Bigwood ski resort is a small ski hill located within the Khibiny Mountains of Northwest Arctic Russia. On the West side of the resort based out of the town of Kirovsk is a Gondola that goes 1600 feet to a ridge that connects with the backside. From there you have a handful of T bars within the East Bowl. The main attraction is that you can walk up the ridge from the Gondola and ride from the summit. The main bowl is almost 1,500 vertical feet before arriving on the lower groomed trail. The town and ski resort are within the Southern edge of the Khibiny Mountain range and is the oldest ski centre in all of Russia. Back in the 60’s they bid for the winter Olympics but did not get chosen.

How I Learned about the Khibiny Mountains

I first learned about the Kola peninsula via Google Earth. I would scan the closest areas to where I live in Rovaniemi, Finland and as it seemed 5 hours East of us was the Murmansk Region of Russia. Simply put I had to go to Russia to check out this zone and my wife and I planned our Spring trip to and bought Visa’s to head there. The whole Kibney Mountains area was once a massive volcano but has been eroded away to a circle shaped mountain range with hundreds of bowls.

After a two hour drive we were at the Salla Border between Finland and Russia and going through the first check point. After about an hour of doing the paperwork and getting our car checked we were through the first check point. After two more check points each about 20km’s after the other we were driving through the isolated Arctic stretches in the Taiga forests before getting our first view of the Khibiny Mountains, a massive range that has hundreds of big open peaks.

Arriving in the Town of Kirovsk

We arrived into the town Kirovsk in early April for a long weekend seeing what the area was about. Being from outside of Russia we needed to get accommodations at a local hotel to be allowed into the country. The first day we arrived we decided to walk around town and get a layout of the land. With a population of 26,000 people on the edge of the mountains it had a unique mountain town feel.

Skiing Around Bigwood Ski Resort

Wanting to check out the main ski resort for the town we went to Bigwood Ski resort. Arriving at the base we picked up our lift tickets and made our way up the gondola. Being a sunny day we were able to see the whole West side. Looking at the upper open bowls they could only be accessed with a 30 minute hike.

After doing a few easy groomers on the front side we decided to head over to the East Bowl. Within the East bowl there were two T bars that would take you to the top of a mellow bowl and another which connected back to the top of the Gondola.

Heading to the top of the T bar we could see into the Khibiny Mountains. Looking to the North the Range consists of 1300km² of bowl after bowl with the occasional steep face. Unlike most mountains the summits are quite flat as it once was a super volcano but over millions of years it decayed to what it is today. Being that this valley was the only inhabited area there is an endless amount of ski touring terrain.

Hiking up the Sidecountry

Feeling like we made the most out of the groomers we decided to hike up to the top of Bigwood on the ridge. With a bootpack already in place travel we made our way up with the White Sea to our backs. By now the clouds had started to come in occasionally blocking the sun.

Arriving on the main bowl we looked down onto the semi steep open face. Having just snowed the face was in powder conditions with the wind smoothing out any tracks. The first 10 turns were pretty steep before it mellowed out a bit. From there on it was over 1,000 feet all the way to the groomer.

Once we were at the base of the Gondola Jenni decided to go for some more groomer runs while I hiked back up the ridge. The time before I had rode off the summit so I decided to traverse a bit from there to the west. Spotting a chute on the South face I made my way over to check it out. From top to bottom it was 1,000 feet of steep turns.

Arriving at the base we felt like we made the most out of exploring Bigwood. While the resort wasn’t exactly the best the sidecountry was very nice and it was fun to cruise around on the groomers. Being so far I could only imagine how windy the place got and it seemed the place could be fun in all ranges of conditions.

My Thoughts on Bigwood Ski Resort

I would definitely recommend Bigwood Ski resort not only for the skiing but mainly the culture. The area is unique in so many aspects. From the mountains to the culture it is a wild place. While it may not be up to the standards of a modern resort in the Alps it’s a great place to take in the culture and enjoy a cheap ski vacation for families and friends.

Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours within the Khibiny Mountains check out this link