Today@Saariselkä

Christmas time with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Inari

Ivalo:

Sun 4.12 mass, 11 am.

Independence Day 6.12. Service 11 am, wreath depositing on soldier’s graves.

Sun 11.12 mass 11am

Sun 18.12 mass 11am

Christmas eve 24.12: Christmas Eve devotion in church 1pm.

Candle devotion 3pm at the cemetery.

Christmas night mass 24.12. 11pm.

Christmas Day church 25.12 9am. New Year’s Eve 31.12 devotion 11.30pm. New Year’s Day 1.1.2023 mass 11am. Epiphany 6.1. 2023 mass 11am.

Inari kk:

Tue 19.11 Christmas present volunteering 6pm at the Church community house.

Independence day 6.12 11am service. Wreath depositing on soldier’s graves.

Sun 18.12. mass 2pm.

Christmas Eve 24.12. Family devotion 2pm in church. Candle devotion 3pm at the cemetery.

Christmas Day Church 25.12. 9am. Boxing Day 26.12 mass 2pm.

New Year’s Day 1.1.2023 mass 2pm.

Saariselkä

Sun 11.12. mass 7pm.

Tue 13.12. ELVIS Christmas -concert 7pm. Wed 21.12. Towards Christmas -devotion 7pm. Christmas Eve 24.12. Family devotion 2pm, christmas eve devotion moment 7pm.

Christmas Day mass 25.12. 7pm.

On Boxing Day 26.12. Photo-journey from the North to Bethlehem 7pm.

Thu 29.12 Messiaen -Twenty Glances at the Baby Jesus -concert 7pm, Rie Saito Lassila.

New Year’s Eve 31.12 devotion 11pm.

New Year’s Day 1.1.2023 mass 7pm.

Epiphany 6.1. mass 7pm, Arkkila. Kiilopää: Fri 23.12. 4pm, candle church outside. Nellim: Christmas Day 25.12. service 2pm in the Orthodox Church.

Most Beautiful Spiritual Christmas Carols in churches and villages:

Mon 5.12. 7pm Saariselkä Chapel

Sun 11.12 2pm in Inari Church.

Wed 14.12 5pm in Nellim Orthodox Church Wed 14.12 5pm in Saariselkä Aurora-hut. Sun 18.12 6pm in Ivalo Church.

Orthodox services at Saint Apostle Paul’s Chapel in Saariselkä

Tuesday 6 December 3pm Prayer service of Independence Day.

Friday 23 December 5pm Vesper of Christmas.

Orthodox services at Saint Nicholas Church in Ivalo (address: Sairaalantie 22)

Monday 5 December 5pm Great vesper of Saint Nicholas.

Tuesday 6 December 9.30am Blessing of Water and Holy Liturgy, Church Patron Saint Nicholas feast.

Saturday 24 December 4pm Vesper of Christmas Eve.

Sunday 25 December 8am Matins and Holy Liturgy of Christmas Day.

More info: Father Andrei Verikov (email: andrei.verikov@ort.fi). Tel.+358 40 5397131)

Pentecostal Church in Ivalo (address: Metsätie 2)

Sunday 4 December 5pm Communion service + Sunday school.

Thursday 8 December 6pm Christmas song evening in Ukontupa.

Friday 9 December 6pm Youth evening for 10-13 years.

Sunday 11 December 5pm Sunday service.

Sunday 18 December 3pm Christmas celebration. Monday 26 December 5pm Evening Service.

is located in Tankavaara. Only 25 min south of Saariselkä and 10 min north of Vuotso.

OPEN Mon–Fri 10am–4pm

CLOSED: Sat–Sun, public holidays and also In 2022 December 5th-6th and 24th-26th. In 2023 January 6th, March 27th, April 7th-10th, May 1st and 18th.

@goldmuseumlapland Entrance fee: 12€/ 10€/ 6€

puh. + 358 16 626 171 www.kultamuseo.  99695 TANKAVAARA

Travel safely in the Arctic nature of Lapland!

During the winter months you should wear many layers of clothing according to the prevailing weather conditions. The fell highlands are often cool in

Drawings: Lee Rodgers

Pentecostal Church in Ivalo

Saint Nicholas Church in Ivalo (Photo: Juha Kauppinen)

Orthodox Church in Nellim (Photo: PasiR)

Saint Apostle Paul’s Chapel in Saariselkä (Photo: PasiR)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ivalo (Photo: Juha Kauppinen)

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ivalo (Photo: Juha Kauppinen)

Saariselkä Facebook group is spreading joy

pery roads on the north bound road of Urupää. In early autumn the group’s page starts to fill by visitor’s photographs of the northern lights on the night sky. The photos are reposted and admired still in February, before the photos move on to crosscountry skiing trips in the spring. You can see all of the northern seasons in the Saariselkä -group: the col ourful skies during the polar night period, sunny snow blankets of the early spring, the midnight sun during the summer and the autumn leaves that come after.

Saariselkä -group was created already in 2008, so it has been op erating for 14 years.

-First it was just a Facebook group for the Saariselkä area, but now it has found its place as a “feel good” group, says Teija Parpala, who is lo cal to Saariselkä and one of the three mod erators of the group.

-People who visit Saariselkä and take pho tos of nature post their pictures to the group. We want people who see beau tiful nature to share that with the others in the group too, she explains.

-We want to spread joy and good memories to old and new visitors.

and Petri Laukkanen, go through the comments and remove any fake profiles or inappropriate comments.

