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Airports Near Saariselkä
Ivalo 25mins
Kittila 180mins
Ivalo 25mins
For more on skiing in Saariselkä on peak dates, browse the pages with Saariselkä ski holidays at Christmas, New Year, Half Term or Easter.
Saariselkä Reviews
Saariselkä opinions
Ski Resorts Near Saariselkä
Saariselkä finland
Review of snowboarding and skiing in Saariselkä Finland.
Saariselkä Ski Holiday Facts
Established in 1954 the Finnish ski resort Saariselkä lies at ? metres altitude in the Lapland region of the Finnish ?5 snow cannons ensure artificial Saariselkä snow making covers 10km of ski trails, which equates to around 100 of the ski slopes. The nearest airport transfer to Saariselkä (Finland) is Ivalo at a distance of 30km or approximately 25 minutes driving time. Saariselkä ski season runs from November to May.
SNO-man says
Saariselkä is a popular year-round holiday village which offers a unique selection of activities to visitors. These include canoeing trips on the Ivalojoki river which was famous for gold-panning in the past - and you can still give it a try yourselves. Santa Claus' village is not far and the Northern Lights are often visible. There's also more gold - this time mining for it and the Igloo Village at nearby Kakslauttanen. Trips are organised up to see the Arctic Ocean and to the nearby igloo village at Kakslauttanen (10km / 6 miles away). Part of the Urho Kekkonen National Park, named after Finland's former president. A free bus service links the resort to the lifts. Saariselkä is the northernmost winter sports centre in Finland, 250 km (approx. 160 miles) above the Arctic Circle. Excursions are organised to the Arctic Ocean
alpine downhill runs to ski in Saariselkä Finland
Beginner Trails
 0 runs ?km |
0% |
Intermediate Trails
 4 runs ?km |
36% |
Advanced Trails
 6 runs ?km |
54% |
Expert Trails
 1 runs 1km |
9% |
Saariselkä Resort & Holiday Info
| Beginners learning to ski |  |
| Intermediate Skiers | |
| Expert Skiers | |
| Snowboarders | |
| Apres Ski | |
| Family friendly | |
| Snowsure | |
| Ambience | |
| Value for money | |
| Ski Pass Prices (adult 6 day) | 128 - 128 |
Traditional Ski Village / Purpose Built Ski Resort |
| Ski Resort Opens | Nov 2012 |
| Ski Resort Closes | May 2013 |
| (snow conditions often influence resort opening & closing) |
Ski Area Saariselkä Mountain
| Downhill Ski Runs | 10km |
| total length of Saariselkä trails |
| Longest lift serve Run | 1.5km |
| longest piste or trail reachable by ski lift |
| Ski Slope Orientation | N S |
| direction Saariselkä ski areas face |
| Top Altitude | ?m |
| top station of highest ski lift |
| Bottom Altitude | ?m |
| bottom of lowest ski run |
| Resort Altitude | ?m |
| centre of Saariselkä ski resort |
| Vertical Drop | 180m |
| total descent from top lift to bottom piste |
| Skiable Vertical | ^v 180m |
| can include extra hike up which may be possible above top lift - stat used by some resorts to con us about true "vertical drop" which is lift-served |
Skiing in Saariselkä
Skiing Saariselkä you'll enjoy 11 pistes and trails and that means approximately 10km of ski runs. Saariselkä lifts number 6 with the capacity to uplift 6500 skiers up the mountain per hour. The longest ski run in the Finnish ski resort of Saariselkä is over 1.5km long.
Saariselkä Ski Area
Saariselkä ski area has 0% beginner ski runs or nursery slopes, 36% intermediate, 54% advanced ski slopes and 9% for expert skiers - the most difficult Saariselkä piste is the 0.9km Lunnirinne run, with a steepness/slope angle of ?%. You can ski Saariselkä after dark as there is night skiing on ?km of illuminated piste.
Saariselkä for skiing gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Snowboarding in Saariselkä
If you snowboard Saariselkä you'll want to know that, of the 6 ski lifts in total, 6 are surface lifts or "drag lifts" - this gives a good indication of how modern the lift system is and well set up Saariselkä snowboarding is - especially for beginners learning to snowboard. Saariselkä snowboard facilities include 1 terrain parks and 1 half pipe (longest half pipe length is ? metres), 0 quarter pipe and 0 boardercross courses.
Saariselkä for snowboarding gets 3 stars out of 5 overall
Saariselkä Apres Ski
The apres ski Saariselkä scene and off-slope or "non-skier" activities include:
8 apres ski bars 19 restaurants 0 bowling 3 night club 0 cinema 0 billiards / pool 0 games room 0 concert 1 indoor swimming 0 outdoor heated pools 2 saunas 0 hot tubs 0 solariums 0 masseurs 0 indoor ice skating 1 outdoor ice skating 1 indoor sports centre 0 indoor tennis 0 squash racquetball 0 sleigh rides 0 ballooning 0 horse riding 10 prepare winter walks 0 climbing 0 golf 0 fishing 0 museum 0 library Plus these additional apres ski facilities Dancing, Winter Hiking, Lappish Nights, Ski Touring, Arctic Ocean, Santa Land, Northern Lights, Reindeer Safari, Gold Digging, Gold Panning, Igloo Village.
SNO-man says
There's plenty to do in Saariselka indoors and out.
An impressive swimming pool and spa complex is located within the Holiday Club at the centre of the resort. This also has an indoor sports hall for tennis and badminton. The Rekonlinna hotel complex also has a fitness centre with sauna and offers a massage service. It also has a room with large windows for northern lights watching.
The Siida Saami Museum in nearby Inari has been highly praised by many visitors and was awarded a special mention in the European Museums of the Year 2000 competition. It has an impressive audio-visual display of the history of the area and there a stunning 180 degree cinema screen display you sit 'inside' for a 15 minute montage of sound and images from the area.
Daily activities include dog sledding, reindeer safaris, snowmobiling tours, guided snowshoe hikes, ice fishing and ice driving.
Santa Claus' village is not far and the Northern Lights are often visible. Trips are organised up to see the Arctic Ocean and to the nearby igloo village at Kakslauttanen (10km / 6 miles away) where you can mine for gold. You can also pan for gold on an excursion to the Ivalo river.
Saariselkä for apres ski gets 3 stars out of 5 overall
More Saariselkä Snow Ski Area and Resort Information
Saariselkä resort - ski Saariselkä by any other name
The Finnish ski resort of Saariselkä ski resort is also known as Saariselkä Saariselkä and has the following common misspellings:
Saariselkä ski area has ski slopes which face N S
The direction which the various Saariselkä ski slopes face can make or break your skiing or snowboarding holiday. If you want to guarantee good snow and ski conditions, you should choose a resort with ski slopes which face the right way for the time of year you're travelling.
- In the coldest winter months of January and February you need a ski resort with some sunny south facing ski slopes, so your days on the snow doesn't feel like a polar expedition. Conversely, in the warmest spring skiing months of March and especially April, a ski resort with some cool and shady north facing slopes will ensure you're not skiing on slush, but benefitting from best late season snow. The best ski resorts have ski areas and slopes which face in all directions so that you're guaranteed greating skiing whatever the weather. Saariselkä ski resort has ski slopes facing N S.
Saariselkä for snow gets 4 stars out of 5 overall
Saariselkä reviews, 2.8 star rating and resort and ski area information is collated by SNO man from staff experience and customer feedback.