May Triathlon: Biking, Skiing and Grilling. A Night on Jyppyrävaara.

Sunset past 10pm
Looking to the North: Sunset past 10pm

On a nice early May evening with some friends we wanted to make a fire and grill some food at the lean-to shelter on the top of Jyppyrävaara, in Hetta. Since the melting of snow and ice continues fast, not every passage that has been maintained as a skiing tracks is snow covered any longer. Thus, I needed to take my bike for a short ride, with the skiers attached to my backpack, to reach a spot where the tracks were still in bearable conditions. After a short trip with the skiers I arrived on Jyppyrävaara, where we enjoyed some grilling action in a bright and almost cloudless night. Continue reading “May Triathlon: Biking, Skiing and Grilling. A Night on Jyppyrävaara.”

Hurdle Skiing: When the Ice Disappears and the Snow Quickly Melts

Hurdle skiing around Rautujärvi
Hurdle skiing in April

Since a bit more than a week, the plus degrees (Celsius, of course) have taken over, leading the snow and ice to melt quickly. While there is still enough snow to go skiing, the melting of the ice, especially on the rivers, makes skiing increasingly difficult because of certain barriers that the holes that are left behind: Crossing rivers by following the regular tracks became impossible. However, going through some kind of hurdle skiing, it is still possible to ski toward Pyhäkero, in the Pallas-Yllästunturi national park. After one colder night and a sunny day, we thus decided to make a short trip to the lean-to shelter at Rautujärvi, to enjoy our dinner while looking at the Pyhäkero fell. Continue reading “Hurdle Skiing: When the Ice Disappears and the Snow Quickly Melts”

The ’46 km for 360° of Pyhäkero in 48 Hours’ Round Trip

Pyhäkero fell
Pyhäkero in a view close from Hetta

The peak of Pyhäkero is the most visible part of the Pallas-Yllästunturi national park when looking from Hetta toward South – toward the national park. Several trails are leading to – or over the Pyhäkero fell. For our weekend trip, we chose to make ski around the Pyhäkero fell, including one overnight stay at the Sioskuru open wilderness hut, instead of just taking the shortest way up. Continue reading “The ’46 km for 360° of Pyhäkero in 48 Hours’ Round Trip”

Ice Fishing on Ounasjärvi

drilling an ice hole on frozen lake
Ice fishing on lake Ounasjärvi

Now that it gets warmer again during the days, not only skiing and playing ice hockey are possible outdoor activities, but also ice fishing  becomes way more attractive than during the colder season. It is still though some work to drill through the ice: after shoveling away about 30 cm of snow, there still has been a layer of approximately 60 cm of frozen Ounasjärvi water. However, after succeeding with the warm up operations, the relaxing ice fishing can begin! Continue reading “Ice Fishing on Ounasjärvi”

Spring Time Skiing on Pahtajärvenreitti, and More Birches Coming Out of the Snow

Spring time skiing on Pahtajärvenreiti
Spring time skiing on Pahtajärvenreitti

In the past few days, the sun was shining and blue sky was inviting for skiing trips. Unfortunately we were rather busy, but on Thursday we finally had some time for a short skiing trip. The skiing tracks were in very good condition, and partly looked almost as new. We decided to once again make a short round on the Pahtajärvenreitti, North of Hetta, Continue reading “Spring Time Skiing on Pahtajärvenreitti, and More Birches Coming Out of the Snow”

Taking the Pahtajärvenreitti to Närpistö Laavu And Wondering: Is It Already Spring?

Crossing Pahtajärvi
Crossing the frozen Pahtajärvi

After skiing towards the South the day before, we decided to also ski a bit towards the North and visit the Närpistö lean-to shelter (once more), along the Pahtajärvenreitti. Like the days before, it was again rather warm (especially for mid February), and I had the feeling it would be some time in the middle of spring. Why: Because it actually was pretty warm (just a few degrees below zero), the the snow felt wet and not winterly, but maybe even more because of the way the trees looked like. Continue reading “Taking the Pahtajärvenreitti to Närpistö Laavu And Wondering: Is It Already Spring?”

On the Sammalvaara Skiing Trail to the Postitupajärvi Lean-To Shelter

Lean-to shelter at Postitupajärvi
Lean-to shelter at Postitupajärvi

A nice skiing track in the Hetta region is the Sammalvaaran latu (Sammalvaara skiing trail), which is a bit West of the main tracks from Hetta to Pyhäkero and Sioskuru, and which has two lean-to shelters along the trail: the Rautujärvi laavu, and the Postitupajärvi laavu. The latter one was the target for this short skiing trip, which we choose for having our lunch that day. Continue reading “On the Sammalvaara Skiing Trail to the Postitupajärvi Lean-To Shelter”

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