-I needed some help when the group started to have dozens of new people join ing daily. Luckily Ida and Petri came to help, Parpala says. However, the mod erators are volunteers and they do not have time to watch everything all the time. So it is up to the group members to give hints on any suspicious posts.

Naturally the Saariselkä -group covers the whole area from Vuotso to the north of the village. Yet it continues up north towards the northern parts of Inari municipality. There are no strict area requirements, and the group has information from business owners from Utsjoki and Nuorgam too.

-This is an informational group and it is good to have info from the whole area, Parpala says. She hopes that the business owners will post more information about their services. Especially during the quiet periods it would be important to know which businesses are open, for example.

There are currently al most 30 000 members in the group and more keep coming. During one au tumn week there were 118 new members.

A feel good group - that’s what Facebook’s Saariselkä group is. The group is open to all friends of Saariselkä: for visitors, locals and busi nesses. It is a forum for

information and conversa tion, where you can find cheerful posts from the top of Kiilopää fell or snap shots from autumn hikes. The group also offers in

formation and offers from the local services - and even warnings of any danger ous situations. For exam ple, in October a driver warned everyone of slip

The group does not want to be a local gossip group, Parpala says. It even states that in the group rules. The group moderators - Parpala, Ida Katajamaa

-We welcome everyone to the group to spread the feel-good spirit, Parpala says. You can find the group on Facebook by searching Saariselkä. HS

Inari Municipality

A municipality is a local unit of public administration, the small est unit with a democratically elected administration. In line with the Local Government Act, the function of a Municipality is to maintain wellbeing and to fos ter sustainable development.

The Municipal Board is re sponsible for the administration and financial management of the municipality and for preparing,

executing and watching over the legality of Council decisions. The Municipal Board safeguards the interests of the municipality and generally represents the municipal ity and exercises its right to speak.

Inari is the largest municipality in Finland and it was established in 1876. It has a surface area of 17,321 km², of which 2,148 km² is covered by water.

Inari has a population of around

7.000, of which about one-third are Sámi, the indigenous peo ple of Finland. About 400 peo ple in Inari speak Inari Sámi as their native language.

The largest employers are the Municipality of Inari, the Finnish Border Guard, and Metsähallitus, which administers state-owned land and water areas. Tourism is also a major employer. The accom

modation businesses in the area reg ister around 400.000 overnight stays every year (before the covid-19), there are around 17.000 beds in the dis trict, 15.000 of them at the Saariselkä Holiday Resort, which is the north ernmost ski resort in Europe.

(Photo: Pertti Turunen)

The crest of Inari municipality de picts a whitefish with antlers, which represents fishing and reindeer husbandry. Both of which used to be the most important livelihoods. Now the tourism industry has passed them and keeps growing.

A group of visitors at the summit of Kaunispää. From the summit’s tower you can see all the way to the fells in Russia.

The Facebook group moderators Ida Katajamaa, Petri Laukkanen and Teija Parpala.

SHOE EVA X-TRACK

SHORT DRY WALKER

Versatile and adaptable shoe for yearround use. Made of high-quality EVAmaterial. EVA offers excellent thermal insulation. The shoe is waterproof and light. Detachable lining. The shoe absorbs the impact on the heel and its sole is not slippery. The velvet detail on the collar gives the shoe a retro feel.

SHOVEL ALUMINIUM HANDLE

SODANKYLÄ IVALO

Sumatie 2, 99600 Sodankylä, 010 346 6260

Ivalontie 71, 99800 Ivalo, 020 742 4070

Palvelemme ma-pe 8-17, la 9-14

k-rauta.fi

SUIHKUNURKKA

GOODIY PEARL 90X90CM

Puolipyöreä suihkunurkka jossa 5 mm paksu kirkas turvalasi ja metalliset nostosaranat. Sis. 18 mm laahustiivisteen. 900x900x1900 mm.

Tarjoukset voimassa kaikissa K-Raudoissa 7.-13.9.2022 niin kauan kuin varatut erät riittävät. Ei ennakkovarauksia, ei jälleenmyyjille. Osa tuotteista toimitusmyyntinä.

Jämäkkä, huullettu 1-peiliovi. MDF-kehykset ja 8mm:n lastulevypeili. Oven paksuus 40 mm. Lukkorungolla. Karmi, painike ja kynnys eivät sisälly toimitukseen. Kotimainen. 501532053

GIRLS

K-RAUDAN

K-RAUDAN

REMONTTINEUVONTA

REMONTTINEUVONTA

Kysy mitä vain remontoinnista. Soita 044 700 1000 Arkisin klo 8-16. 0,0835 €/puhelu + matkapuhelimesta 0,192 €/min. lankapuhelimesta 0,032 €/min.

Kysy mitä vain remontoinnista. Soita 044 700 1000 Arkisin klo 8-16. 0,0835 €/puhelu + matkapuhelimesta 0,192 €/min. Lankapuhelimesta 0,032 €/min.

Lapin Luontolomat invests in great service

-Walking on frozen water, drinking water straight from the hole in the ice… every one wants to try drilling a hole in the ice, Tanja Ohenoja and Peeter Veltson describe the highlights of ice fishing tours. Catching fish is unimportant, although many visitors do catch some on Luontoloma ProSafaris ice fishing trips. The safaris are held in Taimenjärvi, which is located close to Saariselkä, a perfect distance to reach with a snowmobile.

