Lapland Hut-to-Hut Ski

Remembering my winter wonderland in Finland

I knew I would sign up for this backcountry hut-to-hut ski trip after a few girls from the Swiss Alps trip talked about their last winter adventure with Sidetracked. It was the best decision I've made.

The flight to Ivalo was expensive, and I wished I hadn't left the accommodation and flight at the last minute. Other than that, everything else was good. I came a day earlier and met half of the team before the meeting day. Getting to know a handful first to break the ice before meeting the rest was nice.

I had no expectations for this trip; all I did to prepare myself was three days of strength training, hot yoga, and a hill day with Atlas. The training prevented me from getting so exhausted when getting in the hut each night. Also, for the heavy sledge, which massively paid off!

I brought my Olympus mju2 and Leica Q camera, but I spent most of my time immersed in nature instead, which kept me sublime. I was smiling from ear to ear on my walk every day. I was in a flow state with no expectations, just observing my beautiful surroundings.

The first two days were the most challenging with sledges, as we had to carry all our rations for the next five days. There were eight of us, but our strong female guide, Ted, had one sledge to herself. I shared mine with two other girls, E and J, and the rest of the teams were shared between the two. We weren't careful with our packing on the second day and packed one of the sledges heavier than the other. Unfortunately, I pulled that heavier sledge on the first steep hill; I was slipping down even with full skins on my skis. I had one of my teammates help me push my sledge up from behind. I thought it was a normal weight until E turned to take my sledge. She had the other sledge before that and was shocked by how heavy mine 'sleddy mercury' was. Despite all that, I enjoyed skiing on the ridges, taking in all the beautiful scenery. The atmosphere was eerie as it was snowing, a little windy, and our surroundings were whitewashed with snow. There wasn't any soul apart from us, and most of the time, you were alone as you were skiing in a row. I loved it and really appreciate the silence.

Thankfully, I was not exhausted when we got to the second hut, and it was nice to giggle with the girls. Still, I felt dehydrated ( and didn't do anything about it). That day, I made a schoolboy error; I forgot to take my usual electrolytes but just the pill ones with a lower dosage. So, the next day, I woke up feeling severely dehydrated. It was our rest day, but we could opt for a sauna day if everyone felt good or a shorter day ski to the fell near our hut. We all picked both choices depending on how everyone felt then, and Sauna Day won, meaning we had to leave super early.

I couldn't eat my breakfast because I was dehydrated. I only had my electrolytes and needed time to let them sink in. Everyone was aiming to leave at 0800 but could wait another hour for me. I didn't want to be that person, so I told our guide that I didn't mind staying behind. At that moment, all I was thinking about was that if I just went for it, I would be more severely exhausted, and being in the Sauna and skiing would just make it worse.

The next thing I knew, I felt like a normal person half an hour after they left. However, being in the hut in the middle of nowhere wasn't bad. It was precious to me, especially after being a mother. I had ample time to rest, enjoy the snowfall and the warmth in the hut, journal, read, wander around with my camera, saw a beautiful sunset, and meditate. Mainly just existing. I did not think about my daughter; I was just thinking of my husband, feeling appreciative of him because despite him working and taking care of Atlas full-time, I'm in Finland on a ski trip.

On the following beautiful day, the fourth day, we went backcountry skiing. It was amazing! I did not have my sledge after the first break, and it was nice breaking trails and going wherever I wanted for everyone. What an experience! We ski-ed to a summit and then down to our beautiful fancy hut. We got to our hut early and had hours of free time. One of the girls wanted to make a snowwoman, and we did that. After that, we each had quiet time, napping, painting, reading and enjoying the view from our bed.

On our last day, we all got into the routine and got ready an hour earlier. We skied on a frozen lake, on nasty uphills, and then spent an hour quite a distance away from each other, immersing ourselves in nature before skiing back to the fall centre in Killopa. It was emotional because I could do this hut-to-hut ski again for another week.

We spent our last night in a smoke sauna and ice dip and then had a nice dinner at the fall centre. Just like that, our adventure ended. However, I am sure everyone went home with a full cup of love and experience cause I certainly did.

What did I take from this trip?

I am always capable of anything I want to do. A good leadership skill is knowing nothing is about you but the people around you. Love nature, love people. I feel safe as my own person and the life I am building, so I don't need to consume.

I decided to use the internet minimally because it was such a wonderful feeling to just create, meditate, and exist for the past week during the ski adventure. I continued not to consume randomly for the next month. I am fully attentive to everything around me, easily letting go of anything negative and experiencing a healthy brain as meditation was more effortless.

Here's our itinerary

First day: Kiilopaa -> Suomunruoktu 13.7km

Second day: Suamunruoktu -> Tuiskukuru 13.2km

Third day (sauna day): Tuiskukuru -> Luirojarvi 9.2km

Fourth day: Tuiskukuru -> Suamunruoktu 13.2km

Fifth Day: Suomunruoktu -> Rautulampi 7.9km

Last Day: Ski back to Kiilopaa Fell Centre

Here's to my next adventure….

Love, Azzy x