So Little Snow That 20 Skiing Events Have Been Cancelled in Finland

A 10-year-old, Viljami Varis, took part in his first Vuokatti skiing event in the Kainuu region on Saturday. In a video recording, Varis’s emotions were captured immediately upon crossing the finish line.

Organizers have been troubled by the lack of snow. According to the Ski Association, around 20 competitions have already been cancelled this season due to insufficient snowfall. In mass skiing events, the problem has manifested itself as a decrease in the number of participants, with poor training conditions being reported especially in southern Finland.

Organizers of the Vuokatti event in Kainuu were tense about the snow conditions up until the final moments. At the end of January, enough snow finally fell to allow the event to be held on the usual routes. However, with a major event like the Finlandia-hiihto in Lahti scheduled to take place just two weeks later, similar challenges are anticipated. Soili Hirvonen, the communications manager, explained that measures such as artificial snow production have been implemented in Lahti to secure the event.

Hirvonen noted that although the number of registrants for Finlandia-hiihto—approximately 2,700—had been growing, the registration numbers have now plateaued as the winter progresses, largely because of the poor snow conditions. She highlighted that the greatest challenge comes from the metropolitan area around the capital, where the absence of snow means that many potential participants are unable to train.

Teemu Takalo, General Manager of Kainuu Sports, mentioned that the Vuokatti event was originally moved from the peak season in March to February due to scheduling conflicts. However, organizers are now considering shifting the event back to March to avoid overlaps with other competitions and potential deep freezes in February.