Up north

Days are getting shorter and the air is colder. Hopefully autumn brings some stronger winds than the summer did. There is now more time in the evening to start planning the next summer and a kiteboarding trip somewhere where the warm wind blows constantly and you can check the force of the wind just from the watch and do not need any real tools to measure it. When I started to look for locations on the web, I went through the places where I have been. You might think that some place with palm trees and warm winds would be the most memorable location I have kited but actually no. One of the most exotic trips I have taken was to a distant location in northern Finland.

It was in April years back when I loaded my car and started the 1100 km drive from southern Finland to Lapland. During the drive you see the how the landscape changes from lakeland to big forests and swamps before you reach Oulu and get close to the sea. The next 650 km drive starts from the seaside and follows a river until the hills start to get bigger and finally you can see small mountains in the horizon. Finland does not have too high mountains but all of the peaks over 1000 meters are in the area where I was heading. It was cool to see how you can drive from zero snow cover to complete winter wonderland with high peaks around you.

Finally the drive was over and I could unload the car at the log cabin that was reserved for our party. When I arrived there, it was the scenery that really struck me. It was so exciting to see Lake Kilpisjärvi surrounded by all the mountains and especially the Mount Saana that stands by the lake. I immediately started to look around to see which area could be used for kiting and where to go next.  The closest spot is Lake Kilpisjärvi itself. It felt that the best winds are N, NW, E and SSE-S. However, the lake is just big enough for almost every wind direction. You just need to select from which end of the lake you lauch the kite.

It was a S-SSW wind, the sun was shining and air temperature was just below zero in celcius.  I launched my kite from the southern end of the lake. It was gusty and I knew that I should have gone to the other end of the lake but it was just too nice to walk 50 meters from the cabin and  lauch the kite. I rode closer to the center of the lake and the wind got better and much more stable. The scenerey really opened around of me and I got a 'life is good' moment when blasting through the lake in this unbelievable scenery.

After the day of kiting we took a little snowshoe safari to the top of the closest hill. The sun was just setting down behind the horizon at eleven o'clock in the evening! One month later it would not have gone done at all as from May to August the sun does not go down.

The area is on the border of Finland, Sweden and Norway. You can go to a place where all three countries cross and step from Finland to Sweden and then to Norway on the second step. By the road from Kilpisjärvi village to Norway, there is another spot just after you cross the Norwegian border. There you can also find  some elevation you can surf like big waves. That brings the real 3D experince to the sport.

If you want use some time to find new spots, you can book snowmobile rides or helicopter flights to go kite or downhill ski to a totally new area. On top of the unbelievable locations you can enjoy the beautiful nature around you more. One thing to remember is that you need to respect nature and cannot ride the snowmobile wherever you want as there are marked routes you need to follow.

To see something else you can take a ride to Norway. It is only a 50 km drive by car to Skibotn which is the village closest to the border. It is located by a fjord next to The Arctic Ocean.  There are beaches where you can launch the kite and go ride on the water. Just remember to have your drysuit, hood and gloves with you, the water is freezing cold.

Kilpisjärvi is not a party central but much more a place to enjoy the scenery and leisured days. After a long day kiting, exploring the surrondings and having a nice meal you are much more likely to fall asleep in front of the fireplace than want to dance your heart out in a disco.

I can highly recommend the place due to its exotic location. There will be some days without wind so you should plan other activities and the local services can keep you busy. You can find Kilpisjärvi village location and services information from http://www.kilpijarvi.org . If you do not like to drive all the way from the south to get there, you can try to get flights to Enontekiö and hire a car or book a taxi  there as it is still over 170 km to Kilpisjärvi.