Winter is starting to turn into spring in the arctic village of Kilpisjärvi. The season between winter and spring is called “kevättalvi” in Finnish and “giđđadálvvi” in Sámi – an English translation would be “late winter”. In late winter the days are rapidly getting long – nine hours between sunrise and sunset today, only six weeks after the end of the Polar Night – and the snow fields are sparkling in the sunlight. The bitter cold days when the temperature can reach – 30 C / – 22 F are getting rare.
Visitors from around central and southern Europe and from as far as Australia, Brazil, South Africa and the United States have discovered Kilpisjärvi and are spending their winter vacation enjoying our magnificent nature, our spectacular Northern Lights and our guided activities: snowmobiling, husky sled rides, snowshoe trekking, winter fishing and chasing Aurora Borealis. We are fortunate to have Lapland’s longest snow season which enables us to offer our visitors guided winter fun from late November until early May.
Next week we launch this season’s first trip to Conquer Halti Fell, the highest peak in Finland. Meanwhile, a few memories from January. . .
Coffee brewing on open fire
At the Norwegian border
Out on the tundrea
The weeks after the end of Polar Night are peaceful out on the tundra – few if any snowmobilers in a frozen landscape coloured by the sparse sunlight, possibly the sighting of a flock of reindeer in their natural habitat.
Thank you Jannick Heutschi for the photos!
