Summer surprise: Snow in northern Finland prompts ski resort to reopen
The skiing season ended in Northern Lapland in mid-May, but the weather there is still so cold and snowfall so frequent that the Saariselkä resort will temporarily reopen its slopes, which are currently up to a metre deep in snow.
May 2017 will go down as one of the coldest spring months on record in Finland, and in Lapland the beginning of summer has been the second-snowiest in the Meteorological Institute’s recorded history.
The situation has lead the Saariselkä ski resort in Inari to reopen its skiing slopes for three days, weeks after the official season ended.
“We’re all set in terms of snow, more will even fall this week,” says ski centre manager Jarmo Katajamaa. “We are glad to offer our customers this unique post-season possibility.”
Early June has been unusually snowy even for Lapland, and at Saariselkä the drifts are 50-100 cm deep.
Skiing in the midnight sun
In earlier years organisers have fretted over the fact that the ski season has ended even though slopes have still been decked with ideal amounts of snow. This is the first year that the Saariselkä resort will invite people to ski in June.
The slopes will be open during the daytime from Thursday to Saturday, June 8th-10th, and again on Thursday and Friday from 10 pm to midnight – when enthusiasts can experience skiing during nighttime sunlight.
Local hotels have also taken the reopening into consideration by offering bargain packages in June. Saariselkä resort management is considering making the summertime slopes an annual tradition.
“This will be the best start to the summer vacation season ever!” Katajamaa rejoices.
The winter skiing season officially ended on May 14th at Saariselkä this year.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Arctic nations sign scientific cooperation agreement, Radio Canada International
Finland: Coldest spring in 20 years in northern Finland, Yle News
Greenland: Arctic sea ice – Is the minimum maximum the new normal?, blog by Irene Quaile, Deutsche Welle
Norway: As Arctic weather dramatically changes, world meteorologists take on more joint forecasting, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: 2016, warmest year on record in Russian Arctic, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Sweden’s glaciers are melting away, Radio Sweden
United States: U.S. ends Arctic Council chairmanship with reluctance on climate action, Alaska Dispatch News
That picture is from Lahti in Feb, not Lapland in June. Fake news. Sad.
Hello Steven,
Although it was not written that the photo had been taken in Lapland in May, we should have specified the actual setting of the photo which is, as you remarked, near Lahti at the end of February, 2017. It has been corrected.
Thank you for your comment.
Dominique Charron
Webmaster for Eye on the Arctic