Snowsurfing Finnish Lapland

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snowsurfing finnish lapland

Lapland is scattered with several ranges of fells, which are popular destinations for outdoor activities in both summer and winter. The fells are an excellent place to spend time outdoors recharging and exploring nature.

The last few years have borne witness to the re-emergence of snowsurfing, a lesser known activity that shares its roots with snowboarding and surfing. The main differences to snowboarding are the use of boards without bindings, and board shapes more akin to surfboards. The steep yet accessible fells of Finnish Lapland provide an ideal setting for this curious art form.

Words by Maxim Narbrough, photos by Jani Kärppä

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Lapland

In Lapland, swapping the hustle and bustle of ski resorts and cities to the peace and quiet of the wilderness takes mere minutes.

Lapland

Snowsurfing is as much about spending time in Lapland’s winter wonderland, as it is about the thrill of sliding down hills. An added pleasure of traveling by foot, is that areas off limits to snow mobiles can be accessed and enjoyed without disturbing the pristine surroundings.

Equipped with snowshoes, a rucksack and a few provisions, surfers spend their day exploring fells and discovering new lines. This brings a whole new meaning to the concept of “traveling lightly”.

Lean-to’s and wilderness huts provide excellent spots to take breaks and warm up by a fire. There are several daytrip huts and open wilderness huts, free of charge, in the Finnish backwoods.

A forest fireplace is a perfect setting for sharing stories with friends and meeting strangers. Cooking up a quick meal by the fireplace is easy and tastes amazing after a healthy dose of fresh air.

Be it snowfall, sunshine or deep freeze, the time spent outside enjoying the winter is always rewarding. A moonlit polar night can be absolutely magical, especially when you are dressed properly for it.

Light conditions and the colour of the sky change by the day, if not by the hour. The winter skies are always worth gazing while in the Lappish wilderness.

The outcrops of ancient hills in the Ylläs-Pallas and Pyhä-Luosto national parks are two of the many beautiful areas explored by arctic surf-seekers.

The renewed enthusiasm for an old art has inspired a small, but vibrant community of enthusiasts who also make their own boards. Inspiration is drawn from surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding, and by the unique winter environment.

Surfing on snow offers new challenges even to the experienced backcountry explorers, yet the pleasure is equally felt by beginners on mellow backyard slopes, closer to home. The main main point being to have fun on snow!

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snowsurfing finnish lapland