Arctic Horizons

"FOREST SKIS" or "SKISHOES" :

Skishoes appeared during the early 2000s, and were designed to be a compromise between traditional cross-country skis, and snowshoes : you can glide down hill, you can go uphill using ready-made skins located under the skis, and their flotation make them "deep-snow friendly". They are equipped with universal bindings, so you can use them with your regular winter boots.

The good point with those skis is that they are really easy to use, even for first timers. They are very stable, and the deep snow prevents you to go too fast... 

NB: Forest skis are not free ride skis ( so no tricks...), and not regular cross country skis either (they are not very efficient on groomed tracks), they are just a fun and comfortable way to travel in the deep snow and to explore the backcountry.

During this trip, beside learning the basics of forest ski techniques, we will discover the frozen swamps, peatlands, and the arctic wet forest areas around Luosto. (swamp edges are usually quite rich in fauna, so willow grouses, black grouses, and arctic hares are not an uncommon sight).

I pick you from the location of your choice in Luosto, and we just head for the national park... In Finland, we believe strongly in "learning-by-doing", and we will just put the skis on, and start our trip. Of course, the trip will be adapted to the level of the participants (Note : again, those skis are NOT downhill skis! they are similar in their use as classic style crosscountry skis, except that we go off-track. We don't chase steep slopes or adrenalin!!). At some point during our hike, we will have a break and make a fire in order to grill the famous Finnish sausage (aka the vegetable of the real finnish man) and to enjoy a warm drink and traditional pastry.

The whole program last 3 hours, but the distance will vary a lot depending on the snow condition ( in the deep powder snow of January, 3-4 km can be already a challenge, and on the hard morning crust of April, 10km can feel really easy)...

NB : For more information about forest skis scroll back up and read the "what are the forest skis" section !

Duration : 3hours

Includes : private guided service, skiing gear, snacks and sausage around the fire.

Price : 135€ +45€/person (225€ for 1 or 2 participants, 270€ for 3 participants, 315€ for 4 participants)

The full day skiing trip will take us deep into Luosto backcountry. This trip will happens mostly in the Pyhä-Luosto national park and its breath-taking arctic sceneries. You can of course book this trip all winter long, but I particularly recommend it towards the end of the winter season (from March onwards, when temperatures get milder), and during springtime, when we can find this very hard snow crust in the morning, making skiing like a dream!! For lunch, we will have a good meal around the fire in a forest camp. ( Smoke reindeer or Smoke salmon Soup, grilled sausage, washed down by a glass of delicious crowberry wine, and a pastry and hot drink for the dessert ). there will also be some snacks during the day. The skiing distance can vary a lot depending on the snow condition and the time of the year, but it can be anything from 12 to 20 km.

The guide will provide to each participant a small thermos with some hot juice, some snacks, and his/her cutlery for the lunch break. Therefore everyone should have his/her own backpack for the trip. (take also an extra layer for keeping warm during the break!)

Duration : 6 hours+

Includes : private guide service, skiing gear, full meal around the fire and snacks during the day.

Price : 250€ + 90€/person (430€ for 1 or 2 participants, 520€ for 3 participants, 610€ for 4 participants...)

This program has been devised in order to combine the use of our "forest skis" and of snowshoes during the same trip.

I pick you from your hotel/cabin in Luosto, and we head for Pyhä-Luosto national park. During this trip, we will use the snowshoes in the steepest uphills, or if we meet some dense forest, but as soon as the terrain gets more flat or downhill, we'll put on the skis.

It takes only 1-2 minutes to change from one to the other, and you don't need to change shoes, because both our skiis and snowshoes are equipped with universal bindings (you can use regular hiking boots).  

What is really good, is that if somebody feels uncomfortable with the skiis whenever we go downhill, it is possible to switch back to snowshoes, and have a slower descent! Note that, anyway, we will not do any extreme downhills ... The "forest skis" and the bindings are not adapted to free ride and crazy fast downhills !! This program is perfectly adapted for beginners, just let me know before, so I can adapt our trip to your tastes !

During the trip, we will have a "hot drink" break, and at the end of the trip, we'll enjoy a light snack at a wilderness cafe.

Duration : around 3,5 hours.

Includes : Private guide services, snowshoeing/skiing gear, hot drinks, and light snack at a wilderness cafe. 

Price : 150€ + 55€/participant (260€ for 1-2 participants, 315€ for 3 participants, 370€ for 4 participants...)

Important ! Each participant has to come with a backpack equipped with straps for carrying own skis/snowshoes!