Eight kilometres an hour…

The number of XC skiing and snowmobile trails in Muonio has grown, and maintenance schedules are stepped up in mid-February.

“Interesting and challenging! The trail network is so long and winding,” says Teemu Kallberg, who spent his first hours at the controls of a trail groomer.

Kallberg is a new member of the Muonio Paanat Association, which maintains Muonio's ski and snowmobile trails. He will groom the trails in and around Muonio until early May, if there is enough snow.

”During the first week of May, we still maintain the trails at Olos and towards Jeris and Pallas,” explains Pekka Veisto of the Muonio Paanat Association.

By mid-January, around 60 km of trails had been groomed. Muonio council maintains about 200 km of trails in all. In addition, there are trails groomed by volunteers at Kangosjärvi, Yli-Muonio and Kätkäsuvanto. For this winter season, the trail around Särkitunturi via Juuvanrova will no longer be maintained.

“Grooming frequency along the Muotkavaara trail has also been reduced. The council grooms the trail three times during the winter season, but private individuals have said they also groom it with sledges,” says Veisto.

It's a slow ride: at best you can get up to about 8 km/h…

“In the dark and snow is falling, it's hard to see which way the trail turns. If it goes into the woods, people ask who did it. The person who made it is responsible,” Kallberg states.

There's a lot more to trail maintenance than just grooming.

"We maintain the trail base and mark the trails," says Veisto. Work on the trail foundations around Pallas will begin at the end of January.

“From mid-February onwards, the trails will be groomed about three times a week, and about once a week along the most popular snowmobile routes,” says Veisto.

The final ski trails will be opened from Torassieppi to Mäntyrova and from Kerässieppi to Hannukuru, in time for the Lapponia ski marathon events on 11-14 April.

Skiing starts in October

The skiing season in Muonio usually begins already in October on the artificial snow track at Olos. The 5.5 km track, made of stored snow, was opened last autumn on 24 October. Maintained by Lapland Hotels, the track is used by both competitive and amateur skiers.

This winter, Fell Lapland had to wait a long time for decent snow cover, and the trails were groomed later than usual. The ski trail from Särkijärvi to Olos opened in the third week of November, when the artificial snow ‘season’ ended.