Info About Jollanoaivi
Jollanoaivi is a 1,026 meter mountain located in the far North of Finnish Lapland. Being within a few kilometres of the Norwegian boarder it is one of the last high points before vast flat terrain to the south. This area was formed by large amounts of glacial erosion which pushed through the valley leaving steep walls to the north and south. The Southern face of Jollanoaivi is one of the more “extreme” slopes within all of Finland and is accessed via Kilpisjarvi.
It all started with a road trip leaving Austria and heading to Northern Norway. With the route being through Finland my friend Juho Karhu put together a ski tour on the Finnish side of the border. We were staying with Ville Eskonen and he was kind enough to give us a sled ride around 10 kilometres in.
Sitting in the back of the sled I had no idea what we were in for. The surrounding terrain seemed mellow as we raced through the Arctic tundra following sticks that protruded out of the snow.
Like a switch going off we entered a valley where the terrain changed. Looking to our south tree was a long ridge with numerous couloirs. Being that the snow was firm and north facing we kept moving along. I hadn’t expected this type of terrain in Finland.
Ville dropped us off at a lake so we could go ski touring and he could go ice fishing. Being that it was late spring we needed to find a south facing slope. Our plan for the day was to do a lap on Jollanoaivi which was the right aspect and slope angle.
On the Edge of Finnish Lapland
Wrapping around to the East side the slope was a mellow ramp. Looking to the south I was amazed by the flat terrain beyond us. It seemed to go on forever and was a land shaped by winds.
Ski touring up the snowpack was thin. There were rocks everywhere even though it was Mid April. You could tell that the whole area would get consistently hammered with winds.
Once on the summit it was time to switch over. Even though I had seen the line from below I had no idea what to expect. It was like a foreign planet being within Finnish Lapland. From my perspective all I could see were rocks and flat lands. Before long we had all transitioned with Juho and Kuutti showing me the way.
Skiing the South Face of Jollanoaivi
Once skiing off the top of Jollanoaivi we made our way to a blind roller. Looking over the edge there was a snow filled gully all the way to the valley below. The south face was steep and firm but had softened enough for us to catch our edges.
Once we skied to the valley I looked back up and was surprised by how steep it was. While it wasn’t nearly as big as the mountains in Norway it was a great line. Being late in the season the main gullies had runnels and were starting to melt out. That being said it was much better than I had expected.
Heading back to the shore of the lake I would occasionally look back. When we originally climbed it I hadn’t noticed how it dropped off but the side angle gave me a much better perspective.
Meeting back up with Ville it was time for to sled back out to Kilpisjarvi. He had caught a few fish and soaked in the warm sun for a few hours. Everyone was happy with the day and I was very fortunate to be touring with people who knew the area. Without them there is no way heading to Jollanoaivi for a day trip would have been possible.