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Types of Skiing Explained: Alpine, Nordic, Touring & SkateFinland
Dec - Mar
Arctic backcountry ski expedition through untouched wilderness. Remote, challenging, and properly wild – this will test everything you’ve got.
Improver
Tough
Back to Basics
From
£1,850
(USD $2,904.50)
Arctic Challenge
Spend six days skiing between Finland, Sweden and Norway through the Käsivarsi wilderness. This is our hardest expedition through Finland’s most mountainous region, hauling everything you need in a pulka behind you.
You’ll cover 10–18km a day across open tundra, climbing hard on some days, all in sub-zero conditions. Nights are spent in remote wilderness huts far from anything, with a chance of seeing the Northern Lights overhead.
You need cross-country skiing experience for this one. Not expert level, but the technique needs to be in your legs before you arrive, because there’s no teaching day and you’re skiing with a loaded pulka from day one. Serious fitness and a determined mindset on top of that. Ready to find out what you’re made of?
An Active Agenda
No Hidden Costs
Guided hut-to-hut skiing expedition in the wilderness
All expedition equipment included
Three nights in shared cabins and four nights in shared wilderness huts
Dehydrated expedition meals and two restaurant dinners
A qualified wilderness guide and your Gutsy Girls host
Pick-up and drop-off at Tromsø Airport
Activity Overview
Backcountry Nordic skiing, sometimes called Fjellski or Nordic ski touring, is cross-country skiing off the beaten track. No groomed trails, no crowds, just you making your own way through the wilderness.
This isn’t alpine backcountry skiing. This is flat-terrain cross-country for exploring remote places. It’s like winter hiking, but you glide instead of step.
You need cross-country skiing experience for this trip. Not expert level, but a few days on skis at the very least, and enough control to look after yourself on the flat and on the descents. This is our hardest expedition and it isn’t the place to learn.
There’s no gentle introduction and no teaching day. You head out on day one with a loaded pulka behind you, so the technique has to be there before you arrive.
You should be comfortable gliding, picking up speed and getting yourself back up after a fall. Then you’ll cover 10 to 18km daily while pulling everything you need in a pulka behind you.
Activity Overview
Everything you need for a week – food, sleeping gear, spare clothes, cooking equipment – gets loaded into a pulka (expedition sled) that you’ll haul behind you. You’re completely self sufficient, with no supply drops at your next hut or restocked base camps.
The sled can weigh up to 25kg and has a personality of its own. It’ll try to overtake you on descents and drag like a stubborn dog on flat ground.
Your legs will hurt, you’ll get tired, and some days you’ll wonder why you signed up. But don’t worry, you’ll also have new friends to laugh about your type 2 fun holiday with. Nothing bonds people like mutual suffering in sub-zero temperatures.
Activity Overview
Step outside your wilderness hut and look up. This far north with zero light pollution, you’re in prime aurora territory. No guarantees – nature doesn’t work on demand – but when the lights show up, you’ll know about it.
The Destination
Your Adventure Starts Here
Land in Tromsø and hop on our transfer to Kilpisjärvi - an Arctic village surrounded by wilderness that'll make you forget civilisation exists. Check into our log cabin base and get an early night. Trust us, you'll need it for what's coming.
Kit fitting time. Get familiar with your backcountry skis and poles, and get your pulka loaded properly. A quick run through of how the pulka handles, then we're off.
Right, here we go. We're skiing 15km to our first off-grid cabin, heading straight for the three nations border where Finland, Sweden, and Norway meet. Your legs will remember this one.
Welcome to off-grid life, light the wood burning stove, melt some snow and pick your bunk. You should sleep well after your first full day of skiing!
Fuel up with a hearty breakfast - you'll need all the energy for today's ski over rolling terrain.
Today involves a 200m ascent, which sounds gentle but will test those thighs. Weather permitting, we'll tackle a summit for views that'll make the climb worth every burning muscle.
Settle into wilderness hut number two and make yourself at home. We'll be staying here for two nights. Keep an eye out for the northern lights!
Another longer day, but this time we're summiting Kalkkinippa, so we’ll leave our pulka in the cabin and just take day packs. The views from the top? Absolutely stunning wilderness as far as you can see.
Put those downhill skills to work as we make our way back to the hut via different terrain.
Back to familiar digs from night two. You'll appreciate having 'home' to return to after a full day on skis.
Expedition-style breakfast (think hearty, not fancy), then it's 15km to our next stop. We'll be skiing into Norway today - another country to tick off.
Push through to reach our cabin near the start point. This one comes with a proper treat.
Sauna time! Your muscles will thank you. Reset, refuel, and prep for the second half of this expedition.
Today's the big one - we're visiting the Three-Country Border Cairn. Stand at the exact point where three nations meet. Pretty special stuff.
Feeling strong? There's an optional fell climb for those who want to push themselves further. Otherwise, enjoy the unique location.
Another remote cabin awaits. Expert wilderness living.
Last ski back to Kilpisjärvi to complete this epic Arctic loop. You've just conquered a proper backcountry expedition.
Check into a comfortable log cabin with hot showers (luxury!), sauna, and time to digest what you've just achieved.
Celebrate with the group - you've all just completed something most people only dream about.
Hearty breakfast and final views of the wilderness that's been your home for the past week. Transfer back to Tromsø airport. You'll be going home with actual Arctic expedition credentials and new friends!
