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Back-country skiers should also check out the Käsivarsi and Pöyrisjärvi Wilderness Areas. There are no maintained ski trails in the wilderness areas (Pöyrisjärvi, Tarvantovaara, Käsivarsi, Pulju etc), but skiing is permitted throughout, and you can follow snowmobile tracks that firm up progressively through the Spring.
- No maintained trails in the wilderness areas, but snowmobile tracks firm up through Spring
- Diverse terrain: spruce forests and mires to pine and birch fell forests
- Almost all summer hiking trails can be skied, including Hetta-Pallas and the Halti Trail
- Ski trail maps available at Skierri, Fell Lapland Nature Centre
- Always carry proper fell gear; conditions can turn bitingly cold and tracks vanish in wind
Back-Country Skiing
There is a track from the village of Palojärvi to Salvasjärvi and another from Kaaresuvanto to Syväjärvi, and the Kultima-Leppäjärvi Trail also serves as a winter wilderness route. The terrain is diverse, from the spruce forests and mires around the Yllästunturi and Pallastunturi Fells to the pine and birch forests of the Ounastunturi Fells. Ski trails are widest near the hotels in Ylläs, Jeris, Pallas and Vuontispirtti, around the centre of Hetta Village and in the Ounastunturi Fell area.
Beyond the trails, almost all the summer hiking trails can be skied, with the Hetta-Pallas trails and the Halti Trail particular highlights. NB: skiing in fell areas always carries risk. The wind can be bitingly cold and a trail can vanish during harsh gusts, so never ski the fells without proper gear. Ski trail maps are available at Skierri, Fell Lapland Nature Centre, or can be printed from the municipality of Enontekiö website.
Ski-Mountaineering & Heli-Skiing
Whilst we have run corporate heli-skiing programmes (eg for Nike ACG and Lapin Kulta) in the Kilpisjärvi region in the past, the northern Finnish helicopters are currently reserved for rescue and medical use, so this is harder to run without bringing helicopters in from Sweden.
For those willing to invest the time and lung power, though, the ski-mountaineering potential in Kilpisjärvi is great. Closer to home, our guides often snowshoe or skin up Pyhakero and ski or telemark back down.
