I have a question for you. Have you ever considered skiing in Finland? Let me guess, you haven’t. That would not be surprising because skiing in Finland cannot much compete with skiing in Norway and in the Alps. Anyhow, there is some good skiing in Finland, even though our “mountains” are tiny and choices are limited. There are good resorts for family skiing in Finland and there are even backcountries for those looking for powder snow.

This article introduces you the five best ski resorts in Finland. Even though those resorts are tiny compared to ski resorts in France and Austria, many skiing and snowboarding stars come from Finland. So, there must be something good in those resorts. Let’s find it out. I have rated the resorts for families, freeskiers, party-animals and Lapland-fans. Rating is from 1 to 5, 1 being as “not good at all” and 5 being as “excellent”.

Finland Ski Resort #1: Levi

As the biggest ski resort in Finland, Levi provides an arctic skiing experience for families, freeskiers and professionals. Being located above the Arctic Circle, Levi provides a number of slopes suitable for beginners, children and more advanced skiers. For freeskiers Levi provides interesting forests and backcountries in the Finnish wilderness, and for new school skiers it provides a good park and pipes. The town around the ski resort is actually an own “little city” which has grown much during the years. Levi’s nightlife is pretty good and restaurants serve high-quality meals. Notice that FIS Alpine World Cup race is ran in Levi, but unfortunately it was cancelled this year. Additionally in Levi you might see some spectacular northern lights. Read more about Levi in their website.

Families : 5
Freeskiers: 3
Party-Animals: 4
Lapland-fans: 5
New-School dudes: 4

Finland Ski Resort #2: Ruka

Ruka is a Finnish ski resort that opens as the first one year after year. Ruka is located near the Russian border, deep in Finnish wilderness and close to a well-known Oulanka National Park. In Ruka you can experience the true Finnish Polar Night, so called “Kaamos”. Just like Levi, Ruka is a family ski resort, but it provides a bit steeper slopes for more advanced. For freeskiers Ruka provides few good runs in forests and a couple of couloirs. For new-school skiers Ruka is pretty good, but not as good as Levi. Ruka provides an arctic experience as well, but is not located as high in north as Levi. Ruka is known from its wild nightlife, so if you are looking for some good afterski, Ruka is for you.

Families: 4
Freeskiers: 3
Party-Animals: 5
Lapland-Fans: 4
New-school dudes: 3

Finland Ski Resort #3: Pyha

In the middle of Lapland is a ski resort that I call the best one in Finland. I grew up in there and I spent my first 15 years of skiing in there and only in there. I know every single corner and a stone in that range of small mountains. Anyhow, Pyha ski resort provides good skiing for pros and powder hunters, but not that good for families and new-school dudes. Pyha is a legendary meeting place for all Finnish freeskiers and riders. Year after year all Finnish pro-skiers have met in Pyha before heading to the Alps. If you are a freeskier and you are looking for a ski resort in Finland, there are no choices. You should go to Pyha. Oh, and the nightlife. You can just guess what it is when all the powder hunters and skibums get together. It’s simply awesome!

Families: 2
Freeskiers: 5
Party-Animals: 5
Lapland-Fans: 4
New-school dudes: 3

Finland Ski Resort #4: Yllas

Being located up in northern Finland, Yllas provides a great arctic skiing experience for families and Lapland-freaks. Beautiful northern lights, cold and dark nights, lots of candles and open fires, a warm cottage and your own sauna.. As one of the best ski resorts in Finland, Yllas ski resort gives you a fantastic family-skiing experience high above the Arctic Circle. Yllas has a number of long and easy slopes, a few good runs for freeskiers and a park for new-school skiers/riders. Just like Levi, Yllas ski resort is easy accessible by airplane because there is a small airport close to both resorts. Many tourists fly from UK to spend a weekend in these resorts. Some folks fly there just for one day. Nightlife in Yllas is pretty quiet, so don’t go there if you are looking for some action.

Families: 5
Freeskiers: 3
Party-Animals: 3
Lapland-Fans: 5
New-school dudes: 3

Finland Ski Resort #5: Talma

Talma is a totally different Finnish ski resort. First of all, it is located 1000 kilometers to south from all those above. It is located 35 kilometers to north from Helsinki and it is one of the smallest ski resorts in Finland. Why am I recommending it? Because it is a legendary ski resort for new-school skiers/riders from which many snowboarding stars have started, including names such as Joni Malmi and Eero Ettala. Talma is 55 metes high. Yes, exactly. Talma is 55 meters or 5500 centimeters high, as is said in a Talmaski T-shirt. Talma is not good for families, because there is nothing but the small hill. There is not even a hotel, so you should stay in Helsinki or in Vantaa. It is not a good resort for freeskiers and definitely not good for Lapland-fans. For party-animals there is nothing. So what is good in it? If you come to Helsinki for a business trip or just for fun, take your skis or snowboard with you and spend a couple of days skiing or riding the rails and boxes of Talma.

Families: 1
Freeskiers: 1
Party-Animals: 1
Lapland-Fans: 1
New-school dudes:3

Forget skiing in the Alps, Norway or United States. Check out the best Finnish ski resorts and consider spending you next skiing holidays in Lapland or close to Helsinki. Experience a different skiing vacation in northern Finland!

Have you been to Lapland? Have you been in any of the mentioned ski resorts? If yes, please leave a comment tell us your opinions. Consider also subscribing to my email newsletter or RSS feed.