In the Lapland of the gods

Published Feb 27, 2015

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Lapland – Ah, Finland in February. As I pack for a week in the frozen extremities of Lapland, I toss in a few extra thermals, steeling myself against the unknown.

A few hours later, I’m north of the Arctic Circle and 200km west of the Russian border, laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming from my eyes. Not to worry, sliding off your dog sleigh into deep downy snow is a Lappish rite of passage.

After a short briefing, my friend Janet is swaddled beneath cosy reindeer pelts while I take the first stab at driving a team of six wide-eyed huskies from behind.

Off comes the brake and, after a brief period of mutual terror, the team gallops into rhythm and their excited barks compete with our adrenalin-addled shrieks. That first left turn is a tricky one.

Life in Pyha (pronounced poo-haa) is all about making transport fun. Skis, snowshoes, snowmobiles, dogs, reindeer: you name it, they ride it. It’s a good thing too; stand still for too long at minus 200C and you might freeze to the spot.

Pyha is a holy mountain for the Sami people, and home to a small handful of restaurants, chalets and comfortable slope-side kitchen-equipped accommodation. There’s downhill skiing – limited by European standards – with nine lifts and 14 well-groomed pistes making it ideal for beginners and families.

And while any bumps on the pistes are perfectly defined (they turn on the floodlights to boost visibility when necessary) there are aspects of Finnish culture that demand a closer look.

“First, we’re Finnish, we don’t talk,” local ski instructor Jenne Haarme explains with a smile. “Second, Finns love rules.”

These include working hard, speaking plainly, leaving enough kindling for the next guy, and always riding the chairlift with the weather-protective bubble down.

From skiing and walking to fishing and cloudberry picking, a Finn’s connection to the outdoors is as strong as his love of saunas.

“One of the most important things for the Finnish culture is the sauna,” explains Seppo Saarinen, Pyha resort manager, over an excellent buffet breakfast of cereals, fruit, eggs and herring.

Sauna is a Saturday night tradition for families; the ideal sauna temperature is around 80OC with good ventilation and not too dry.

“Traditionally, it was the only place to wash, to prepare meat for smoking, to give birth, and to die. It was the beginning and the end. Without the sauna,” he drifts off in a hopeless shrug of Finnishness … Leonard Cohen playing in the background.

Leaving Seppo to contemplate life without sauna, we hop in a Ski-Doo taxi to the ski shop for our next expedition: a three-hour cross-country ski odyssey to neighbouring Luppo, about 20km away.

Over groomed tracks, we glide through the forest, past idyllic log cabins tipped with smoke curling from chimneys.

An occasional husky heralds our passing. Cross-country is the national sport, pursued amid the magical snowscape that defines the culture. On the flats, it’s easy for most people to pick up the technique – step, glide, step, glide – though we are handily passed by several Finns older than trees.

Another bit of Finnish culture involves a phone call. Arcane licensing laws require a call to the liquor store to place an order for delivery to the supermarket. It sounds like a lot of admin but when in Rome…

Hours later, we happen to be in the supermarket – buying birch-sprigs-in-a-bag for our ritual sauna whipping – when a Ski-Doo roars up and a helmeted driver calls out, “Hey Leslie, your order is arriving!” Beat that, Tesco.

Next, we are off on a 42km self-drive snowmobiling marathon.

While the hoped-for Northern Lights are a no-show, we do happen on a herd of eight not-so-tiny reindeer followed by a magical tea break under the shelter of a candle-lit teepee.

More information: visit finland.com, ski.pyha.fi

Saturday Star

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