at this time.

www.sugarbushtrail.org

Greg Fangel


"Mark Eastman" wrote in message
news
Thanks for all the research you have done for the planning of my trip.
Even
though I might actually stay on this North American continent....because
of
uncertainties and airfare changes making the Finnish trip more difficult I
feel I have learned a lot from doing the research and also from your very
helpful responses. I haven't ruled Finland out at this moment but the
momentum seems to be to try the Upper Midwest.....Minnesota and Thunder
Bay
Ontario......I can get a round trip fare from SF to Minneapolis for around
$220 (US). The only little problem seems to be a chance of mixed
precipitation for Thursday. After that more snow though ( I think).
"Tommi Nieminen" wrote in message
news

14 or 15 Jan. I did get a price on the train of about 172 dollars (US)
for a sleeper both ways from Helsinki to Kolari. I would buy a 3 day
Finnrail
pass for 143 US dollars first, and then add on the sleepers. Of
course

When I think about taking the train, first I compare the price to
airplane. So far I have flown 4 times to Lapland and it's always been
cheaper than train. But even if it cost 50 or 100 euro more to fly,
there are still the facts that you lose one whole day traveling by
train. The plane from Helsinki to Kittilä is 1 hour 30 minutes.


being totally undecided I haven't done anything yet. Many have
mentioned Vuokatti.....but looking at their web site it seems they have
just a few kilometers of track open. Unless I misunderstood the
Finnish
(Ladut) open?
It seems very little to warrant a trip there. Many have mentioned

You are right about Vuokatti, they have only 30 km of trails open, which
I find surprisingly little. But this year, as well as last year, the
snow
has been very late.

Saariselka.........I had an offer in a hotel of 69Euros per day for all
meals. Several Finns seem to favor Saariselka...why is that? Yet
others

Saariselkä is a very good place for cross-country skiing. They have a
very
long skiing season due to the northern location, and they have
created favourable conditions for skiing. Haven't been there either.
Two friends of mine were there last year right after new year and
liked it a lot, though it was pretty cold then. I checked in their
web site: Saariselkä has now around 100 km of trails, but on some
spots there is not yet that much snow.

I just talked to a colleague of mine who has a lot more experience
of skiing in Lapland. He said Ylläs would probably be your best bet
right now. But he pointed out, that the other side of Ylläs,
Äkäslompolo, is definitely better for cross-country skiing than
Ylläsjärvi, as you have there a lot greater variety of trails to
choose from. However, as we looked at the trail map of Ylläs, there
were some new trails on the Ylläsjärvi side he had no experience of.
My colleague also told most of the trails in Ylläs are in the forest,
at least on the Äkäslompolo side.

Here's the link to the skiing area of Ylläs. Click on the map to
make it larger. Map symbols are explained also in English. The
light yellow areas are barren.

http://www.yllas.fi/?deptid=8979

have told me to save my money and ski in the US.....mostly because it
will be too dark in Northern Finland. I will start checking the web
sites you

I wouldn't worry about the darkness. During daytime you have 5-6 hours
of light, depending on cloudiness. If that is not enough, there are the
trails with flood lights. And if that is not enough, speaking of my
own experience: it is absolutely fantastic to ski in the darkness.
I did in January 35 km from Luosto to Pyhä between 6 am and 9.30 am.
That is, most of the time in the darkness. The forest looked just
fabulous. I plan to do it this year too, though now I'll take some
kind of head light to see better when going down the slopes.

gave me. Oh yes....someone from Finland mentioned that I might find
the
Lapland area too barren. He said this when I mentioned that I like to
ski
through forests. Oddly enough......If I don't go to Finland....I am
thinking

Depends on where you ski. Most of the trails I've seen in Lapland were
in
forests, but I know there are also large open areas there. I like
both. The good thing about forest trails is that you won't be so much
affected by the wind, nor will the trails be (since the wind tends to
bring snow on the trails).

Tommi

I have been following the trail reports from the North Shore area.....they
are very encouraging. I will watch and see if, in fact, rain or freezing
rain develop. I hope not. I see that flights from SF to Thunder Bay are
about $328 right now, as compared to $228 to the Twin Cities. So, would
flying to Thunder Bay..and driving to the Grand Marais area.....rather than
flying into the Twin Cities make sense? Which of the Thunder Bay nordic
centers would you recommend visiting?
"Greg Fangel" wrote in message
news:gDpAd.653143$D%.399843@attbi_s51...
Mark,

47" of snow has fallen so far in Tofte, MN, which is just south of Grand
Marais. 200km of trails available with another 200 within 60 minutes or
so.
Tofte is 4 hour drive fromthe airport in Minneapolis. There are lots of
places to stay near Tofte and Lutsen. Thunder Bay skiing is also very good
at this time.

