Trip Details
Tour Rating: Tough
LOCATION: Urho Kekkonen, Finland
# NIGHTS: 7 nights
DISTANCE: 80km+
GROUP SIZE: up to 8
Airport: Ivalo
months: Jan-April
Price: £1650
Winter Arctic Skills Expedition
Join us for a week in one of the largest national parks in Finland learning essential arctic skills. Setting up winter camps, cooking on open fires & exploring the remote Finnish wilderness.
Have you ever wanted to sleep out in the snow? Learn how to cook over an open fire in the middle of the wilderness. Navigate yourself across frozen arctic tundra. Then this is the trip for you. As a group we will spend the week skiing up and over the fells, through forests and finding some of the best camp spots in Lapland. Each day we will be skiing from 8-15km pulling all our gear and supplies for the week.
Whats Included?
6 days of backcountry skiing nights in expedition tents/wilderness cabins
2 nights in a cabin (breakfast included)
Skis, ski boots & sled hire
All expedition food included (Breakfast, lunch & dinner)
Fully qualified International Wilderness Guide
What’s not included?
Flights/transport
Evening meal on first & last evening
Insurance
Winter clothing & sleeping bag
Trip Dates 2025
18-25th January - Polar Night Trip (Women Only) - £1650
12-19th February - £1650 (3 spots left)
19-26th February - £1650
26-5th March - £1650
Private or Bespoke trips are available, get in touch for prices and more information
Accommodation
During the trip, we spend the first and final night in our basecamp cabin in Kiilopää, and the rest of the week we are camping in expedition tents or using the wilderness cabins. The huts are basic, they have no electricity and include bunks for sleeping in and an outdoor dry toilet.
Please note that since this is a remote wilderness tour, some changes to the itinerary are possible on the location due to weather and reasons out of our control.
Ready for an adventure?
This is the perfect week-long backcountry adventure for skiers, not necessarily with any previous experience in backcountry or cross-country skiing, but who are looking for a new experience away from the crowds. For this tour, you should be in good health, and have a strong level of fitness as we will ski about 8-16km a day with a heavy sled and a few climbs involved. You will need to have previous camping experience and be proactive within a group setting.
If you’re looking for a proper wilderness experience or are keen to get the feel of ski touring without getting into terrain that’s too steep or technical. The Finnish Arctic is the perfect destination for both of these.
Reserve your place
TRIP DEPOSIT
Secure your place on this trip with a £250 deposit. The full amount will then be due 90 days before the trip departs.
Reviews
“A Very magical week away in the Lapland wildness, being completely offline and getting the whole range of weather and seeing the Northern Lights I could not have dreamt of it being that amazing. I loved that it’d a trip that pushes you out your comfort zone yet is accessible to everyone whatever age you are.”
EQUIPMENT & CLOTHES
A detailed recommended packing list for personal items to bring will be sent with your booking documentation.
For some handy tips on what you might want to pack click here
MINIMUM NUMBER
A minimum total of 5 persons is required for tours to be confirmed to run. You are of course welcome to book as a solo traveller.
FULL T&CS
When signing up you will agree to our terms & conditions which you can read here.
Any other questions? (FAQ)
WHAT SHOULD I PACK?
For some handy tips on what you might want to pack click here
WHERE DO I FLY TO?
Ivalo airport is just a short bus/car ride ride from our base in Kiilopää. Or Rovaniemi is a 3.5 hour bus/car ride.
WHAT SHOULD MY SKIING ABILITY BE?
If you have some previous experience of downhill or cross-country skiing but are yet to discover the adventure and challenge of a ski touring expedition then this will be perfect for you. Although the techniques and equipment have much more in common with cross country skiing than with downhill skiing it helps to have some experience being on skis before.
WHAT IF I'VE NEVER SKIED BEFORE?
Give us a call and we can have a chat. It's not impossible for you to join the tour with no experience but we'd need to have a chat beforehand and make sure we can get you up to speed.
WHAT WILL THE GROUP SIZE BE?
We keep our groups nice and small, so we run the trips with a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 8.
WHAT IS THE FOOD LIKE?
When we stay in the cabins we will have a basic breakfast and dinner in the restaurant. When we are on the expedition it will be home cooked/dehydrated food. We will provide some snacks but suggest you bring some of your own too.
DO I NEED TRAVEL INSURANCE?
Yes, travel insurance is a must. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate insurance to cover you for all aspects this trip, including cancellation.
CAN I COME ON MY OWN?
Yes, most of the people on our trips are solo travellers so this is perfect for you to join like-minded people.
HOW FIT DO I HAVE TO BE?
You need to have a good level of fitness and be used to moving for 5-6 hours a day (so its ideal for for hikers who want to challenge themselves in the Arctic conditions) You will take turns pulling a sled weighing 30kg and skiing from 12-20km a day. Some days are more challenging than others.
Any more questions?
Feel free to give us a call or send us a message if you want to know anymore about our trips.
Ready to book?
Secure your place with a £250 deposit and reserve your place on your selected dates.
