Ski holidays in Finland

Finland

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Finland is one of the northern-most countries in the world and Lapland, which makes up nearly one-third of the nation, is north of the Arctic Circle. Finland boasts modern architecture, a high standard of living, and quality education. Finland does not receive as many tourists as neighbouring Denmark, Norway and Sweden due to its remoteness.

Levi ski resort is located in the northwest of Finland near the town of Kittila. It is the largest downhill skiing centre in Finland and was the venue of the 2004 Alpine World Cup. It boasts a variety of slopes for all abilities, including the hair-raising World Cup Slope. There is also excellent off-piste terrain and a choice of alternative activities. The resort has 47 slopes, with 13 illuminated for night skiing. A system of 21 lifts, including Finlands only gondola, with an hourly uplift capacity of 23,500 people, run over Levis 325-metre vertical to supply all pistes, the longest of which is 2.5kms.

Pyha ski resort is located in the centre of Finnish Lapland, above the Arctic Circle, and is best known for its diverse terrain and cross-country trails; it is the training centre of the Finnish Freestyle Skiing Team and venue for the Finnish Alpine Skiing Championships. The prices here are still reasonable and there is some great off-piste, deep powder and steep verticals. The 10 challenging slopes are suitable for all levels of ability and stretch for 12kms. Huttu-Ukko is a good black mogul run, while runs for the less experienced are towards the northern portion of the fell.

Yllas ski resort is situated in Kolari, on the Swedish border in West Lapland. It has a decent number of pistes over seven fells that are particularly suited to beginners and families. Yllas is also popular with snowboarding enthusiasts, offering a good terrain park and pipes, as well as hundreds of kilometres of fantastic cross-country trails. The resort consists of two original Lappish villages, with the village of Akaslompolo located on the northern side of the fell and the village of Yllasjarvi on the southern side. The 43 runs are spread over a 462-metre vertical, and the longest run in Finland is also here (three kilometres). Other resorts in Finland include: Luosto, Ounasvaara, Ruka/Kuusamo, Saariselka and Salla.

There are flights to Helsinki from around the world, with frequent Finnair services from several airports in Britain. There are three or four daily non-stop flights from either Heathrow or Stansted airports, and one or two daily flights from Manchester. Flight time from London to Helsinki is 2 hours, 50 minutes. The nearest airport to Levi and Yllas ski resorts is in Kittila, which receives several daily flights from Helsinki and other Finnish airports.

Spend this summer in Finland on an adventure holiday

For summer 2010, Visit Finland is launching a new initiative to showcase some of their many National Parks. Each month, one National Park will be selected and featured on VisitFinland.com, highlighting key treks, special events and a range of tips, ideal for nature lovers, adventure seekers and wildlife enthusiasts.