www.sugarbushtrail.org

Greg Fangel


"Mark Eastman" wrote in message
news
Thanks for all the research you have done for the planning of my trip.
Even
though I might actually stay on this North American continent....because
of
uncertainties and airfare changes making the Finnish trip more difficult
I
feel I have learned a lot from doing the research and also from your very
helpful responses. I haven't ruled Finland out at this moment but the
momentum seems to be to try the Upper Midwest.....Minnesota and Thunder
Bay
Ontario......I can get a round trip fare from SF to Minneapolis for
around
$220 (US). The only little problem seems to be a chance of mixed
precipitation for Thursday. After that more snow though ( I think).
"Tommi Nieminen" wrote in message
news

14 or 15 Jan. I did get a price on the train of about 172 dollars
(US)
for a sleeper both ways from Helsinki to Kolari. I would buy a 3 day
Finnrail
pass for 143 US dollars first, and then add on the sleepers. Of
course

When I think about taking the train, first I compare the price to
airplane. So far I have flown 4 times to Lapland and it's always been
cheaper than train. But even if it cost 50 or 100 euro more to fly,
there are still the facts that you lose one whole day traveling by
train. The plane from Helsinki to Kittilä is 1 hour 30 minutes.


being totally undecided I haven't done anything yet. Many have
mentioned Vuokatti.....but looking at their web site it seems they
have
just a few kilometers of track open. Unless I misunderstood the
Finnish
(Ladut) open?
It seems very little to warrant a trip there. Many have mentioned

You are right about Vuokatti, they have only 30 km of trails open,
which
I find surprisingly little. But this year, as well as last year, the
snow
has been very late.

Saariselka.........I had an offer in a hotel of 69Euros per day for
all
meals. Several Finns seem to favor Saariselka...why is that? Yet
others

Saariselkä is a very good place for cross-country skiing. They have a
very
long skiing season due to the northern location, and they have
created favourable conditions for skiing. Haven't been there either.
Two friends of mine were there last year right after new year and
liked it a lot, though it was pretty cold then. I checked in their
web site: Saariselkä has now around 100 km of trails, but on some
spots there is not yet that much snow.

I just talked to a colleague of mine who has a lot more experience
of skiing in Lapland. He said Ylläs would probably be your best bet
right now. But he pointed out, that the other side of Ylläs,
Äkäslompolo, is definitely better for cross-country skiing than
Ylläsjärvi, as you have there a lot greater variety of trails to
choose from. However, as we looked at the trail map of Ylläs, there
were some new trails on the Ylläsjärvi side he had no experience of.
My colleague also told most of the trails in Ylläs are in the forest,
at least on the Äkäslompolo side.

Here's the link to the skiing area of Ylläs. Click on the map to
make it larger. Map symbols are explained also in English. The
light yellow areas are barren.

http://www.yllas.fi/?deptid=8979

have told me to save my money and ski in the US.....mostly because it
will be too dark in Northern Finland. I will start checking the web
sites you

I wouldn't worry about the darkness. During daytime you have 5-6 hours
of light, depending on cloudiness. If that is not enough, there are the
trails with flood lights. And if that is not enough, speaking of my
own experience: it is absolutely fantastic to ski in the darkness.
I did in January 35 km from Luosto to Pyhä between 6 am and 9.30 am.
That is, most of the time in the darkness. The forest looked just
fabulous. I plan to do it this year too, though now I'll take some
kind of head light to see better when going down the slopes.

gave me. Oh yes....someone from Finland mentioned that I might find
the
Lapland area too barren. He said this when I mentioned that I like to
ski
through forests. Oddly enough......If I don't go to Finland....I am
thinking

Depends on where you ski. Most of the trails I've seen in Lapland were
in
forests, but I know there are also large open areas there. I like
both. The good thing about forest trails is that you won't be so much
affected by the wind, nor will the trails be (since the wind tends to
bring snow on the trails).

Tommi

Well after all these deliberations....I am going to Finland after all. I
just booked a fairly reasonable round trip from SFO to Helsinki for Jan 1.
Then a overnight train trip to Lapland....and 6 days of skiing in Yllas.
I've never been to Finland...and that seemed to tip the scales to going
there. Also amazingly, I priced a trip to B.C. against the Finland trip and
BC came out "ahead" by about 200 US dollars. I'll absorb the extra cost and
try something new and hopefully somewhat special.
"Mark Eastman" wrote in message
k.net...
I have been following the trail reports from the North Shore area.....they
are very encouraging. I will watch and see if, in fact, rain or freezing
rain develop. I hope not. I see that flights from SF to Thunder Bay are
about $328 right now, as compared to $228 to the Twin Cities. So, would
flying to Thunder Bay..and driving to the Grand Marais area.....rather than
flying into the Twin Cities make sense? Which of the Thunder Bay nordic
centers would you recommend visiting?
"Greg Fangel" wrote in message
news:gDpAd.653143$D%.399843@attbi_s51...
Mark,

