Winter Sports and Weddings in Finland

October 2003 - Welcome to winter time Finland, where winter is as it should be and a thick snow cover, and crisp, dry air produce one of the best season-round winter playgrounds in the world. Finns put zeal into day light winter hours and make the most of the great Finnish outdoors by pursuing many different activities --that often offer extreme excitement to native and visitor alike. Travelers may sample an "extreme" activity during their Finnish holiday or make it the mainstay of their trip. Finnish activity programs range from one hour to more than a week.

Brave hearts seeking to improve their 360-degree turn skills on a Formula One champions' winter speedway do so at the hospitable Arctic Rally Course in northeastern Finland. Spirited sledding with high speed, yelping born-to-run huskies will test one's stamina as well dexterity during Iditerod-type treks to North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe. In Finland you can also ice swim, ice fish, ice skate, snowshoe, kick sled, cross country ski, snowboard, telemark and downhill, snowmobile and ride reindeer into the wilderness camps of indigenous Sàmi people. In this winter paradise, you can also find your "löyly" tolerance (for high sauna heat), and cross-country on a mammoth number of varied and challenging trails.

No. 1 favorite sport
"Cross country ski tracks are everywhere in parks, bays, farm fields and even cemeteries. Snowmobile routes extend forever," according to Richard Landes who covered about participant in the Border to Border annual ski event across Finland last spring. It is one of voluminous winter events held in Finland each year such as the World Ice Skating and World Ice Hockey championships. Himos, Levi, Ylläs, Salla, Ruka, Hero, Kuusamo and Iso-Syöte are among many beautiful resort areas for cross-country skiing (classic and freestyle), Finland's number one winter sport.

Those who venture to swim in polar-bear-cold waters will find a venue anywhere in Finland, including Helsinki where happy dippers visit the Rastila camp site and Uunisaari. After an ice swim, Finns follow up with sauna, where temperatures of 120+ degrees Fahrenheit are the norm. And après sauna is an extension of the sauna art, especially in Helsinki. At the Café Tin Tin Tango you may sauna and snack all on the same premises. At the wood-fired sauna Kotiharju in the Kallio district and the Arla sauna, rejuvenating Finnish micro scrubs and massages take sauna to new heights.

On the icy terrain of the Arctic Rally Team course in Levi in Finnish Lapland, where top Finnish racers have honed their world-championship skills, VIP winter driving school as well as rally driving school classes are given during winter months. Prices start at 250 Euros for a three- hour course that covers basics and can include a slalom competition that separates "the wheat from the chaff." Visit www.arcticrallyteam.fi.

Finnish winter is a ski maniac's delight. In northern latitudes ski season is an enviable six months (November to early May; peak mid February to April) and the air is pure, clean and stimulating. Even January, the coldest month when northern temperatures can dip below zero, it always feels warmer due to the dry climate. In late February and through March the mean monthly snowfall is 60 inches and there are no less than 10 hours of sunshine daily. Intermediate downhill skiers keen on scenic wilderness head for resort areas such as Ylläs, Kuusamo, Ruka, Kemijärvi, Pyhä, Luosto, Saariseklä and Levi. The breat views, the evening-lit runs, and lively après ski make downhill skiing, snowboarding and telemarking in Finland exceptional. The largest resorts have as many as 30 runs and over 20 lifts, cater to a wide range of mountain experiences and provide superb snow cover throughout the season. Many resorts have half pipes for snowboarders and many also have snowboard parks.

Lapp burgers and kick sleds
The Sàmi (Lapps), Finland's indigenous peoples of the North, mix their colorful culture with outlandish activity. Laps will precede a simple reindeer ride with a (mock) throat cutting ceremony and end with the awarding of one's reindeer driver's license. On longer Lapp-escorted excursions such as reindeer safaris, cross country skiing and kick sledding treks and, snowmobile excursions expect high excitement, magical wilderness scenery and shimmering green displays of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), which appear every four nights above the Arctic Circle. Also expect Lapp burgers, Lapp tents, Lapp crafts and Lapp remedies, some reputed to outpace Viagra!

"Lively Season" packages start as low as $445, including air. Contact the Finnish Tourist Board 212-885-9700/1-800-FIN-INFO and visit www.gofinland.org.

WINTER ACTIVITIES IN FINLAND AT A GLANCE:
Husky sledding: From one kilometer test drives to 10 day expeditions through wilderness, stay at cottages and enjoy sauna at comfortable lodges in the deep woods. Complete outfitting provided. www.laplandsafaris.com.

Horseback riding safaris: Several companies at different resorts offer trekking for a few hours or a weeklong trip along lakes and in forests. Camp in log cabins, visit reindeer farms, ice fish, watch for Northern Lights.

Ice fishing: Glow fried fish are among the rewards of this winter activity that takes place on thousands of lakes. Near Inari you can combine an i museum of Sàmi culture, as well as overnights at the Igloo Village in Kakslautten. Visit www.travel.fi.

Ice swimming: Some 30,000 individuals take the plunge on an annual basis. There are some 200 registered "avanto" ice swimming sites. Ice holes are kept open by aerating pumps. Try a prolonged swim in the Gulf of Bothnia from the Icebreaker Sampo near Kemi. Head to toe protective thermal gear is provided. www.sampotours.com.