The company has a cot tage in Taimenjärvi, as well as a kota (a traditional Sámi dwelling) and a sauna. Here the company organises small dinners for groups, often in cluding teachings about Sámi culture, including yoiking.

-Guided ice fishing tours are one of my favourites. We are in a very old forest and there is time to relax among the fells, says Veltson who works as a wilderness guide.

-People change when their stress is released and there is no rush, just the silence around you.

Teuvo and Tuula Katajamaa set up the company 40 years ago. The company is still fam

ily run, now including the younger ones of the family too. Daily routines are done by Ohenoja and Veltson, both of whom began working as wil derness guides for the com pany in 2014. Luontoloma Pro-Safaris organises all kinds of snowmobile excursions, but the emphasis is not on snow mobiling only. The snowmo biles are used to take visitors to see reindeer or visit husk ies. Or snowmobiling to go ice fishing or on top of a fell.

Starry nights and pastel colours

-For us the forest might be a little boring, but it is not that for the people coming from big cities, Teuvo and Tuula Katajamaa say. During the win ter, visitors are often looking for the northern lights, but just snowmobiling in the dark for est is an experience in itself.

-Often on the way back from Taimenjärvi we will stop on a summit of a fell and admire the pastel colours of the sky, Veltson says. They organ ise ice fishing trips during the nights as well - they will set up a fire and admire the

starry night sky. The atmos phere is magical and if they get northern lights too, that is the cherry on top of the cake.

Luontoloma Pro Safari’s al ways have a few reindeer in their yard - the reindeer are borrowed from reindeer herd ers from Kuttura. Next to them is a cottage where they organise Santa Claus appear ances for Spanish families. Same travel organiser has been ordering them for years.

-Our great customer ser vice guarantees that we do not lose customers, Ohenoja and Valtson say. Luontoloma Pro Safaris has some corporate cus

tomers that have been visiting for 20-30 years. A few families from central Europe come for a week’s visit year after year. They even have a few Finnish customers renting skis and us ing their ski waxing services.

One of the advantages of Saariselkä is that there are lots of activities for children: cross-country skiing, down hill skiing, a toboggan slide and a spa. They have a great selection of restaurants, too. Luontoloma Pro Safaris rents skis, snowshoes, sledges, snow mobiles and all things needed when cross-country skiing. They have over 200 pairs of

skis, some of them used for skiing in the wilderness. They are also renting skiing shoes and poles, and if needed they will help with repairs too. -Tourists are the best clients. There are cultural differ ences too. Sometimes peo ple don’t understand that you cannot drive a snowmobile for long distances if you are a novice. Some don’t want to wear the warm overalls pro vided and take it along just in case. After a while in the cold, they understand its im portance, Veltsio laughs.

Helena Sahavirta

southern slope

The first “Ice cubes” model houses have been completed just in time to be rented out for the winter season in Saariselkä. The outdoor works at Valo Luxury Retreats villas were still on going in August. The works had to be ready before the winter tourism season.

-The villas will be available to rent year-round. In the winter they are rented as Valo Ice Cubes and in the summer they are called Valo Villas, says Taru Lehtonen, the CEO of Valo Luxury Rentals LLC. The shortest rental time for the villas will be three days.

-The quality standard of the villas is high. They have an open-plan kitchen and each bedroom has an en suite bathroom. In addition, the villas have a hot tub, fire place and a sauna, Lehtonen says. The vil las have over 100 square metres of space. Each fully equipped log villa has 10 beds in total; in addition to the 6 beds there is also space for 4 extras. Each villa has three bedrooms, and in two of them the beds are located in a type of

balcony that is accessible via stairs.

For next spring, they plan on build ing four more villas onto the south ern slope. Three of them already have their foundations laid out.

-We had to change our plans dur ing the Covid-19 pandemic, Lehtonen says. Now the company is consider ing if the size of the villas is correct and what kind of end result they wish for. They have bought 4 more lots for the villas and they have made a few reservations for other locations.

According to the original plan, they wanted to build 10 villas first and then continue building more un til 2024. Valo Luxury Retreats LLC is based in Finland and offers full ser vice holidays in beautiful villas. It works in partnership with a Dutch luxury holiday home retailer Dutchen B.V. Valo Ice Cubes villas will be rent ed through travel agencies, Booking. com and through their own webpage. HS

Peeter and Tanja show French Melissa the new skin based skis that guarantee good fraction and excellent slide.

Reindeer meat is an ethical choice

There are fewer than 3 million reindeer in the world and each year nets approxi mately 20 million kilograms of reindeer meat. In Finland, reindeer are harvested by their owners in the autumn and early win ter when body condition is favourable.

Approximately 120 000 Finnish reindeer are slaughtered every year resulting in 2-2.5 million kilograms of meat annually. More than 75 % of the animals harvested are calves, 18 % adult females, and 6 % adult males, according to the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

Meat yield from one castrated reindeer is 50-60 pounds, 35-40 pounds from an adult fe male reindeer, and 20-25 pounds from a calf. These numbers are from reindeer that have not received supplemental feed during the sum mer and autumn prior to slaughter. Reindeer destined for the annual harvest do not receive supplemental winter feed. The diet of the ani mals surviving over winter usually consists of commercially produced fodder and natural vegetation obtained from free-range grazing.

Today, reindeer meat is prized for its rich fla vor, tenderness, and low fat content. Reindeer meat is also fine-fibred, high in protein, and it contains many essentials amino acids. The meat is very healthy with more vitamins and micronutrients and less fat than pork or beef. Reindeer calf fillet contains an average of only 2.3 % fat. Reindeer meat is also an ethical choice for free grazing and a cleaner environ ment. Reindeer meat is available for sale at local grocery stores and served in restaurants. Enjoy!