47" of snow has fallen so far in Tofte, MN, which is just south of Grand
Marais. 200km of trails available with another 200 within 60 minutes or
so.
Tofte is 4 hour drive fromthe airport in Minneapolis. There are lots of
places to stay near Tofte and Lutsen. Thunder Bay skiing is also very
good
at this time.

www.sugarbushtrail.org

Greg Fangel


"Mark Eastman" wrote in message
news
Thanks for all the research you have done for the planning of my trip.
Even
though I might actually stay on this North American continent....because
of
uncertainties and airfare changes making the Finnish trip more difficult
I
feel I have learned a lot from doing the research and also from your
very
helpful responses. I haven't ruled Finland out at this moment but the
momentum seems to be to try the Upper Midwest.....Minnesota and Thunder
Bay
Ontario......I can get a round trip fare from SF to Minneapolis for
around
$220 (US). The only little problem seems to be a chance of mixed
precipitation for Thursday. After that more snow though ( I think).
"Tommi Nieminen" wrote in message
news
14 or 15 Jan. I did get a price on the train of about 172 dollars
(US)
for a sleeper both ways from Helsinki to Kolari. I would buy a 3 day
Finnrail
pass for 143 US dollars first, and then add on the sleepers. Of
course

When I think about taking the train, first I compare the price to
airplane. So far I have flown 4 times to Lapland and it's always been
cheaper than train. But even if it cost 50 or 100 euro more to fly,
there are still the facts that you lose one whole day traveling by
train. The plane from Helsinki to Kittilä is 1 hour 30 minutes.


being totally undecided I haven't done anything yet. Many have
mentioned Vuokatti.....but looking at their web site it seems they
have
just a few kilometers of track open. Unless I misunderstood the
Finnish
(Ladut) open?
It seems very little to warrant a trip there. Many have mentioned

You are right about Vuokatti, they have only 30 km of trails open,
which
I find surprisingly little. But this year, as well as last year, the
snow
has been very late.

Saariselka.........I had an offer in a hotel of 69Euros per day for
all
meals. Several Finns seem to favor Saariselka...why is that? Yet
others

Saariselkä is a very good place for cross-country skiing. They have a
very
long skiing season due to the northern location, and they have
created favourable conditions for skiing. Haven't been there either.
Two friends of mine were there last year right after new year and
liked it a lot, though it was pretty cold then. I checked in their
web site: Saariselkä has now around 100 km of trails, but on some
spots there is not yet that much snow.

I just talked to a colleague of mine who has a lot more experience
of skiing in Lapland. He said Ylläs would probably be your best bet
right now. But he pointed out, that the other side of Ylläs,
Äkäslompolo, is definitely better for cross-country skiing than
Ylläsjärvi, as you have there a lot greater variety of trails to
choose from. However, as we looked at the trail map of Ylläs, there
were some new trails on the Ylläsjärvi side he had no experience of.
My colleague also told most of the trails in Ylläs are in the forest,
at least on the Äkäslompolo side.

Here's the link to the skiing area of Ylläs. Click on the map to
make it larger. Map symbols are explained also in English. The
light yellow areas are barren.

http://www.yllas.fi/?deptid=8979

have told me to save my money and ski in the US.....mostly because it
will be too dark in Northern Finland. I will start checking the web
sites you

I wouldn't worry about the darkness. During daytime you have 5-6 hours
of light, depending on cloudiness. If that is not enough, there are
the
trails with flood lights. And if that is not enough, speaking of my
own experience: it is absolutely fantastic to ski in the darkness.
I did in January 35 km from Luosto to Pyhä between 6 am and 9.30 am.
That is, most of the time in the darkness. The forest looked just
fabulous. I plan to do it this year too, though now I'll take some
kind of head light to see better when going down the slopes.

gave me. Oh yes....someone from Finland mentioned that I might find
the
Lapland area too barren. He said this when I mentioned that I like to
ski
through forests. Oddly enough......If I don't go to Finland....I am
thinking

Depends on where you ski. Most of the trails I've seen in Lapland were
in
forests, but I know there are also large open areas there. I like
both. The good thing about forest trails is that you won't be so much
affected by the wind, nor will the trails be (since the wind tends to
bring snow on the trails).

Tommi

Hi Tommi ,

Have you ever been to Katkavaara ?
I've been reading about this place and it is said to be rich with
fauna.
I wonder if it is really likely to see bears, lynxes, wolverines etc.
thanks

Have you ever been to Katkavaara ?

No, I've never been there.

I've been reading about this place and it is said to be rich with
fauna.
I wonder if it is really likely to see bears, lynxes, wolverines etc.

I wouldn't be able to tell you that...except that you are not
very likely to find bears at this time of year since they are
hibernating (no polar bears, sorry ;-) But I hear it is a nice
area for fishing, hunting and observing wildlife.

Tommi