Imatra's Early Season Ski Trail Opens with Unique Advantage

Imatra's early season ski trail was opened on Thursday, attracting crowds on its first day. This season, a slight modification has been made to the trail based on requests from skiers, allowing them to bypass the steepest ascent, as stated by Jaakko Jäppinen, the sports tourism manager at Imatra Base Camp.

Jäppinen highlighted the importance of opening the trail early for tourism, as training groups typically come during October and early November, coinciding with other trail openings in Kontiolahti and Vuokatti. The advantage of Imatra is its proximity to the capital region, making it easily accessible within a couple of hours.

Despite some concerns about the sustainability of storing snow for use in temperatures that could rise, Jäppinen noted that economic benefits have been significant, with past seasons generating over a million euros from training camps alone. Ticket prices for access have increased, yet sales have grown by 20% compared to the previous year. The trail will start at about two kilometers in length and will be illuminated daily from 6 AM to 10 PM, with a designated starting point at Ukonniemi arena.