FAQs
Finland Hut to Hut Ski Expedition - Lapland
Travel Information
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This adventure takes place in Lemmenjoki National Park, which at 2,850 square kilometres, is Finland's largest, most northerly national park and one of the largest in Europe.
The nearest airport and city is Ivalo.
Whilst we want to give you as much information as possible to make this a simple and stress-free process, you are responsible for your travel arrangements to Ivalo airport where we will collect you and take you to the first night's accommodation.
We've put together some information for you, but pretty please do the research for your own peace of mind too. Gutsy Girls are responsible for you once you reach us and not before.
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We provide a single timed airport transfer from and to Ivalo, Finland.
Arrival day pickup 7:00 pm
Departure day drop off 11:30am
Flights:
You’ll find flights to Ivalo from Helsinki with Finnair.
You can fly with Finnair from London Heathrow to Ivalo via Helsinki in one day.
You could also choose to spend a night or two in Helsinki before or after your trip.
We recommend using a site like Skyscanner to find the best deals, as you may find them cheaper than booking direct with Finnair.
Due to the remote location of this trip, we cannot arrange additional transfer times. Please ensure your flights line up with our transfer times.
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We will connect you with others on the trip via WhatsApp, so you may be able to arrange to travel together.
Activities
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No! This trip is designed for complete beginners. We can’t wait to share the joys of nordic skiing with you!
Working with a fantastic guide, we'll take our first steps on touring skis in a low altitude area with small variations in altitude to begin with you build your skills for this adventure.
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It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.
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This trip is rated challenging, given its physical demands and the environment involved. While you don't need any prior skiing or wilderness experience to join, a good to high fitness level is essential.
What to expect:Duration: Prepare for extended days in the Arctic, with daily outings lasting up to 6-7 hours, including around 5 hours dedicated to skiing.
Distance: Expect to ski between 10 km-17 km daily. Note, skiing these distances is more challenging than hiking equivalent distances.
Intensity: While no prior skiing experience is required, backcountry skiing is more than just sliding on snow. As we navigate diverse terrains, having good stamina is essential for the journey.
Towing and Carrying: With sledges for our gear and backpacks to carry, the weight adds an extra challenge, comparable to carrying a loaded backpack.
Sub Zero Living: Over 5 nights, anticipate rustic living with no running water or electricity, relying on log burning stoves for warmth.
Communal Living: Embrace the camaraderie! There are no private quarters; you'll bunk with fellow Gutsy Girls.
Consecutive Activity: Five continuous days of skiing in such conditions can be taxing. Gear up for intense, rewarding adventure days.
Mindset: A proactive and positive approach will enhance the experience. When challenges arise, dig deep and lean on the group spirit.
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We’re here to support you out of your comfort zone as you learn something new, by creating fun and supportive environments. We believe cross-country skiing is a fantastic sport for beginners with no previous skiing experience, but it may not be the sport for everyone.
The movement & terrain:
Cross country skiing is a gliding and sliding motion. If you do not like the sensation of sliding or are nervous about falling, this winter sport might not be for you.
Cross country skiing does have downhill sections, they aren’t super steep, but you will learn to go down them and control your speed. If you do not like the sensation of going downhill, maybe from previous skiing experiences, then you may not enjoy cross country skiing.
You need to be prepared to fall over a bit while learning! Usually, the soft snow makes these falls relatively painless.
Fitness:
Cross country skiing is a physically demanding sport at times! It does get described as ‘running or hiking with skis on’. In as far as cardio fitness goes, this is true - it can be hard work! We do recommend you have a good base fitness level to get the most out of the experience.
If you do physical activity that gets your heart rate up a minimum of 3 times a week for at least 60 minutes, you’ll have a great time on skis!
We encourage you to be kind to yourself when deciding if this is the sport for you, if not, there are more winter adventures coming your way!
