Chapter 4 - Levi’s Ice Karting

The excitement was bouncing up and down even during my slumber. I opened my eyes to peek out through the windows. It was 8 AM, yet the streets were pitch dark and there was not even a soul to spot. Even though that prompted me to go back under the blanket, I jumped out and took a bath. We had a long way to go, and there was no time to waste. The temperature was stuck up around yesterday’s -27 degrees. The car was about 100m away. We shooed away all the snow, loaded the car with our luggage and started our engine. Yes, off to Levi.

The Snowing morning start

10-20 km after Rovaniemi is almost devoid of people. Some places are totally uninhabited and hence, the roads are sans folk. ‘Beautiful’ is nowhere near the best adjective for nature’s craft here; it’s brilliantly exquisite. The breath-taking nature of Levi is an experience in itself. Beautiful alpine, frozen rivers and lakes and myriad snowcapped pine trees lacing the roads enhance the sheer beauty of the place. We could see various Chapters of Levi Ski Resort even before we reached Levi. Skiing from the top of humongous snowy peaks is indeed a sight to behold.

The Levilehto apartment we had booked for our stay was right next to the Levi Ski Resort.

The magic roads

Levilehto apartment

We had booked rooms quite close to the resort. One side of the road , once a cycle track, has now been converted to a snowmobile track. All hotel rooms were small one-storey structures with roofs holding snow up to 1 feet thickness. We went into the room, took a few rests, and went down. The first was at the nearby Levy Tourism Information Center. There were a few events for the next day to pay for. The road to the Tourism Information Center is so thick with snow that it is hard to know where to dig the way. After getting paid for the night's tour, we went to Saamen Kammi Hotel in front of the Tourism Information Center and had some food. A ferocious buffet for 25EUR only. Then he bought some local beer and put it in the car to fuel up the night. The time is around 4 PM now. But already it's getting dark and no one outside.

Next, let's move on to the best and most exciting Chapter of the day: Ice Karting.

The Levi Ice carting

First I’ll explain what exactly Ice Karting is. Driven on an outdoor ice track with studded tyres, it's an activity where technical skill beats speed. The Ice Karting Race has equal elements to a real formula race, but it takes place on an ice rink. We were trained with video tutorials and given special shoes, helmets, suits, gloves and many other accessories. The cart car having 13 H/P engine and can speed up to 60km/h. It having speed and safety monitor and side of tracks are made of 2 feet tall tick snow wall. So the safety is promised.

The race was between four of us. The sensors fitted on both sides of the track mark the laps covered and time taken accurately. After 3 or 4 rounds, we got the hang of it. . It was getting dark soon, so first we possed for some photos then move to the race. The first lap was very difficult. But we learned the technique very fast. Drifting through the ice is very tricky and lots of fun. Also a few times we crashed each other and hit on the snow wall. After 10 rounds, I became second, following Lijin Bhai.

on the Winners Stand

When we left from here, our eyes were set at the next target – a night ride on a Snowmobile ride through the wild arctic forest to hunt the Aurora Borealis (northern lights) the ethereal display of coloured lights shimmering across the sky….. I will come back with those stories on Next Chapter… wait till then….