The contrast from summer to winter in Northern Finland is dramatic. It goes from months of midnight sun to nothing but darkness during the winter equinox. Being above the Arctic Circle for a few weeks we get light but the sun barely rises above the horizon and it is a constant sunrise/sunset. Knowing that the daylight was incredibly short my friend Ilkka and I started going through the maps to come up with a spot to get some turns near the Yllästunturi area. With winds coming from the west we decided that Aakenustunturi would give us both the best snow and the deepest snowpack.
With it being a hour drive we left the house at 10:00 while it was still dark and arrived at a forest road as the area started to lighten up. With the snowpack still being shallow and not wanting to ruin our Splitboards we decided to snowshoe and use our solid boards. The moment we stepped into the snow we were dealing with knee deep snow as it was basically one layer of snow. The area is usually to cold to rain so every centimeter of snow just makes it deeper and deeper.
After what felt like more then a kilometer of battling with the deep snow we made it to our first opening. Lapland (Northern Finland) is a land covered in swamps but during the winter they are much easier to travel in. Finally we had our first view of Aakenustunturi which was a mixture of alpine and tree covered slopes. Being a long running ridge it would allow us to choose what we thought would be the best run and attempt to find lower slopes where the trees were sparse.
Being off the forest road the snow was easier to travel in as the wind had compacted it. Instead of being knee deep it was now up to our ankles. Thought it would be a challenge heading in we were happy to know that once we came back down we would have an easy trail to follow back to the car.
Soon enough we were back in the forest and slowly gaining elevation. Though the terrain was mellow down low we knew it would get steeper and by the looks of the trees we knew it would be some amazing and light powder.
After a while of making our way through the low angled forest we were happy to get our first view of steeper terrain. While the trees were still somewhat thick there was a few spots where the terrain opened up and it became obvious where we would ride down.
Instead of going straight up the terrain we put in a low angle bootpack knowing we would be using it a few times. The higher we got the deeper the snow became and each step was a challenge.
Looking back at the snow covered forest the wilderness was vast and isolated. As far as you looked in almost every direction there were no houses and only a handful of roads.
Soon enough we were out of the trees and in to the open slopes above. Behind us we could see the swamp we had crossed and below us was our intended ski route back to our bootpack.
With the temperature being below -20 we kept moving at a brisk pace to get warm. Soon enough we made our way to a spot where the wind had affected the open slopes. There was no reason to go any higher as the snow would be horrible. It was time to do what we came for.
Being an open slopes we focused our attention on smaller gullies as they had captured the powder snow. The top 1/3 was open slopes before dropping into the dense trees below. As we made turns we made sure to look out for icy spots or potential rocks sticking out in the thin snowpack but we were happy to be out and riding.
After a handful of turns we quickly made our way into the dense trees looking for a clean route to the more open slopes below.
The lower we went the better the snow got as it was more sheltered from the winds.
After a few minutes of riding we made our way into the valley below and quickly transitioned. Standing around would be brutal with such cold temperatures so after a quick chat we were back on the snowshoes and heading up for another lap.
As we started climbing it was obvious that the sun was setting and what was decently light before was know become dark. Being so far north the transition from sunset to darkness is quite slow so we knew we still had an hour before we would need to take out the headlamps.
Looking around at dusk was beautiful as the dark blue of the sky really brought out the wild shapes of the snow covered trees.
Soon enough we were back to our original transition spot and while the time before we rode down to the left of our bootpack, this time we would go down the right side.
Once again we went for a section that seemed to be a bit of a gully in hopes of good snow. Thought the snow wasn’t deep we were happy not to find ice underneath our boards riding down to the trees.
This time around we were able to find a section that was a bit more open then the previous run.
It was a nice open gully all pretty much all the way to the bottom so we could open our turns up a bit more.
Though we were happy to see the terrain open we knew that is meant that we were in a rock field and with a shallow snowpack we would have to be careful. The last thing we wanted was to do high speed turns into a rock and potentially hurt ourselves. Being how remote it was and the temperature there was no room for mistakes.
Once at the bottom of the slopes we took out our headlamps and put on our snowshoes for one final lap. With it getting dark around 2:30 we knew there would be a lot of time at the cabin and we wanted to make the most out of the day.
Once on top it was time to turn on our headlamps for the final run and start making our way down. Knowing that our first run put us back onto the bootpack we decided to head back towards that direction.
Though it was a bit harder to see it still wasn’t complete darkness yet, making our way down in the final minutes of dusk.
By now the lights of Levi Ski resort had now been turned on as it glowed in the distance.
Making our way though the trees they quickly tightened up but the snow was still good.
Before long we were back at the base of Aakenustunturi and it was time to start heading back towards the car. By now it was dark as we followed our snowshoe track and the snow illuminated the snow on the surrounding trees. It was a stunningly beautiful sight as we made our way down in a stark contrast of black and white.
Soon enough we crossed the swamp and were making our final steps down the forest road which had been such a pain earlier in the morning. By now the clouds had moved in so we wouldn’t be seeing the Northern Lights but it was still beautiful non the less. By now the temperature had gotten even colder and we were happy to be back at the car.
It had been a great day making the most out of the daylight. The area is so different then where I grew up and I have started to appreciate it more and more everyday. While the mountains out here aren’t nearly as big as Norway the culture out here is amazing. I went from a brutally cold day where you lost the feeling in your fingers outside to a brutally hot sauna where you go outside and roll around in the snow to cool off before heading back in. As I write this post we are gaining an hour of sunshine every week and as of now the snow pack is getting deeper every day and I look forward to bringing out the Splitboard once I don’t fear a core shot with every turn.
Thank you for reading this and I look forward to exploring more zones within the vast Finnish Lapland while Corona Virus has shut down the surrounding borders.