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On this adventure we’ll be backcountry style cross country skiing / nordic ski touring. We’ll be going off track and making our own tracks in the snow. It can be compared to hiking with skis on, you’ll get a little bit of glide and help from the skis, particularly on the downhills!
It's similar to snowshoeing, but you'll have the benefit of following the person infronts tacks and have a little bit more glide.
If you have cross country skied before, the motion is similar, but you won't gain as much momentum and glide as you would in the tracks.
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Most people find learning to cross country ski much easier than alpine skiing. If you are active in daily life and have a reasonable fitness level, then you'll be making great progress over the snow in no time!
Cross country skiing does have downhill sections; they aren’t super steep, but you will learn to go down them and control your speed. If you do not like the sensation of going downhill, maybe from previous skiing experiences, then you may not enjoy cross country skiing.
You do need to be prepared to fall over a bit while you’re learning! Usually the soft snow makes these falls fairly painless.
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We will be out skiing for 5-7 hours each day, including breaks.
We will cover 7-15km on skis daily.
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This style of skiing is slightly different from our other Norway Cross Country Ski and Yoga trips where we are skiing on pressed tracks which make for a faster and more technical, sporty type of skiing.
In comparison, most of our skiing on this trip will be off the tracks and more in the wilderness. The skis are likely to be wider and more stable, and our speed will be slower - as we will be breaking trail and on some days, pulling a sled with everything we need to stay warm while winter camping. The skis have built-in “skins”, which give them a good grip when going uphill and you can make good progress, but it can be slow going and strenuous.
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Working on your cardiovascular fitness will help you with endurance and stamina. Walking at a good pace (where you feel slightly out of breath) is really useful, or of course, running or cycling or performing other higher intensity exercise.
Improving your strength, core stability and balance really helps with cross country skiing too. Good balance is essential for weight transfer from one ski to the next. We will be balancing on one ski as it glides – so if standing one one leg is a challenge then practising will help! You could stand on one leg every time you clean your teeth! Activities and sports that challenge our balance can help us develop our balance in a progressive way, including Pilates, yoga and dancing.
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Yes!
This is a self sufficient expedition, you will be carrying everything you need with you in a sledge and a backpack.
Each day, you will pack the pulkas (sleds) such that you do not need to access them during the day and all your daily items should be in a backpack. This includes your insulated jacket for breaks, lunch thermos (provided), drinking thermos, sunscreen and goggles/sunglasses. In general, two people share one pulka and one daypack with each taking turns in pulling the pulka or carrying the daypack, so the daypack should have room for two people’s gear. A lightweight daypack with a volume of 35l-60l works well.
Packing & Equipment
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Please see our blog about cross country ski clothing here.
In a nutshell, when we are cross country skiing we are very active and generating heat while out in the cold. While moving we get hot (and sweaty!) but then when we stop in the cold, we cool down quickly. The mistake people often make is overdressing, getting too hot and sweaty whilst moving and then cooling off quickly and then feeling cold and damp at every stop. In addition, when we’re skiing with a group we may stop more frequently or for longer than you would if you were alone. Cross country skiing does NOT require the same sort of clothing as downhill skiing because the warm, padded clothing for downhill skiing takes into account long stretches sitting still on chairlifts at the mercy of the weather - not needed whilst cross country skiing!
We recommend a variety of wool or synthetic base layers, topped by a lightweight, windproof, breathable waterproof hiking jacket (shell) with a hood, with a warm, insulated jacket in a backpack to put on at rest stops. On your legs, we recommend windproof, water repellent, breathable soft shell type fitted trousers or leggings.
We recommend avoiding cotton clothing as it gets wet and cold and doesn't dry fast.
Other vital items are warm socks, sunglasses, sunscreen, waterproof and insulated gloves, a buff and hat.
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Yes!
The trip price includes the hire of touring skis, ski boots, poles, winter sleeping bags, sledges.
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Yes! You can find it below these here.
We advise packing your essentials such as your skiing clothes and spares in your hand luggage in case your bags are lost in transit (especially if you have a flight connection).