Transport in the nature is moving to electric power

-All transportation is moving to electric, even in nature, says Matti Autioniemi, the CEO of Rovaniemi based Aurora Powertrains LLC. The com pany was founded in 2017 to develop commercial electricpowered snowmobiles. The company started as a pro ject by Lapland University of Applied Sciences and was set up after the project ended.

-It is quiet, doesn’t produce emissions and doesn’t smell, Autioniemi lists the plus sides of an electric snowmobile. The sound of the engine is miss ing along with the shaking that comes with a combustion en gone. An electric snowmobile requires less maintenance and its operating costs are lower too: in a year you can save up to 1000 euros if driving between 4000-5000 kilometres. With the fuel prices being high, the savings can be even higher.

Interest in electric snowmo biles keeps rising, especial ly in the tourism business.

-We have been contacted by ski centres from Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, and safari organisers have been interested as well. From the USA and Canada there has been interest from the con sumer side - the USA con sists of 80% of all snowmobile

sales, Autioniemi says. For the next winter, the company is already planning a round of exhibitions in the Nordics.

eSled electric snowmobile was first built around the body of a regular internal combus tion engine snowmobile that had its motor removed and replaced with new technology. The bat tery is similar to those used in electric cars, but the company assembles those themselves from modules. Six modules pro duce 21kWh of energy, which is enough for a 100 kilometre ride. Two modules produce 7kWh and with that you can drive ap proximately 40 kilometres.

Electric snowmobiles used as far away as Svalbard

The company has manufac tured over 30 electric snow mobiles, mostly for business partners and for their own use. Eight snowmobiles have been leased to a Norwegian safari company in Svalbard for four years already. Some electric snowmobiles have been sold to ski centres in Lapland and they are being used by the Aurora eMotion safari company. For the newest e-sled models, they have been searching for new

solutions for springing, for ex ample. The new model has a motorcycle-like appearance.

According to Autioniemi, the biggest competition for their Rovaniemi-based company in the e-sled market is Canadian Taiga Motors. Other develop ers are not currently selling their models, since they are still in the prototype phase. -We will get more competition eventually, and there is room for that once the battery technol ogy advances and the cost can be lowered, Autioniemi says. When they can get more bat tery power, the mileage will be more equal with a regular snow mobile. A snowmobile with a combustion engine currently costs 8000-25 000 euros, while an e-sled costs somewhere be tween 15 000 and 23 000 euros, depending on the batteries used. Aurora Powertains LLC is seeking to produce hundreds of electric snowmobiles in the upcoming years. They al ready have pre-orders placed for the season of 2023-2024. However, increasing the pro duction requires funding of several million euros. At the moment, the company employs five people, all of whom work in product development. HS

Winter full of activities in Tankavaara Gold Village

During wintertime, Tankavaara Gold Village is covered in a layer of pure, white snow. Nevertheless, there is life in the village. Next to the Gold Village lies the Sompio-House, where a new art exhibition called AuRORA begins on the 12th of December. The exhibition includes paintings that are made with fluorescent col ours. The paintings are ac companied by a light and sound show, and the paintings change along with the chang ing colours of the show.

The exhibition is the work of a collective called Pyhättäret, who all have a connection to Pyhäjärvi. The paintings are done by Eeva Kouvalainen, Timo Huttu, Johanna Kangasharju and AnnMari Kamppuri. The unique soundscape is created by sound artist Anna Saksman

Sompio-House is show ing paintings of other art ists as well, and the themes revolve around the large exhibition of nature and

animals in the house.

On Christmas Eve, 24th of December, there is a Christmas buffet dinner held in Tankavaara Gold Village.

On New Year’s Eve, on 31st of December, they are host ing a New Year’s Gala Dinner with music and fireworks.

-For the winter we have planned kota-evenings that include a light dinner and storytelling about Lapland, says Marko Touru, the host of the Gold Village. Kota is a traditional Sámi dwelling.

During the more quiet periods, you should check the opening times of the Gold Village online to make sure that it is open.

Tankavaara Gold Village is located right next to E75 road, 20 minute drive from Saariselkä.

Gold Village is open eve ry day in winter season with hotel, Lappish restaurant and activities such as gold pan ning, reindeer feeding and northern lights hunting tours.

Tankavaara is nestled right next to National Park Urho Kekkonen where guests can book guided snow shoeing tours or rent snow shoes and skis to explore the marked trails themselves.

Gold Village restaurant Old Gold Prospector serves daily changing lunch and ala carte from local ingredients. Guests can also watch two reindeer herding just outside the restaurant window and also buy a bag of their favour ite food, lichen, to feed them.

Gold Village wouldn’t be true to its name without gold panning, which can be done indoors in winter! Book your guided gold panning from the restaurant or online. The activity takes about 30 min utes and you keep all the gold and gemstones you find!

Book a table or excur sion in Tankavaara Gold Village via email info@ tankavaara.fi or phone: +35816626158 www. tankavaara.fi

Matti Autioniemi has led the development of electric snowmobile that is soon ready to the world's market.

