Snow Shortage Impacts Ski Trails in Lapland: Tourists Struggle on Difficult Early Snow Trails

In Rovaniemi, the early snow trail has been heavily utilized as other areas lack snow. Typically, first-time tourists tend to stick to easier natural snow trails.

In Levi, skiers have been seen lining up on the trails, as tourists flock to the only spot with snow—namely the early snow trail.

The preserved snow trail in Lev has seen heavy traffic with users of all levels since the end of November. This year, the early snow trail opened about six weeks earlier, but only a shorter section due to construction work on a new chairlift.

The first natural snow trail opened only late in November and initially only created skating tracks. A classic skiing path was not established until early December.

According to Jouni Palosaari, CEO of Levi Ski Resort, the unusual warmth and dry conditions have made this autumn particularly challenging.

By the eve of Independence Day, there were already 18 kilometers of skiable trails in Levi.

Tourists Causing Hazards on Rovaniemi Trails

At Rovaniemi's Ounasvaara, a paid early snow trail made of stored and cannon snow remains the only option for skiing. Sanna Riekki, the finance manager of Santasport, notes that there have been significantly more users this year, causing congestion at times.

This year, there has been a notable increase in tourists using the early snow trail, as natural snow is absent from the trails. Many visitors are beginners, leading to hazardous situations.

"It's important to be cautious there now, with many types of skiers on the trail. Newcomers can fall unexpectedly on downhill sections, and if they ski in groups, it can lead to jams," Riekki cautioned.

Typically, by the time of Independence Day, there would also be trails made of natural snow in addition to the three-kilometer early snow trail.

"A couple of times, we’ve already prepared natural snow trails, but warmer weather has melted it away. There’s currently no indication of when we’ll receive enough natural snow," Riekki lamented.

Adaptation in Southern Lapland

In the southernmost Lapland, residents have already become accustomed to low snow levels during early winter.

The early snow trail was opened in Kemi Jungo on November 18 and remains the only skiable segment in town. Users of the 2.5-kilometer trail are charged a voluntary trail fee maintained by the Visa Ski Team.

Kristiina Pirneskoski, the chairwoman, states that while there are frequent skiers using the trail, the number of paying users hasn’t increased despite the lack of snow this season.

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