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Yes!
This is a self sufficient expedition, you will be carrying everything you need with you in a sledge and a backpack.
Each day, you will pack the pulkas (sleds) such that you do not need to access them during the day and all your daily items should be in a backpack. This includes your insulated jacket for breaks, lunch thermos (provided), drinking thermos, sunscreen and goggles/sunglasses. In general, two people share one pulka and one daypack with each taking turns in pulling the pulka or carrying the daypack, so the daypack should have room for two people’s gear. A lightweight daypack with a volume of 35l-60l works well.
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The tour price includes full board but you may want some cash for drinks or snacks. Shopping possibilities are limited.
ATMs are not available during the tour.
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Any luggage you don’t need on the expedition can be left in the first accommodation until you return.
Accomodation & Food
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Our basecamp hut on the first and last night is basic hotel level accommodation with electricity, toilets, showers and even a sauna.
Other than this, when we're out on tour, we’ll be staying in a different wilderness hut or traditional cabin each night - these are fairly basic. The evenings are spent by warming the huts with wood burners and melting snow for drinking water for the next day. The toilet is in an outhouse.
In addition, tents are carried for safety by the group, and you can try sleeping in them if you wish!
On one day we will have the chance to build a quinzee (a snow shelter) where you can sleep the night if you dare!
All accommodation will be in shared rooms, private rooms are not available.
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All your meals are provided.
On the first and last nights, there is restaurant in the lodge, where the first and last dinners are served, as well as second and last day breakfasts.
The rest of the meals will be dehydrated expedition meals.
Please bring your own snacks (energy / muesli bars, nuts, raisins etc) if you might need these during the week.
We can cater for most dietary requirements. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements at the time of booking.
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We can cater for most dietary requirements and we will request information prior to your arrival.
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We will provide sleeping bags.
Hairdryers and towels are not provided!
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No - you could bring some soap flakes / travel wash to wash your base layers if you think this will be necessary - but it may be hard to get them dry overnight.
Other
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Of course we cannot predict the weather on any given week, but temperatures normally vary between -5 and -20 ° C, and we may sometimes have temperatures of more like -30°C or even above zero. For most of the winter in Finland it is a “dry” cold which tends to feel less cold than “damp” cold (which we have in the UK!).
The weather can be cloudy or sunny and we can also see wind and snowfalls.
The ten day weather forecast can be found here.
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This tour is certainly suitable for Northern Lights spotting! We will be in the far northern wilderness where artificial light pollution will not interfere, so if the Northern Lights do appear it will be easy to observe them from any of our accommodation spots.
However, just like the weather, the Northern Lights are completely unpredictable and their appearance can never be forecast with certainty, so we can never guarantee this!
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There is no upper age limit for our adventures - we have women up to 70 years old join us.
The Gutsy Girls community is filled with fun, friendly and supportive women from 18-70+. We never ask your age, just that you are up for an adventure!
As a rough guide, most Gutsy Girls guests are 24-60 years old, with around 60% in their 30s-40s. After a day learning to surf, mountain biking over the hills, hiking to peaks for incredible views or exploring remote locations by paddleboard, everyone’s ages merge together, all connected by their experiences.
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Definitely join alone, the vast majority of guests come along to our events and retreats solo.
Our aim is to connect you with like-minded new friends! We are a very friendly bunch, come as you are, we can’t wait to meet you!
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Whenever possible we use female instructors and guides on our day events and trips, however we cannot always guarantee this, simply because there are fewer female instructors available!
Our first priority is to work with the most highly experienced and considerate instructors and guides, who are patient, friendly and as passionate as we are about building women’s confidence in the outdoors.
Simply due to the ratio of men to women in the outdoors industry, sometimes this means our guides and instructors are male.
We keep a close eye on the feedback our guides receive from our guests as we believe that overall this is more important than their gender. We sincerely hope that as more women are introduced to adventure sports and activities, the amount of female guides and instructors in our industry will increase.