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Types of Skiing Explained: Alpine, Nordic, Touring & SkateFinland
Dec - Mar
Snowshoe through Finland’s untouched Hossa National Park, with fire-cooked meals, traditional log cabins, saunas and ice swimming for the brave.
Beginner
Moderate
Back to Basics
From
£1,650
(USD $2,590.50)
An Active Week in the Snow
Snowshoe through Finland’s pristine wilderness with expert local guides. You’ll trek through Hossa National Park’s untouched forests, over snow-covered ridges, and across frozen lakes that most people never see.
Enjoy traditional saunas, cosy log cabin stays, and two nights in a wilderness cabin where the only light comes from the fireplace. There’s also ice swimming, but only if you’re up for it, we’re not monsters.
Small groups, remote wilderness, and an active adventure that takes you deep into the heart of it.
An Active Agenda
No Hidden Costs
Six days of guided trekking through the Finnish wilderness, gear hire included
Stay two nights in an off-grid cabin
Five nights in a comfortable cabin, two nights in remote wilderness huts
All meals: seven breakfasts, six lunches and seven dinners
Local guides for all activities plus your Gutsy Girls host
Pick-up and drop-off at Kuusamo airport
Activity Overview
Do you love hiking? Then look no further, this is the winter version. Trek through Finnish winter landscapes, your snowshoes letting you move across deep powder instead of sinking through it.
The snowshoes’ wide frame distributes your weight, keeping you on top of the snow. No technical skills needed, just your usual hiking fitness. You just need to clip your snowshoes over your boots, then move through snowy forests without spending days learning complicated techniques first.
Activity Overview
We’ll venture deep into the wilderness for a two nights off-grid, in two different wilderness cabins. There’s no electricity, so we’ll cosy up by a wood stove and enjoy a candlelit evening. The rustic charm doesn’t end there; we can try out a traditional wood-fired sauna and, for the brave ones, even take a dip in the nearby frozen lake.
Activity Overview
Seven nights in the far north means plenty of chances to catch the northern lights. Each clear evening, we’ll scan the horizon for this natural light show.
There are no guarantees – nature doesn’t perform on command – but this remote location gives you the best shot at seeing auroras dance across the sky.
Activity Overview
Saunas: a Finnish ritual deeply rooted in the culture. Each evening you’ll have the chance to warm up in a wood-fired sauna and soothe your muscles after a day on your feet. For those feeling brave, you can also take the plunge in a nearby frozen lake. This combination of heat and ice is the ultimate way to recover before the next day’s adventures.
The Destination
Your Adventure Starts Here
Arrive at the airport where you’ll meet the others on your trip. Transfer to our base camp at a traditional log cabin in Hossa National Park.
Settle into your log cabin base. Dinner and help prep the ice-swimming hole for the week.
Fuel up with breakfast and get the full programme breakdown. Quick session on snowshoeing techniques to get everyone comfortable on their feet, then head off on your first day trip.
7km
Explore the historic Lounatkoski rapids, with their old grain mill and timber structures. Picnic lunch around an open fire, then snowshoe back to the cabin.
Lakeside sauna time. Try dipping into the ice hole for a proper Finnish experience - or work up to it, you’ve got a few days!
Short transfer, then snowshoe to Colour Rock where you'll discover 4,000-year-old rock paintings left by early inhabitants. Your guide will share the stories behind these prehistoric artworks.
7km
Picnic lunch around an open fire - hot soup, sandwiches, and traditional fire-brewed coffee. Snowshoe back to the cabin to rest up for the wilderness days ahead.
Sauna, dinner and prepare for tomorrow's move deeper into the wilderness.
After breakfast, leave base camp and head deeper into the wilderness. Your main bag goes on ahead, so you're carrying a daypack with layers, lunch and water. Today's trail takes you along a ridge between frozen lakes and through pine, spruce, and birch forests. You might spot reindeer.
7km
Reach the cabin on the northern shore of Lake Iso-Valkeinen. It's rustic, heated by a wood-burning stove, and there's a sauna for washing. No electricity or showers, toilets are in a shared outhouse, no frills here.
Heat up in the wood-fired sauna, dip in the frozen lake and keep your eyes peeled for the northern lights.
Breakfast, then set out along the ridges and across the frozen lakes. The forest is home to elk, lynx, hares and wolves (bears too, but they’re hibernating, don't worry).
8km
Stop halfway for a fireside picnic, then push on to your final wilderness cabins. This is the longest day and you'll cover about 8km.
A second night off-grid. Wood stove, dinner, and maybe the Northern Lights (if nature plays ball).
Journey back following ridges to reach the Hossa Visitor Centre. Stop for lunch and browse the small souvenir shop.
5km
Finish your snowshoeing adventure back at the lakeside cabin where it all started.
Sauna session, one last ice swim if you've been working up to it, and possibly the chance to shower too!
The day is yours to explore further. Choose from tobogganing, ice-fishing, or a short snowshoe hike. Or stay cosy by the fire and learn how to build an igloo.
More optional activities or simply relax and rest your legs after an active few days.
One last sauna and ice dip, then a farewell dinner with the group on your final night together.
After breakfast, say goodbye to Finland. Transfer to the airport for your journey home with new friends and solid snowshoeing skills.
Rest & Refuel
Five nights in a simple cabin, with bunk rooms, shared bathrooms and a communal space to sit in the evenings. Nothing fancy, but warm and cosy and good for a group. Then two nights off-grid, in two different wilderness cabins deeper in the forest. Wood stove heating, zero electricity, no running water. The wood-fired sauna is how you wash out there, with water hauled from the well.