Inari-Saariselkä area is one of the top places on Earth to witness the Auroras. Locating some 250 km above the Arctic Circle, Inari positions right under the Aurora oval. For this reason, it is pos sible to see Aurora display almost every evening from autumn until late winter, providing that it is dark and the sky is clear. On average, the Auroras can be seen in northernmost Lapland up to 200 nights a year. Sounds quite amazing, right? (www.inarisaariselka.fi)

IN TANKAVAARA

Welcome to the world’s only international Gold Museum

For almost fifty years, the Gold Museum in Tankavaara has recorded the gold tradition of Finnish Lapland and all over the world. The colour ful gold-digging stories keep fasci nating visitors – such as this story of the discovery of the nugget Aleksi.

Mikko Aleksanteri “Iso-Aleksi” Kiviniemi was a local gold digger, who worked with a group of men in Hangasoja, in Laanila. In September

1910, he found a good-sized nugget. When weighed, the nugget was 385 grams, making it at the time the big gest nugget found in Finland. Even today, it is the officially second larg est gold nugget of Finland. However, there has been speculation that the piece would have originally weighed more than 400 grams, but that before the official weighing Aleksi whit tled some gold from the nugget to

make a ring for his wife, perhaps also for a one for himself. The rest of the group let Aleksi whittle this so-called “reward” for the find, as he was the discoverer of the nug get and known as a decent man.

We should also keep in mind that at that time all nuggets of 400 grams or more had to be delivered to a mu seum in St. Petersburg. Finland was still a Grand Duchy and part of the

Russian Empire. It is reasonable to assume that Aleksi and the rest of the group did not want the big nugget to end up in the museum in the capital of the Empire, but rather they’d have it stay in the homeland (or at least within the borders of their future homeland, as Finland became inde pendent a few years later in 1917).

The nugget was named after its founder and is now known as Aleksi.

GOLD MUSEUM IN SHORT

• Started as a private museum in 1973, and since 2009 the private Gold Museum Foundation has been responsible for its maintenance.

• Is a special museum, whose main purpose is to preserve and present the gold mining tradition and its history in Lapland

• Is the only international Gold Museum in the world. The exhibition features gold history and tra ditions of more than 20 regions and countries.

• Is located in Tankavaara, in northern Sodankylä, by the national road 4, only 25 min south of Saariselkä and 10 min north of Vuotso

• Open all year round: Monday to Friday 10-16 dur ing the winter season (public holidays closed) and every day during the summer season.

• Offers guided tours to the world of gold, as well as gold panning lessons at the indoor panning place. You can keep the found nuggets and gemstones! More information about the programs in our website www.kultamuseo.fi . Available in English, French, German and Italian as well as Finnish.

• The exhibition guides are available in English, French, German, Italian and Swedish.

Have a nice Holiday, thank you for visiting us, hope to see you again someday!

Entrance to the Gold Museum is kept clean even if there is a lot of snow.

Copy of the Aleksi nugget Detail from the South America

Inside the Gold Museum,

mining tunnel leading from the Lappish gold history exhibition to the international Golden World exhibition

Text: Helena Sahavirta, Vesa Luhta and the press officiers of the companies. Photos: PasiR, Juha Kauppinen, Pertti Turunen, cover photo: Tankavaara Gold Village Translatings: Saara-Maria Kristiina Salonen, University of Brighton, UK.

-The customer satisfaction is high, says Nina Saniola, the head of sales and marketing at Lapponia Tours & Saariselkä Booking LTD, describing their customer feedback.

People come to Saariselkä to enjoy nature, and Saariselkä Booking Ltd helps custom ers find cottages close to na ture, while Lapponia Tours organises tours for them.

Visitors coming to Saariselkä have often done their research before their ar rival and concentrate on en joying the local nature. Nina Saniola started working in Saariselkä Booking Ltd 20 years ago. At the beginning it was her responsibility to make sure that the cottages were in order before guest’s arrival. In addition she was in charge of getting the keys to custom ers, and selling souvenirs.

Since then she has been edu cated in Lapland University of Applied Sciences and received her bachelor’s degree in busi ness administration. She is currently getting her graduate

degree in business leadership.

-My job description has changed according to my own skills and needs, she says.

Last year Saariselkä Booking Ltd expanded when it was merged and it now includes tour operations and safaris.

Saniola is in charge of the sales and marketing of both.

Saniola enjoys marketing the Saariselkä area. There is a collective marketing organi sation that makes it possible to join forces when marketing the area, and even the smaller companies can be involved and make themselves known.

Saariselkä has a good repu tation and it is surprisingly well known even abroad.

-The village’s brand is in the nature experiences, and that goes for our own com pany Lapponia Tours & Saariselkä Booking Ltd too.

Switching between work and home modes

-I really like my job. I get to represent two companies

Nina Saniola enjoys her work in Saariselkä

... But there is always time for walks in the nature.

in many events. But that is only a small part of the work: it includes planning, creating marketing materials, adver tising, digital marketing and search engine optimization.

Nina Saniola lives in Ivalo, so every working day she travels between Ivalo and Saariselkä.

-I wouldn’t mind being able to walk to work. But I am used to traveling and I always have half an hour to switch into work mode and back to home mode.

In addition, Saniola’s chil

Winter tracks can be used for many types of exercise

The demand for diverse tour ism services grows quickly during the winter season. The most traditional activities include downhill and cross country skiing, but many visi tors also want to experience snow shoeing as well as run ning and cycling in nature.

Saariselkä and Kiilopää area has approximately 80 kilo metres of maintained winter tracks, some of which are suit able for multiple uses and some are only for cycling. The most difficult part is to decide what you want to do: maybe you want to have a chilled out walk on the path close to the village, perhaps with a dog on your way to the closest cafe or to a fireplace. Or perhaps you want to challenge yourself and get an authentic adventure experi ence cycling on the open fells.

