Finland……there’s so much that I could say about the stark contrast between Washington State and Rovaniemi, Finland, they might as well be different planets. Living so far north on the boarder of the Arctic circle we would head south to take a vacation in Alaska. At the Winter Solstice we had only 1 hour of sun as it barely dips over the horizon and living in Finnish Lapland we live in the coldest place in Europe and it’s built a tough and reserved culture. This last weekend both Jenni and I were invited to stay up at our friends Ilkka and Tuija Kauppinen cabin near Yllästunturi one of a handful of ski resorts two hours away from our home. We left home around noon with the temperatures dipping to -32 as we drove through endless open forest covered with all the snow that had fallen since mid December as it doesn’t rain during the winter in Lapland. Making up to there Cabin late in the afternoon.
With little time before it got dark Ilkka and I Snowshoed up a small section above his place. By now the temps were around -30 and as we climbed the peak I was very cautious not to sweat. It was soon going to get dark and it would be real hard to survive in the woods overnight. After climbing a few hundred feet we made it to our high point. The slopes above were exposed to the winds all season and still covered in rocks. 
Off in the distance we could see some of the different options in Yllas at another time. 
Across the hill we could see the backside of Yllas ski resort as Ilkka put together his vintage snowboard that he’s had for over 20 years. 
After riding the first lap through some mellow trees we got the headlamps on and started heading back up our snowshoe track for another lap.
Once on the top we put our snowshoes back on the backpack and got ready for our final lap before heading back to the cabin. 
I attempted to take a photo of Ilkka riding down with the headlamp but I was too slow and sadly just got his headlamp in the photo. 
Soon enough we rode down to the gully and put the boards on our backs and drank some warm tea as we made our way back to our original track.
For the next 45 minutes we made our way though dense forests covered in snow looking up occasionally in hopes of seeing the aurora borealis. 
That night we saw a Finnish rap and big brass band called Ricky Ticky Brass Band. They put on an awesome performance but I didn’t understand a word that they were saying. There was about 500 people there which is more than most the villages in Lapland and it was a fun experience taking in the culture after an amazing dinner and the daily sauna with a lap walking around the cabin before heading back to the sauna. 
The next morning we drove out to another Tunturi which is one of the many Finnish terms for mountains. Millions of years ago these were massive mountains but time and glaciers have eroded them down to hills now called tunturi’s. 
With the temperatures still -32 Celsius we we decided that my Jenni, Ilkka and I would snowboard while Tuija would snowshoe so we packed the vintage boards on our packs and got to heading up the mountain. 
Lapland is a cruel place as we were barely out of the sun with it being at such a low angle on the horizon having to move to keep warm but not move too fast as to start to sweat. 
Jenni making her way up as I carry her snowboard. 
Soon enough we finally got a view of the sun still hanging on the horizon. With it being so far north the rays of the sun don’t create heat until Feb but it’s beautiful always being between sunset and sunrise in the winter.
Soon enough we got out of the trees and started traversing towards our high point.
Looking among the vast Lapland landscape of Northern Finland. 
With it being so cold I found myself ski touring in a coat built to climb Mount Everest.
Soon enough we got to the top of the tunturi and looked among the vast space of the least populated area in all of Europe. 
Looking towards the mellow trees in the Finnish backcountry 
My wife dealing with the cold temps
Soon the sun would be gone and the temps would possibly dip even colder so we got transitioned our gear and got moving back towards our cars. 
By the end of our short run we started snowshoeing back towards a run that would take us down our original track. 
We ride down as it started getting dark riding snow soo cold that it slowed you down. People talk about champagne powder but once it gets cold enough if you don’t have the right wax it could be a big problem. 
Northern Finland is a wild place where it goes from one hour of daylight to 5 months of the midnight sun and it’s my backyard. Life evolves the same as most places but lives by the sauna. You go from almost freezing to death to so hot that you run back out into those temps naked to try and cool off. It’s a wild country out here. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the wild difference between Finland and many other mountain ranges. 
Thank you for reading and If you enjoyed reading this and want to see more ski tours abroad check out this link