Ski on freshly pressed tracks, made with our snowmobile!

Try ice-swimming in a frozen lake!

See the Northern Lights dancing in the sky - if the conditions are right!

Bed down each night in a cosy, family-run guesthouse.

During this adventure, we can expect to ski between 17km and 23km per day and be out for around 7 hours - with plenty of time allowed to enjoy regular snack stops, take in the silence and the scenery and a good, long leisurely lunch.

The terrain itself is quite variable with many ups and downs but there are no really big hill climbs. The landscape is simply breath-taking, winding through forests, along ridges and over the frozen lakes, swamps and mires of the protected reserve.

Although we may spot other skiers during the first day in Hossa national park, once we head further north it is likely that the only other tracks we will see will be those of the real locals - think arctic hare, fox, elk, wolf and wolverine.

Luggage transfer is provided. We’ll ski with just day backpacks for layers and snacks!

Will you see the northern lights? We can’t guarantee it but you’ll be in the right place, with little to no light pollution! We’ll be keeping everything crossed that mother nature delivers!

This trip will be the perfect active adventure for those who have already been bitten by the cross-country skiing bug. You must have previous cross country ski experience to join this one!

This adventure includes expert guiding but no formal technical tuition. You will need to be fit and comfortable skiing 17-23 km each day, and being out in the cold for up to 7 hours per day (including breaks), adventuring over the variable snowy terrain.

Although the terrain is fairly easy and there are no big hills, there will be some short but steep ups and downs to challenge and exhilarate our bodies and minds!

If you’ve been tempted by cross country ski expeditions but not keen on the idea of basic wilderness huts or camping, this is the expedition for you! We’ll be staying in comfortable guest houses, with luggage transfer.

We can’t wait to share this epic Finnish wilderness adventure with you and new friends.

- Minimum experience of 3 days cross-country skiing.

- Able to snow plough both in and out of the track - You don’t need to be perfect and falling is ok!

- Able to move effectively in and out of the tracks.

- Comfortable in managing speed during downhill skiing.

- Good level of fitness

Important to note: Previous alpine/downhill skiing is not enough to join this trip, you must join a beginner cross country ski trip to learn the technique.

If you've been with us for the 4 or 7-night cross country ski retreats, think back to those experiences to see if this trip is right for you.

Movement & Technique: Did you feel you grasped the basics well? Did you start to shift your weight from one foot to the other?

Downhill & Speed Control: Were you comfortable picking up speed on descents?

Handling Slopes: Even if your snowplough stop wasn't perfect, were you willing to try steep downhills, knowing there's a risk of falling?

Distance Comfort: How did you feel about the longer distances, up to 20 km? Did those days feel good?

Afternoon/Evening: Land at Kuusamo Airport and board the transfer bus to our base inside Hossa National Park—a 3.5-hour drive through deepening forest as the outside world falls away. By the time you arrive, the wilderness will already be doing its thing. Settle in, meet your fellow adventurers, and get an early night. Tomorrow starts properly.

Morning: Fuel up, then collect your gear and click into your skis. Today we follow the well-maintained tracks of Hossa National Park through pine heathlands and over sweeping ridgelines—your first taste of Finnish wilderness on your own two feet.

Evening: Back at the lodge, the sauna is waiting. Steam, sweat, and if you're feeling bold, the ice-swimming hole. Breathe out slowly. It's colder than you think.

Morning: A short 45-minute transfer north brings us to our next guesthouse and the start of a circular route through a nature reserve built to protect one of Finland's most important wilderness areas—ancient swamplands alive with birds and insects in summer, and hauntingly still in winter.

Afternoon: We ski over frozen mires, ponds and lakes, weaving through old-growth forests hung with beard lichen on the spruce trees. The terrain is predominantly flat, and the snow-blanketed views are vast. Lunch is cooked over an open fire at a remote wilderness hut run by the Finnish Forest and Park Service—one of the best meals you'll have all week.

Evening: Sauna, dinner, sleep.

Morning: A longer, more southerly loop into the reserve today—more frozen lakes, more cathedral-like forest, more sky. Keep your eyes low as well as high: wolf, lynx and wolverine all move through this area, and their tracks have a habit of appearing when you least expect them.

Evening: Last night at this guesthouse. Sauna, dinner, recover.

Morning: We say goodbye to our hosts and push north through the reserve, passing through bear country. Don't worry—they're deep in hibernation. The forest is theirs right now, and yours.

Evening: Our new guesthouse is known for its cooking, and you'll understand why at dinner. The sauna comes first, naturally.

Morning/Afternoon: A circular day route brings us back to the warmth of the lodge. Halfway round, we stop for hot soup and sandwiches around an open fire—simple, satisfying, exactly right.

Evening: Final sauna. Another long dinner in the log house. Take your time with it.

Morning/Afternoon: One last day on snow. We head back to our midweek guesthouse for a final lap of the quiet frozen lakes—no agenda, just the trail and the cold and the light through the trees.

Evening: Pancakes, stories, and a proper send-off. You've earned it.

Morning: Early start. Transfer to Kuusamo Airport for morning flights. Tired legs, clear head.

If you want to stretch the trip, an overnight in Helsinki on the way home is worth it—and once you're booked, you'll be added to the group WhatsApp to coordinate travel plans with the rest of the crew.