Saariselkä is popular among mountain bikers because of its Open Fell Biking tracks and

the paths that take you to the open fells straight from the vil lage in summer and in winter. The track utilises the natural altitude changes of the fells, and some curves have been man made on purpose. This way, you can challenge your self on the tracks even further.

The upkeep of winter paths is at the mercy of the Nordic weather. Winds, snowfall and changes in temperatures make upkeep challenging and the conditions on the tracks can change. Unlike with ski tracks, after ploughing and levelling the winter track requires time to freeze before it is usable. It is important to take note of the weather conditions when using the tracks, and do not go when the tracks are soft. Fixing deep ruts or footprints is very dif ficult and takes a lot of time.

The tracks marked for cy cling should only be used by cyclists. The multipurpose

paths are available for walk ing, snow shoeing, kicksled ding or cycling. You can even bring your pet. For safety reasons, it is not allowed to move from winter tracks to ski tracks, ski slopes or snowmo bile tracks. With winter cycling, you should amend cycling gear to fit winter conditions. It is not worth going on the tracks with tires under four inches and you should keep the tyre pressure low. In multipurpose tracks it is worth noting the etiquette that requires the cy clists to give way to walkers.

Since cycling is becoming increasingly popular, there are plenty of bike rentals in the area. Fatbikes work well on the winter tracks, and those can be rented from Lapland Safaris Saariselkä, Kuukkeli Booking Center, Roll Outdoors Kiilopää, Saariselkä Ski & Sport Resort, Lapland Safaris,

dren go to school in Ivalo.

Between working and study ing, there is not that much free time. On her days off, Saniola enjoys relaxing and crafting, which you can do only a lit tle bit at a time if you wish.

Even though she doesn’t de scribe herself as an active sport sperson, on the weekends she might do some cross-country skiing in Ivalo or Saariselkä. Occasionally she might go downhill skiing too - or snow mobiling with her son. During

the summers she likes to do Nordic walking and cycling.

Saniola is originally from Espoo, which is in southern Finland. Her story is not un common: she came up north for a holiday and found love. She has been living in the north for 30 years and has no regrets.

-It is nice to visit cit ies, but it is always nicer to come back to the north.

The rental spots will be able to give good advice on best tracks to use and information on guided tours.

Saariselkä Booking and Wilderness Hotel Muotka.

The rental spots will also be able to give good advice on best tracks to use and information on guided tours. Conditions of the tracks can be checked online and are updated in real time.

The tracks from Laanila to Piispanoja are all multipur pose tracks. Most of the tracks

in Kiilopää are meant for cy clists. Tracks to Kakslauttanen and Muotka are also accessi ble by foot. Winter tracks are marked using blue snow-plough ing sticks. Parts of the tracks run through Urho Kekkonen National Park and its changing scenery and sheltered forest, all the way to the open fells.

Helena Sahavirta Photos: PasiR

Nina’s weekdays are spent in the office in Saariselkä...

Saariselkä

One would think that when the sun never rises you would be surrounded by darkness. In Lapland, the absence of sun in winter

stimulates your awareness of being surrounded in a mystical smooth blue land scape.

The days without sun in

Ravintola Pirkon Pirtin kotoisassa ja lämpimässä tunnelmassa pääset kokemaan mieleenpainuvia ruokahetkiä.

Come and enjoy great food and warm atmosphere at Restaurant Pirkon Pirtti.

Pirtti is known for its tasty food and friendly service. Pirkon Pirtti has maintained its place as one of the most popular restaurants in Saariselkä for years. All because of the warm atmosphere and delicious food.

Ravintola on tunnettu maistuvasta ruuasta ja lämminhenkisestä asiakaspalvelustaan. Pirtti on Saariselän suosituimpia ruokapaikkoja kautta aikojen. Rento meininki ja makoisaa ruokaa, mitä sitä Saariselän kulkija muuta kaipaakaan...

Welcome to Pirkon Pirtti!

Opening times: Every day between 3pm-9pm

Tervetuloa Pirkon Pirttiin!

Ravintola Pirkon Pirtti Honkapolku 2, 99830 Saariselkä +358 16 668 050 mail@pirkonpirtti.fi

Avoinna joka päivä 15-23 27.4. asti

The Mystical Blue Winter Wonderland

the Saariselkä area last for approximatley five weeks from the beginning of December to the middle of January. This short period

is referred to as ‘Kaamos’ [ca-moose]. It literally im plies that it is impossilbe to work indoors without an ad ditional light source for ap

proximatley 2 hours everyday. Even commonday tasks like reading or writing at home or in the workplace are impossi ble without electricity. The sun actually never rises above the horizon during these 5 weeks of Kaamos.

The effect of Kaamos on peo ple varies greatly. Some people experience depres sion from mild to severe cas es, while others gain peace of mind during Kaamos.

It is true that Kaamos could be hopelessly dark. But while the days without sun occur in the middle of winter, the pure white snow, the moon, the stars in the cloudless sky, and the Northern Lights illumi nate and create various shades of colours that paint the land scape mainly blue.

If you are lucky, you can see what appears as millions of sparkling diamonds on the snow under the moonlight. If you relax your mind you just might find an inner peace un like anything you have ev er experienced before, while basking in the beautiful and, calm, mysterious winter won derland.

