Day 11 Husky sledding & tobogganing fun in Saariselkä

Day 11

1.4.2024

Blue skies & sunshine...... April Fools' Day!

Unfortunately not - but: it snowed again (oh miracle) at night and now (contrary to yesterday's weather forecast) it has stopped snowing. Yay! We can now easily deal with -10 degrees in the morning 😅

I have booked a husky sledding tour for today. I booked this last year directly through the Arctic River Resort and didn't do much searching on the Internet for husky farms or offers in the area. In retrospect, that was stupid, but the resort also didn't tell me which provider or husky farm the trip was through.

So here’s a tip for anyone planning a husky sleigh tour from Ivalo or Saariselkä:

Organize it yourself!

And you can do it directly with EXTREME HUSKIES , which is the provider that works with the Arctic River Resort. However, you can also book all tours directly with Extreme Huskies. The advantage: it's cheaper!!!

Unfortunately, we discovered that the resort had taken €15 per person for the booking/arrangement. It's not a big deal, but for three people, that's still €45, which you can use to go out for a nice meal.

So: book directly with Extreme Huskies !

Authentic, no mass processing, small groups, personal guidance, explanations and stroking and cuddling the huskies is a matter of course here! Great dogs, great trip, great experience!

But one after anonther:

The day before, I found out at reception that we could drive to the husky camp ourselves. Oh, OK, I thought the tour would start there (no, there is only the pick-up). Driving ourselves is much more practical for us, as we have to vacate the cabin anyway and can then be on the way in the car with our luggage.

We leave the resort at around 10:15 and reach the Husky Camp just 15 minutes later. It is located a little bit remote on the edge of the forest, very idyllic and lonely. When we get out we see (or rather "hear") why solitude is better 😄

We burst into the middle of the preparations for the sleigh ride. Three sleighs are being prepared and the huskies are being harnessed to them on leashes. The dogs are extremely excited and can't wait to finally get going. Barking and howling... it's crazy 😜

We are asked to wait at the edge because we are too early. Here we are allowed to cuddle with one of the huskies. Monty is already 10 years old and no longer enjoys pulling the sled, but now he enjoys cuddling and greeting new tourists even more.

After most of the huskies have been harnessed to the sleds, we get warm shoes and socks in the hut next door. I also take "musher" gloves, then we go out to explain. There are 8 of us in total (1 couple and 2 families with 1 child each) + our musher. Since the dogs can only pull 2 people in the sled, I decide to go with my son and my husband shares the sled with a Finnish tourist.

I actually wanted to sit in the sleigh and film, but then I found out that my son wasn't allowed to ride because he was only 15 years old (and his 1.80m height didn't help either). Damn! OK, so the "child" got into the sleigh and the mom behind it. Then the "little one" had to hold the camera.

Our musher says, however, that there is a fairly "easy" stage in between where, for once, my son can play the role of musher. Yay!

One of our dogs throws himself into the snow and rolls around at EVERY stop. We are then told that the current temperatures are too warm for him and that he is looking to cool down!

Wow, I now feel sorry for every Husky who lives in Germany and has to endure summer temperatures of +30 degrees (like me)...

The instructions are simple: it is best to always leave 1 foot on the mat between the runners (this slows things down a bit), if necessary, put both feet on the mat, if the dog is still going too fast, put a foot on the iron hook brake, to stop, put both feet on it (if necessary).

I learn immediately after starting that I can't do anything against my mad pack of dogs with ONE foot on the mat and promptly overtake my husband in the sleigh in front of me in the first 100 m. Oops... mortal sin! Overtaking prohibited...

Well, at least my first two dogs (out of 5 in total) shoot past the sled before I'm permanently on the iron brake. You're supposed to keep a safe distance of 200m. Easier said than done. The dogs have a fire in their bellies and just want to run. So crazy!!!

After a few meters, I get the hang of it and stay completely on the mat, or rather, I stand completely on the iron brake for the first 2-3 km, until the dogs slowly calm down a bit.

We drive through the freshly snow-covered forest. Steeper sections are a challenge because I have to push the car uphill and run along (early morning exercise included). Then we go over lakes back into the forest where we change drivers. In front of us, my husband makes himself comfortable in the sleigh and lets the Finnish lady take the musher's place. I swap with my son while our musher gives him final instructions. On we go! Across the forest again over a lake with a distant view. Simply amazing!

My son does a great job, but we have to switch again for the last 2 km because it's a steep downhill stretch, which he's not allowed to ride for insurance reasons. But he's thrilled and takes over the action cam again.

The steep part is actually challenging, especially the sharp curve afterward. I'm constantly afraid of tipping over with the sled, but everything works out great and we whizz back to camp after 12 km.

What fun!!! Strenuous, but highly recommended!

Fun fact: The Finnish couple with their young son had no idea that they would/should/be allowed to stand on the sleigh themselves. They thought it would be a sleigh ride where they would sit IN the sleigh for 2 hours and are thrilled to have played the role of musher themselves!

After the sleds are secured, we get off and are asked to pet and cuddle the dogs and take photos with them - they are "very friendly". And that's true! We can't tear ourselves away from the fur balls.

We meet to warm up in the "Tipi" tent, where we sit on benches around the fire and can ask our Mushier about the huskies while enjoying cinnamon rolls, cookies, coffee and tea.

Then we go out to the "puppies". They are now 5 months old, so not quite so small anymore, but still cheeky and playful. As soon as you're not careful, they nibble and pull on jacket sleeves and anything they can get between their sharp little teeth. Most of them are happy to be petted and come straight to the fence. Very cute!

After a total of 2 hours we leave the Extreme Huskies and drive back to Ivalo to have another meal at the pizzeria "Hannan Pizza" from yesterday. The pizza is simply delicious!!!

After dinner we drive to Saariselkä, 30 km away, where we want to spend the next two days.

We check in at the Holiday Club , where we have booked an apartment, quickly bring our luggage to the apartment (in the M building, apartment 36, upstairs on the first floor) and drive straight to the Saariselkä ski resort. We want to go sledding today.

In Saariselkä there is the longest toboggan run in Europe! In Finnish: Tobogganing.

For a total of €107 (2 adults/1 child) we get a sledge and a lift ticket for 2 hours (we start at 3:50 p.m., the last lift leaves at 5:50 p.m., that's what I call timing!)

The aging 3-seater chairlift takes us up the 437m high "mountain" with the plastic sledge in our hands. Getting out is a bit of a challenge, my shoes are extremely slippery and we have to jump out of the lift and run with the sledge in our hands (we don't have skis). Luckily, the lift boy slows down the lift when I try to jump out of the chair 🤣🙈

The toboggan run is marked, only sleds are allowed to go down here, and it leads down the mountain next to the ski slope. At the end you go through the forest and then back to the station. Great fun! Once you've got the hang of braking (you get really fast), the fun can really begin.

Unfortunately, on our third toboggan run, heavy snowfall sets in and we can hardly see anything. Since we look like snowmen after a few runs and my bottom is pretty cold, we give up after just over an hour. It's a shame, but without visibility it's not really fun and the wind turns you into an icicle in the slow chairlift.

So we chill in the apartment in our own sauna and by the fireplace. That's bearable!

Tomorrow we're off to the slopes!

Key data:

Accommodation: Holiday Club Saariselkä

Dog sledding tour: Extreme Huskies

Aurora Tobogganing: 107 € (39 € / adult; 29 € / child under 17 years)

Weather: light snowfall / cloudy at -10 to -4 degrees during the day

Distance travelled: 50 km