Reindeer safaris: Reindeer are semi wild, with a strong will of their own. There are many reindeer farms in Lapland. It is easy to combine a farm visit in Rovaniemi, above the Arctic Circle, with stops at SantaPark, the Arktikum Museum, and shopping for handicrafts including wooden bowls and fur hats. Stay at nice hotels or lodges. www.laplandfinland.com

Rally driving on ice: This sport gives the words start, accelerate and stop entirely new meaning. And, in part, it explains why some of the world's top drivers are Finns. www.arcticrallyteam.fi. www.centralfinland.net, www.jyvaskyla,fi.

Arctic Golf: Golf balls used by handicappers are orange, not white, during Arctic Circle tournaments in Rovaniemi.www.rovaniemi.fi

Cross Country Skiing and Ski Touring: In Finland one can cross country ski day and night on well maintained trails and still enjoy a rich cultural life because cross country trails are found in cities and towns as well as wilderness and resort areas. Après ski near Helsinki for instance, one can still have time to visit museums, shop at Marimekko, attend a concert at Finlandia Hall and take sauna.

Downhill, telemark: There are several ski resorts throughout Finland perfect for beginning to intermediate skiers. The country's rolling fells offer plentiful and scenic runs such as those in the Ylläs region. Finns love skiing so much, they have constructed ski tunnels for year-round training. The newest ski tunnel (1 km long, about ¾ of a mile) is slated to open in Vantaa, just outside of Helsinki, in fall 2004.

Snowshoeing: One is easily awed by the shrouded in the mystical blue "kaamos", the mysterious blend of darkness and twilight unique to the deep Finnish winter. Snowshoe treks near Sodankylä can include a trip to an amethyst mine. www.snowgames.fi.

Snowmobiling: This is a hot sport throughout Lapland. Overnight safaris near Inari may include overnights at the large Wolf-kota hut where one sleeps on reindeer skin in sleeping bags. www.saariselka.fi

NORTHERN LIGHTS BRIGHTEN WINTER WEDDINGS
Adventurous brides and grooms who find novelty and excitement in exotic landscapes of snow and ice may want to consider a winter locale that is as unique as their love.

Where else but in Finnish Lapland can you celebrate your nuptials way north of the Arctic Circle near a wilderness national park and enjoy King Crayfish with 80 proof vodka in an Ice Bar that is so completely cool they rebuilt it every year from snow and ice. You are in the midst of the Kakslauttanen Igloo Village in Saariselkä and can cuddle in the world's first "Thermal Glass Igloo", which is invitingly warm and lets you behold magnificent celestial showings of the shimmering green Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and gloriously white wilderness landscapes without anyone (or anything) being able to look in. What's more you may tie the knot in a veritable chapel of ice, exchanging vows in the echo of mystical native chants. For general information visit: www.travel/fi/int/Kakslauttanen.

The Snow Castle in Kemi is another Lapp getaway. Open January through March it attracts the young at heart whose sense of newlywed joy includes snow and winter play. Couples may exchanged vows in the Snow Chapel that is part of the LumiLinna complex including the Snow Castle, the Mammut Snow Hotel and The Snow Restaurant, which has ice tables and seats covered with reindeer hide. After the ceremony, the new Mr. and Mrs. can kick off their newlywed life with fun and adventure might want take another plunge into the ice chocked Gulf of Bothnia during a four-hour trip aboard the icebreaker Sampo. Full thermal gear is used. Wind down the wedding day with a cleansing smoked sauna and warm bath before slipping into an Arctic-ready sleeping bag and a blissful night of sleep in your snow room at the Snow Hotel. Visit www.snowcastle.net for details.

Gaela Weddings customizes wedding packages in Lapland and beyond for couples seeking a truly special matrimonial. Visit www.gaelaweddings.com.

City Highlights
Sophisticated cool defines pre or après wedding nights at the five-star Hotel Kämp, located in city center Helsinki. Conde Nast Traveler defines the Kämp as "the city's grandest historic hotel" and says it delivers by the fruit basket full: elegant furnishings, private library nooks, sophisticated restaurants, marbled stairwells and sums it up with "faultlessly professional, impeccable at every turn." Wedding night packages range from 350 to 2,750 Euros and include late check out. For more information visit www.hotelkamp.fi.

Couples made to feel rich at the Kämp can enhance their euphoria by partaking in Helsinki's enticing cultural options, which include more than 70 museums with exhibits ranging from avant garde modern to classic art and including natural history, maritime, and other novel themes, world-class opera, symphony orchestras and great shopping at places such as Marimekko (famous for its bold prints, stylish clothes and more), Annikki Karvinen (unique fashion boutique), Kalevala Koru (ancient patterns, modern jewelry) and Stockmann's department store (Scandinavia's largest) and well as the boutique-chocked Kämp Galleria.

For more information about Lapland attractions or tours contact The Finnish Tourist Board 212-885-9700/Fax 212-885-9710/; www.visitfinland.com/us, www.gofinland.org, www.finlandkingsroad.com.