Let's face it. When you think Santa, you don't think hardcore adrenalin rushes and epic, life-changing adventures.
Well, unless you have a very very odd taste in boyfriends, that is. But with a whole heap of high octane activities, and James Bond-ian accommodation (Ice Hotel, anyone?) all set beneath the world's most spectacular light show of the Northern Lights, Lapland has more then enough to sate even the most extreme of adventurers' tastes. A mere 3 hour flight away, northern Scandinavia rests a good couple of hundred miles within the arctic circle and along with the requisite ski slopes and bountiful bevy of blonde beauties, there lies an other-worldly hub of wondrous winter wonderland.
The native Sami culture is still alive and well amidst the all-conquering wave of tourism that has occupied the area, and it's this sense of intuitive naturalism that needs to be embraced to really make the most of the area. Case in point, as soon as you touch down in the remote mining town of Kiruna, you can be met by a pack of huskies and then sled for over 30km, carving your way through untouched snowfields of icy isolation. Hidden amidst the forest along the way are a number of Sami tents in which you can stop for lunch or dinner with a traditional (usually Reindeer-filled) fireside meal, before the final stretch to the world-famous Ice Hotel. The 'mush'ing and Husky driving itself is shockingly adrenalised, with every bump and dip in the road accentuated and amplified by the 4-8 mental mutts strapped to your feet. Aside from the occasional moment where a faint whiff of moose or glimpse of reindeer prompts them to bound into the trackside woodland, the experience is surprisingly harmonious, with an end-of-trip sit down and kennel feed resulting in a lot of furry hugs and a resounding reaffirmation of their deserving title as man's best friend.
The Ice Hotel is as jaw-droppingly amazing as you could imagine. Hand-crafted from scratch each and every year, Jukkasjärvi's is the one and only original, and boasts some of the world's purest ice (taken from the fresh river mere metres away) and most astounding ice-sculpted architecture. This year alone there are over 30 ice suites, an ice church and many snow rooms (essentially made to order); each designed and meticulously carved by an encouragingly random array of artists (prior experience or not, you can submit your own designs for next year).
Bedding down for the night surrounded by a delicately carved miniature city, or giant glistening crows feet, while fully cosied up in your longjohns and winter warmers, is a remarkable experience you're unlikely to forget anytime soon.
Come Winter and there's up to a metre of freshly fallen snow in the area, which not only makes every nearby village look and feel like Christmas incarnate (each wooden hut and home draped in beautiful fairylights and natural fur tree-strewn gardens), but ensures the lengthy Torne river - which splits Sweden and Finland and leads up to Norway - is solid ice. Which, due to a resistance and reliability stronger than most British tarmac-ed roads, ensures it's perfect for snowmobiling, husky sledding, reindeer riding and even car driving across.
After an exploration of the village's fascinating history, a brief rundown of the Sami culture (the people have been existing in the area since the thawing of the ice age) and a lasso-filled chase around with reindeer (make sure you eat one before you play with one - the guilt is far more bearable), I clambered aboard a snowmobile for the first time and motored my way out across the iced land on the other side.
While the Northern Lights are traditionally on display around two thirds of the year, your best bet is to venture out into the wilderness, far away from whatever man-produced light and interference could cloud your view. After a brief game of dodge-a-deer through the headlights of our snowmobiles, we came to a stop in the middle of another remote lake and looked up upon the most astonishing, peaceful and gorgeous lightshow on earth.
Greens and ethereal blues melted into each other in a kaleidoscopic display, as the sky danced with breathtaking ease.
Sat beneath those lights, with wild reindeer and moose trotting through the accompanying woodland, and miles of frozen track in every direction, the stresses and trivialities of modern life never seem so far away.
Well, unless you have a very very odd taste in boyfriends, that is. But with a whole heap of high octane activities, and James Bond-ian accommodation (Ice Hotel, anyone?) all set beneath the world's most spectacular light show of the Northern Lights, Lapland has more then enough to sate even the most extreme of adventurers' tastes. A mere 3 hour flight away, northern Scandinavia rests a good couple of hundred miles within the arctic circle and along with the requisite ski slopes and bountiful bevy of blonde beauties, there lies an other-worldly hub of wondrous winter wonderland.
The native Sami culture is still alive and well amidst the all-conquering wave of tourism that has occupied the area, and it's this sense of intuitive naturalism that needs to be embraced to really make the most of the area. Case in point, as soon as you touch down in the remote mining town of Kiruna, you can be met by a pack of huskies and then sled for over 30km, carving your way through untouched snowfields of icy isolation. Hidden amidst the forest along the way are a number of Sami tents in which you can stop for lunch or dinner with a traditional (usually Reindeer-filled) fireside meal, before the final stretch to the world-famous Ice Hotel. The 'mush'ing and Husky driving itself is shockingly adrenalised, with every bump and dip in the road accentuated and amplified by the 4-8 mental mutts strapped to your feet. Aside from the occasional moment where a faint whiff of moose or glimpse of reindeer prompts them to bound into the trackside woodland, the experience is surprisingly harmonious, with an end-of-trip sit down and kennel feed resulting in a lot of furry hugs and a resounding reaffirmation of their deserving title as man's best friend.
The Ice Hotel is as jaw-droppingly amazing as you could imagine. Hand-crafted from scratch each and every year, Jukkasjärvi's is the one and only original, and boasts some of the world's purest ice (taken from the fresh river mere metres away) and most astounding ice-sculpted architecture. This year alone there are over 30 ice suites, an ice church and many snow rooms (essentially made to order); each designed and meticulously carved by an encouragingly random array of artists (prior experience or not, you can submit your own designs for next year).
Bedding down for the night surrounded by a delicately carved miniature city, or giant glistening crows feet, while fully cosied up in your longjohns and winter warmers, is a remarkable experience you're unlikely to forget anytime soon.
Come Winter and there's up to a metre of freshly fallen snow in the area, which not only makes every nearby village look and feel like Christmas incarnate (each wooden hut and home draped in beautiful fairylights and natural fur tree-strewn gardens), but ensures the lengthy Torne river - which splits Sweden and Finland and leads up to Norway - is solid ice. Which, due to a resistance and reliability stronger than most British tarmac-ed roads, ensures it's perfect for snowmobiling, husky sledding, reindeer riding and even car driving across.
After an exploration of the village's fascinating history, a brief rundown of the Sami culture (the people have been existing in the area since the thawing of the ice age) and a lasso-filled chase around with reindeer (make sure you eat one before you play with one - the guilt is far more bearable), I clambered aboard a snowmobile for the first time and motored my way out across the iced land on the other side.
While the Northern Lights are traditionally on display around two thirds of the year, your best bet is to venture out into the wilderness, far away from whatever man-produced light and interference could cloud your view. After a brief game of dodge-a-deer through the headlights of our snowmobiles, we came to a stop in the middle of another remote lake and looked up upon the most astonishing, peaceful and gorgeous lightshow on earth.
Greens and ethereal blues melted into each other in a kaleidoscopic display, as the sky danced with breathtaking ease.
Sat beneath those lights, with wild reindeer and moose trotting through the accompanying woodland, and miles of frozen track in every direction, the stresses and trivialities of modern life never seem so far away.
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Ice Hotel Finland
A trip to Finland and a night in the Ice Hotel, plus some shenanigans on the sledge run with the ICMA Committee.
More Videos >
A trip to Finland and a night in the Ice Hotel, plus some shenanigans on the sledge run with the ICMA Committee.
More Videos >