1 of 2
Simple, hearty cooking. Porridge and bread in the morning, soup over the fire at lunch, stews and traditional dishes at night. Nothing fancy, but there's plenty of it.
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Book now
The Essentials
| Accommodation |
Back to Basics Five nights in a welcoming cabin with shared bunk rooms, shared bathrooms and a communal living space. No single rooms are available on this trip. Two nights in two different off-grid cabins, heated by wood stoves, with no electricity or running water. Cabin
Off-Grid Wilderness Hut
|
|---|---|
| Food |
All meals are included, from dinner on arrival day to breakfast before your journey home. If you have a severe food allergy, please get in touch before you book.
|
| Fitness Level |
2
Moderate You’ll spend five to six hours on your feet each day, moving through snow that sits 60–70cm deep and makes things feel harder than they would if you were hiking on solid ground. Two nights in off-grid wilderness cabins are also part of the trip, so you need to be comfortable with basic conditions as well as the daily distances. If you work out three or more times a week – running, hiking, cycling, the gym – and back-to-back active days don’t worry you, you’ll handle this. You'll Need to Be
|
| Skill Level |
1
Beginner No snowshoeing experience is needed. If you can hike, you can do this, just strap your snowshoes on and you’ll be ready to go. Beginner is the skill level. It’s not an easy trip. Check the Fitness Level above. 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 Kuusamo airport. For alternative routes and travel information, please see the trip guide. |
| Not Included |
|
| Trip Code |
FINUPISNW Include this code in any message and we’ll know exactly which trip you mean. |
The Answers
Not at all. Snowshoeing is basically hiking with extra-wide shoes that stop you sinking into snow. You’ll get a technique session on day one, you’re off! It’s surprisingly easy to learn.
This is rated Moderate, and the thing that makes it moderate is the repetition. Five days back to back, five to six hours out each day, in deep snow and cold. If you do heart-rate-raising exercise three times a week for 45 minutes and you’re used to a long walk at the weekend, you’ll be fine. If not, six to eight weeks of building up will get you there, or at least three months if you’re starting from a lower base.
Finnish cold is different from UK cold – it’s dry, so -15°C feels less harsh than a damp 5°C day in Britain. However, it also gets a lot colder than it ever does here. You’ll generate body heat snowshoeing, but you’ll cool down fast during breaks. That’s why layering is everything. You’ll have short daylight hours but that’s great for Northern Lights spotting if the skies are clear.
We provide snowshoes, poles, mittens and snow boots.
For two nights you’ll be completely off-grid with no electricity, wood stove heating, shared bunk rooms, and an outdoor toilet. There’s a wood-fired sauna though that not only keeps you warm, but means you can melt snow for washing too, which makes everything better. If you’re worried about staying in a basic cabin, this is probably not the trip for you.
You can fly from anywhere you like. The flights below are the ones we recommend, because the group transfer is timed to meet them.
There’s one transfer each way and it’s tied to the Gatwick flight, so if that one is delayed, the transfer waits for it. Any other arrival is very welcome, but the transfer leaves at its listed time whether or not you’ve landed. If you’re booking something else, check your travel insurance covers missed connections and onward transport.
December & March
London to Kuusamo, airBaltic
Arrival Day: LGW 9:25 – KAO 14:50 | BT1447
Departure: KAO 7:00 – LGW 8:40 | BT1446
January
London to Kuusamo, TUI
Arrival Day: LGW 6:00 – KAO 11:35 | TOM4712
Departure: KAO 12:45 – LGW 14:35 | TOM4713
December and March
January
The December and March departure is an early one. The flight goes at 07:00, so you’ll be leaving in the dark with breakfast on the go. The January transfers are far more civilised.
Of course. TUI run direct winter flights to Kuusamo from a couple of other UK airports, and you can route via Helsinki from most of them and pick up the domestic hop north. Either works, as long as you land in time for the transfer.
Just be clear on what you’re taking on. The transfer is tied to the Gatwick arrival, not yours, so if your flight is delayed it will go without you. Have a look at the transfer times above before you book and give yourself a decent margin. If you’re connecting, book both legs together with the same airline where you can, so your connection is protected if the first flight runs late. Separate bookings leave the onward flight at your own risk.
If your flights don’t match the group transfer times, we can arrange a private transfer between Kuusamo Airport and Hossa. It needs to be booked in advance, and the cost is per vehicle, not per person:
The drive takes around an hour. If there are others on your trip in the same position, you’re welcome to share a vehicle and split the cost between you. Contact our Bookings Team to arrange it.
The group transfer is included in your trip price, and there is no reduction if you book a private transfer instead.
If your flights don’t match the group transfer times, we can arrange a private transfer between Kuusamo Airport and Hossa. It needs to be booked in advance, and the cost is per vehicle, not per person:
The drive takes around an hour. If there are others on your trip in the same position, you’re welcome to share a vehicle and split the cost between you. Contact our Bookings Team to arrange it.
The group transfer is included in your trip price, and there is no reduction if you book a private transfer instead.
Yes, we can handle most dietary needs but you’ll have to give us advance notice. Being in the wilderness means it’s not as easy to access supermarkets, so we may not be able to provide you with suitable meals if we don’t know about your dietary requirements before the trip begins. Meals are hearty Finnish fare – think warming soups over open fires, traditional dishes, and plenty of fuel for active days.
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