Rest & Refuel
You'll start and finish in a cabin with electricity, a restaurant, sauna, and hot showers. The expedition huts are very basic with no electricity or running water. There are wood-burning stoves for heat, candles for light, shared outhouses and communal sleeping quarters.
1 of 2
On the expedition, food is simple and built for fuel over flavour. Breakfast is porridge packets, bread, cheese and jam. Lunch is sandwiches made at breakfast plus instant noodles, and dinner is a dehydrated expedition meal you add boiling water to. You'll have a restaurant meal at the cabin at the start and end of the trip. Bring your own snacks for extra energy through the day too.
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The Essentials
| Accommodation |
Back to Basics On the expedition, you’ll stay in a series of off-grid wilderness huts, and they are as basic as it gets: there’s no electricity or running water. Everyone shares one small space, sleeping in bunks packed in close together. You’ll warm the hut with the wood burner and melt snow for the next day’s drinking water. We begin and end the expedition in a comfortable shared log cabin with electricity, a sauna, and indoor toilets and showers.
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|---|---|
| Food and Drink |
All meals are included, from dinner on arrival day to breakfast before your journey home. Whilst on the expedition meals will be filling but basic. If you have a severe food allergy, please get in touch before you book.
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| Fitness Level |
4
Tough Skiing 10–18km daily while hauling a 25kg pulka means five to seven hours of sustained full-body effort. Cross-country skiing also works differently from most cardio, so even strong runners find muscles firing that they don’t normally use. Temperatures can drop to -30°C, which means your body is already working harder just to stay warm before you’ve even skied a kilometre. Overnight stops are in basic wilderness conditions with no electricity, no running water and shared sleeping quarters, so mental resilience matters as much as physical fitness. If you’re training hard three or more times a week and you’ve experienced back-to-back demanding days before, you’re ready. You'll Need to Be
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| Skill Level |
2
Improver You need cross-country or backcountry skiing experience for this one. Not expert level, but the technique needs to be in your legs before you arrive, because there’s no teaching day and you’re skiing with a loaded pulka from day one. At a minimum you should be able to move efficiently on the flat, control your speed on descents, snow plough with confidence and get yourself back up after a fall. Alpine skiing doesn’t count. It’s a different technique on much narrower skis and it won’t transfer. If you’re not there yet, one of our beginner cross-country trips will get you ready, and you’ll enjoy this one far more for having done it. Fitness matters just as much, so make sure you check the fitness level before you book. Not sure what level you are? Our Trip Rating Guide explains how we score fitness and skill. |
| Packing List |
Below are a few specialist items you will need or might have to invest in before your adventure. For a full list of what you’ll need to bring, check out the trip guide. We Provide
You'll Need
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| Travel |
The meeting point for this trip is Tromsø Airport. For alternative routes and travel information, please see the trip guide. |
| Not Included |
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| Trip Code |
FINWHFHAL |
The Answers
Yes, and we’re strict about it. There’s no teaching day, so you’ll be skiing with a loaded pulka from day one. You should be able to move efficiently on the flat, control your speed on descents, snow plough with confidence and get back up after a fall. Alpine skiing doesn’t transfer, it’s a different technique on much narrower skis.
If you’ve never been on cross-country skis, start with one of our beginner Norway trips or our Sweden Backcountry Ski Trip. This one’s best saved for when you’re ready.
You need high cardiovascular fitness, think three or more times weekly cardio sessions lasting at least 45 minutes. You’ll ski 5-7 hours daily while towing weight. If you can’t handle consecutive active days or weight training, this trip isn’t for you.
This is backcountry wilderness exploration. Instead of neatly carved tracks, you’ll break your own trails through deep snow. Think hiking with skis on rather than faster, track-based skiing. You’ll also be on wider skis for stability at a slower pace to help with pulling the sled.
We provide touring skis, boots, poles, winter sleeping bags, sleeping mats, pulkas (sleds), and tents. You’ll need all your own clothing, including multiple base layers, a shell jacket, warm mittens, and everything else on the packing list.
If these are your concerns, this probably isn’t the trip for you. Temperatures hit -5°C to -30°C, wilderness huts have no electricity or running water, toilets are outhouses, and you’ll share sleeping spaces. If that sounds grim rather than adventurous, choose a different trip. (Our Bookings Team will be happy to help).
You need to fly into Tromsø, Norway (most flights connect through Oslo). We pick you up from Tromsø Airport and drop you back at the end of your trip. Your flight must get in to meet the transfers; they won’t wait around.
We will collect you from Tromsø Airport on arrival day and drop you back on the last day of the trip. You are responsible for getting yourself to the airport.
Transfer times:
The group transfer is included in your trip package. There is no discount if you choose not to use it.
Please book flights that work with our transfer schedule, otherwise you need to arrange private transport at your own cost (and it will be expensive). We can’t delay group transfers, even for flight delays. Travel insurance that covers missed connections or heavy delays is essential.
Expect anything between -5°C to -30°C depending on when you go, with possible snow, wind, and cloudy conditions. Finnish cold is dry so feels slightly less harsh than it would in the damp UK at the same temperature, but it’s still really cold.
Yes, absolutely. Arctic weather can change fast, so guides adjust daily routes for safety and the best conditions. You’ll still get your full expedition experience, just potentially on a slightly different route.
Bring some euros or your debit card for drinks and snacks at the first and last night’s cabin All meals are included, you will just have to pay for any extra drinks or snacks.
Yes, leave anything you don’t need at the first night’s accommodation – it’ll be there when you return. Just pack your expedition essentials in your daypack and pulka.
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