Some of us feel a special draw to the north. True, compared with the Alps, the ski areas of Lapland are small and the slopes generally rather gentle. True too, it can be double-digits below zero, and in mid-winter you’ll be lucky to see much daylight.
But, if you have an adventurous spirit, consider the many positives! First of all you’re in a land with more reindeer than people. When you look north from the ski lift there’s very little human activity between you and the North Pole, and look up at night and you’ve a good chance of seeing the aurora borealis (the Northern lights), shining above you.
It may be dark in December but all the slopes are floodlit, and by spring it’s much lighter than the Alps. What’s more, lifts tend to be open into the evening so you are not forced to fit all your skiing in between 9am and 4pm, allowing you to mix-and-match experiences.
And what experiences? Dog sledding, reindeer safaris, ice climbing, snowmobiling, to name but a few. And you can always visit the real Santa at his year-round home.
Scandinavia did have a reputation for expensive alcohol a decade or so ago, and it’s not cheap, but basically the Alps have caught up, and in many cases overtaken on cost if you just want to buy a beer. Lift passes in Lapland are about a third cheaper.
I took a trip shortly before Christmas to the resorts of Pyhä (pyha.fi) and Ruka (ruka.fi) travelling with Crystal Ski (who is just offering Ruka this winter, but will offer Pyhä too for winter 2013–14).
These are among the leading resorts in Lapland; Pyhä is the smaller and less developed, but Ruka is increasingly becoming a major international destination resort, with its slopes and base village designed by the same company responsible for Whistler in Canada.
Each resort has a good mix of terrain for all ability levels, fast chairlifts to whisk you up the slopes, excellent terrain parks for freestylers, and family-fun parks too.
Visiting in mid-winter we did not see the sun, although it did reach a kind of half-light for a few hours in the middle of the day, but all pistes were floodlit, and with trees heavily laden with deep snow gently swaying in the wind, the snow sports had a dreamlike quality to them.
But most people who take a trip to Lapland aren’t there just for the skiing, they might try one of a dozen experiences, most of them of the classic Arctic adventure type.
Here’s what I particularly enjoyed doing when I wasn’t on the slopes.
Dog Sledding
Dog sledding is a great experience at every level. The dog sledding operations typically have 80 or more dogs and offer a range of experiences, from a few kilometres gentle guided trek around a frozen lake (you can opt to drive or ride in the sleigh, or take turns if there are two of you) to multi-day adventures. It’s something complete novices can enjoy, and the dog sled operator will match dogs to your requirements and abilities. For maximum enjoyment, if you’re prepared to ”go for it”, I’d recommend a 10–20km ride through varied terrain to really give you a thrill.
Reindeer Safari
On a reindeer safari you are a passenger in a traditional convoy of sleighs led by one or more reindeer farmers – the way people got around in winter before roads and snowmobiles as horses just sank into the snow. Reindeer farmers like Anssi Kiiskinen, based near Pyhä, will also tell you about the fascinating year-round life of the reindeer and their herders, how climate change is making life increasingly difficult for them, how racing reindeer can hit 80kph and a day-old reindeer could outstrip Usain Bolt, and they can be valued at as much as €50,000 (£42,000).
Ice Climbing
I thought ice climbing would be tough: Artturi Kröger of Bliss Adventure (blissadventure.fi) explained that actually it’s ideally suited to skiers. You can wear your ski boots with crampons attached, and use the weight of the boot to swing into the ice face and get purchase. Finally an advantage of ski boots over snowboard boots! Pyhä is blessed with a great natural area for ice climbing in a rather magical, peaceful spot just 50m from the main pistes.
Amethyst Mining
I hadn’t expected to go mining in Lapland, but that’s what’s on offer on top of a fell (the name of the hills in northern Scandinavia) close to Pyhä. Europe’s only amethyst mine is located here, and some of the world’s oldest rocks have lain there waiting for you to come and dig them up for 2 billion years. People have known about the amethysts for centuries, and the area was a sacred place before Christianity arrived, but the shallow community-run mine was only created 2 decades ago, and here you can find the amethysts after digging just a few inches into the sandy surface using the little hammer you are provided with.
Meeting Santa
Of course you should probably ensure you have a child in tow, if you don’t want to be considered a bit weird. But with or without a child, it’s hard for Santa fans not to feel like a child again when they meet the man himself at Santa’s Secret Cottage close to Ruka (rukakuusamo.com/best-santa-trip-in-lapland).
Along with meeting the man himself, and Mrs Claus, at their hidden home, his elves will take you sledging and to barbecue a sausage or too, while Santa and Mrs Santa will join you later in gingerbread biscuit baking and Christmas card making (which you can then send wherever you want from the in-house post office). You can ask as many questions and take as many pictures as you like.
Whether you try any of these activities, or perhaps something else like snowmobiling, ice fishing, ice karting or a traditional sauna, or just stay on the slopes, you’re sure to love Lapland.