Photo: Pertti Turunen

Ivalo K-Supermarket run by shopkeepers from Lapland

of passers-by and commuters.

-Now tourists are a big part of the clientele, and we get a spike in customers whenever a plane lands. But this September and October have shown that we have got a lot of local clients too, she says.

Tourists often buy items for spe cial occasions, and the locals purchase everyday items in addition to the special ones. That is why the supermarket is investing in affordable prod ucts, as well as delicacies.

-Our new products include smoothies and sushi, which we make ourselves so it is always fresh. We have developed the products to suit our customers’s tastes and none of the sushi goes to waste, Tuuli Kurkinen says. Other ready-to-eat products in clude quark and stuffed baguettes.

Close to nature

When moving to Ivalo, the couple decided to take good care of their own wellbeing. That is why they always make sure they have regular days off. One of Tuuli Kurkinen’s hobbies is monté, which is a type of horse racing where the driver is sitting on the horse, rather than in a cart. The couple have received a lot of new friends through their shared interest in dogs and horses.

Lapland and Ivalo are familiar places to the new pair of shop keepers, since Tuuli Kurkinen and Marko Kurkinen are both from Lapland.

-The location and climate ap pealed to us, and we got that first push to move when we heard

there is a shopkeeper’s posi tion open, Tuuli Kurkinen says.

-The clientele here differs a lot from the previous. Previously, they looked after the Neste K-Reissumies service station in Rovaniemi for six years. There, the clientele consisted

-We go to the fells with the dogs in the afternoons and on the weekends, Tuuli says. As a new hobby, the couple have started scuba diving - they have inspected many of the local lakes already.

They want to develop K-Supermarket to be a communal place and they want to collaborate with local clubs and societies, from dog groups to ice hockey leagues.

They have also set up a board in their supermar

ket where clients can write their requests.

-That is authentic. The clients tell us what prod ucts they would like to have and we do our best to find them. We always give explanations on when the products will arrive or why we could not get them, Tuuli Kurkinen says. Clients can also tell their wishes to the staff, send an email or use the feedback form on the supermarket’s webpage.

The supermarket’s online sales have risen by 50% in Ivalo. Products can be purchased for pick-up or delivered straight home. For pick-ups the clients can order alcohol as well. One of their bigger delivery clients are groups of friends, and the supermarket de livers groceries to Saariselkä three times a week.

Cross-country skiing tracks in Ivalo

Ivalo has an area called Jänkävaara, which has se veral good cross-country skiing tracks of different lengths that are maintained by the municipality of Inari. The illuminated tracks run for 1, 2 and 3 kilo metres loops, and there are also tracks that are five and nine kilometres long. One 1.5 kilometres long track diverges from the road to Koppelo to Jänkävaara.

As soon as the river freezes and gets covered in snow, a track is made from the shore of Hotel Ivalo to the tracks in Jänkävaara. The tracks are open for everyone, not only for customers of the hotel.

Close to the centre of Ivalo there is the track of Mukkavuopaja, which runs mainly on closed up riverbed. The track is approximately five kilometres long one way, and the tracks are opened as soon as the ice is thick enough to carry people. The track is maintained by the municipality of Inari.

In the area of the Finnish Border Guard, starts a four kilometres long track and it leaves from the road leading to the shooting range. From this track one can diverge to a nature path that is not illumi nated, but circles back to the illuminated part. This way the trip will be approximately 7.2 kilometres.

Helena Sahavirta

Photos: Tuuli’s album

One of Tuuli’s hobbies is monté, which is a type of horse racing.

Shopkeepers also enjoy scuba diving

People in Lapland love walking in the nature. And here are plenty of opportunities for just that.

Salmon soup is the most popular dish at Restaurant Huippu

Salmon soup is the most popu lar dish at Restaurant Huippu One local speciality is kurniekka, which is a traditional Skolt Sámi fish dish. And of course, there are the famous, delicious doughnuts of Kaunispää restaurant.

Year after year, salmon soup and crowberry cake keep their place as the most popular dishes at Restaurant Kaunispää Huippu. These meals are en joyed by both locals and tourists, and they are made us ing only the best

local ingredients, to quar antee the best taste.

Salmon from the Arctic Ocean is delivered to the res taurant twice a week, which means that the salmon soup is always fresh. The berries for the crowberry cakes and juice have not travelled far either –all the berries have been picked from the local forests by the restaurant staff. And so are the lingonberries, bilberries and the delicious cloudberries.

Last summer was a good year for mushrooms, espe cially for false morel and

porcino or cep mushrooms, which were collected in the town of Nellim. Kaunispää restaurant gets its reindeer meat from a nearby village of Tolonen, and roe from white fish comes from the chef Jorma Lehtinen’s own fishing area. Only the meat of willow grouse is sourced a bit further away – but from Enontekiö, which is also in Lapland.

As a new speciality, the restaurant has a new list of Glögi, which is a traditional Finnish winter drink. Glögi is perfect for keeping away

the cold during winter and it warms you up nicely.

-For Christmas, we will make our own glögi, just in time for Christmas eve and for the declaration of Christmas peace, Lehtinen says.

Declaration of Christmas peace is traditionally read at the peak of Kaunispää, in English and in Finnish.

It gathers together hundreds of people to sing Christmas carols and enjoy the Christmas spirit. The Ski Bus will take people to the peak on that day, too.

Good quality souvenirs from Kaunispää souvenir shop

The souvenir shop, called Tuliaistupa, is located next to the restaurant, and it is well known for its big assortment of good-quality souvenirs.

