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Northern Finland has a few ski centres and, while they don't compare to the Alps, there is enough to entertain even a proficient skier for a day. The three main centres you'll have access to are Hetta, Levi and Ylläs.
- Three accessible ski centres: Hetta, Levi and Ylläs
- Hetta Hiihtomaa: family-friendly, ideal for beginners and telemark practice
- Hetta ski rental ~€10 / 3 hrs, lift passes ~€15 / 3 hrs
- Levi: 45 pistes over 43.6 km, 17 lifts, hosts the Ski World Cup
- Anna and Pasi can teach all levels outside of peak husky season
Downhill Skiing in Hetta
The Hetta ski centre (signposted Hetta Hiihtomaa) sits next to the Nature Centre in Hetta. This family-targeted centre has run since c. 2010, with one lift and 2 runs currently open, plus a 100 metre slope and sledding hill for children. It's an excellent place to learn, rebuild confidence after a break, or practise carving and a new discipline like telemarking, for which the slope steepness is perfect.
More experienced skiers can practise technical off-piste skills in a small forest section, though Pyhakero or Kilpisjarvi are better if you truly want to go off piste. Anna and Pasi can teach all levels, but only really outside of peak husky season. Ski rental is around €10 for 3 hours and lift passes €15 for 3 hours.
The T-bar lift runs 580 m over 105 m altitude. Slope 1 is 600 m long and slope 2 is 750 m, both over 105 m of altitude, and both have jumps and rails for skilled skiers or those training. There is also a children's slope, illuminated ski tracks (10 km), snowshoe tracks and a snowshoe frisbee golf track.
Nearest International Ski Centres
The Levi ski resort, c. 2 hours drive SE of Hetta, is one of the bigger centres in northern Finland, with 45 varied pistes covering 43.6 km. These are colour-coded: blue for beginners, red for those who have mastered the basics, black for experts and green for transition routes. Up the fell take 2 gondolas, 1 chair lift, 14 T-bar lifts, 6 stick lifts and 4 rope lifts for children. Not all pistes are open at every time of year. The centre hosts the Ski World Cup, and the World Cup Run is open all season. Ski rental is around €23.50 for 3 hours and lift passes range from €15–€30 for 3 hours depending on the time of year.