-During the winter, we sell lots of warm clothing, says Susanna Viljaharju, who is the owner of the shop. Reindeer leather products are popular, especially the gloves, wallets and purses. Leather is not the only material used in souve nirs; the shop sells products made of antlers, too. The ant lers are used to make but ter knives, key chains and candle holders, to name a few.

The souvenir shop sells natural cosmetics, which are made by Anne Lehtinen from Ivalo. For example, the sham poo bars made with cloudber ries, lingonberries and garden angelica smell heavenly. The collection has a variety of other cosmetics items too, such as foot bath salts and a variety of plant-based soaps.

The jewellery selection show cases the best local jewellers, such as Paarma Design by Tytti Bräysy, and Hopeia by Eija Konstas.

-Many tourists want local and unique products to take home. Most people come to Lapland only once, and they want to bring home something spe cial, Ms Viljaharju says. They have been selling souvenirs in a steady pace over the years. HS

Aurora sled hill starts from the top of Kaunispää fell

The aurora sled hill in Saariselkä slides down Kaunispää fell for over 1 800 metres.

-You can easily reach the top of Kaunispää fell with a chairlift or the Ski bus.

-The Ski bus drives up the fell six times a day, from many different loca tions in Saariselkä village. Please check the timetables for further information.

-The chairlift leaves from Saariselkä Ski Resort. The resort offers a variety of sled hill activities. For example, a package with a guide, sled and a helmet are popular.

-When you reach the top, follow the signs leading you

past slope 2, to the begin ning of the Finland’s larg est sled hill. The hill is easily recognisable from the light art surrounding it.

-The sled hill has three dif ferent routes. Route 1 takes you to the Saariselkä chapel. Route 1.1 is illuminated, and intermediate in difficulty. This route takes you back to the chair lifts. Route 1.2 will take you there too, but it is easier than the other two routes.

-Wearing a helmet is not mandatory on the sled hill, but highly recommended.

-Riding the sleds on the ski slopes is absolutely forbid den -- the slopes are too steep and dangerous for a sled.

Rent a sled!

-Saariselkä Ski Shop and Ski Rental offers sleds, which have been designed for more bumpy sled rides.

-You can also rent sleds from Kuukkeli Sales and Customer Service and Booking Saariselkä. Sleds are also sold in Supermarket Kuukkeli.

-Many hotels offer sled loans, but you might need to place down a depos it. Most hotels will rent sleds for their guests.

-Saariselkä sled parking space is situated at the bot tom of the hill, close to the chapel. You can rent a sled from here as well. (HS)

Traditional Huippu Glögi

The light art installation at Saariselkä sled hill has won the main prize of London’s Darc Awards. The installation design is done by Finnish lighting de sign agency, WhiteNight Lighting. The jury of Darc Awards consists of over 1400 lighting professionals from around the world, who gather together to choose the winners each year. The Aurora Experience art installation by WhiteNight Lighting won the main prize of the event. The installation runs for 1800 metres and resembles the northern lights, mimicking the colours and movement of the Aurora. The installation was set up in December 2018. Have a nice run!

-with (or without) alcohol -With raisins and shredded almonds

Mid-winter, the summit of Kaunispää looks like it has been covered in whipped cream.

The Northernmost Ski Resort in Europe

Saariselkä Ski & Sport Resort is the northernmost Ski Resort in Europe. It’s runs on two fells, Iisakkipää and Kaunispää offer multiple choices for skiers and boarders of all levels from beginners to advanced. Due to the northern location, Saariselkä is very snow-sure ski resort with high-quality snow, often open until the late Spring days.

Saariselkä is a snow-sure ski resort Once again, we are promising something new for 2022-23 season: We have built illumination to the K6 lift area and further developed the snowparks and ski cross tracks in cooperation with Snowpark consulting. The two different parks and ski cross slopes will guaran tee a fun and playful day at the resort! Additionally, improvements have been made towards becoming a climate neutral ski resort.

If you haven’t skied before, there’s no problem! Our rewarded and recognized ski school offers instruction and guid ed winter sport tours. You can choose alpine skiing, snowboarding, telemark and cross-country skiing. And also mountain biking, fat biking or electric assisted biking is on the menu. Besides the guided lessons we organise a lot of different fun win ter activities and events during the season. You can find the upcoming events from our web pages and social media.

Our ski school is located in the Service Centre building with a ski shop, rental and ticket sales so you can take care of all your shoppings while you buy a ski pass, rent skis or book a guided tour. We have a great selection of supplies for winter sports and you can test the skis and boots on the slopes before you decide whether you want to buy them or not! We offer top manufacturer brands such as Burton, Salomon, Atomic and Völk amongst others.

And if you don’t feel like skiing or snowboarding we highly recom mend experiencing the magic of polar night and toboggan down the long est toboggan slope in Finland!

The toboggan slope is illuminated with Aurora Experience-light art during lift operating hours.

Slope

While enjoying an active winter day in the resort it’s nice to keep a break and warm up in our cosy restau rant Lieggâ Láávu, which actually means a warm shelter in Inari Sámi. We have just renewed our menu for the season and are offering nice deli cacies using the local ingredients.

Photos: PasiR Juha Kauppinen SkiSaariselkä

The Chairlift takes you to the top of the Kaunispää hill

The toboggan slope is illuminated with Aurora Experiencelight art during lift operating hours.

Gifts-Souvenirs

Aidot, käsintehdyt, laadukkaat hylkeennahkalakit