Day 4 Skiing in Levi - Challenge at -18 degrees

Day 4

25.3.2024

The alarm goes off at 8 a.m. and the thermometer says -22 degrees.

Whaaaaaaat?????? 🥶🥶🥶

OH MY GOD!!!!

Unfortunately, my son is still feeling under the weather and would rather have another day to recover than catch another bad cold in temperatures below zero (unfortunately, he already has a cough).

After breakfast we think about how many layers of clothing you can wear under a ski suit. I stick with a thermal shirt and thick fleece, my husband squeezes himself into 6 (!) T-shirts, turtlenecks and fleece jackets 🤣 It's a miracle that the zipper on the ski jacket can handle THAT.

At around 9 a.m. we set off - warmly wrapped up - by car to the valley station with the sonorous name "Zero Point". It is only about 1 km away, but we don't feel like carrying the skis afterwards or leaving them in the depot for a lot of money.

We notice that the Finns are not early risers, because the parking lot is empty.

At Zero Point Rental we rent ski boots, skis and poles.

At home I ski 1.63m men's race carvers, here I get cute 1.55m long Salomon carving skis. They look like trick skis, as short as they are. Well, I'll wait and see.

At 9:30 we are sitting in the chairlift. The sun is shining and contrary to the forecast the sky is blue (and luckily it is not windy). The thermometer still shows a proud -18 degrees 🥶🥶🥶

Up to the "South Point" ski station, we have the slopes almost to ourselves. Around 11 a.m. it gets much busier, but that's just complaining at a high level. Compared to the Austrian Alps and the Hessen Week, there's nothing going on here. The man from the ski rental shop confirms this. The season here is in December. There's nothing going on at the moment. He doesn't think there will be any more customers next week, during Easter week, either. Crazy!

So today we have all the dream slopes to ourselves. My short carvers are perfect for the wide Finnish piste highways. Compared to the ski areas in Austria and the like, these are all easy slopes. Even the "black" World Cup run would probably be a red run at best in Austria. But I think it's great. You can just ski without having to worry about narrow and overcrowded paths. But the best thing is the snow! I've never skied on such amazing snow! No sliding, no ice, no piles of snow, nothing. The perfect snow - and that at any time of day. Unbelievable! It's really fun!

At 12 o'clock we go for lunch. We decide on the "Sivakka" restaurant at the South Point valley station. We find a great spot in a kind of winter garden, cozy and warm, right by the window, with a view of the panoramic terrace with tables, chairs and loungers. For dinner there are freshly prepared burgers and a soup of the day. We decide on a veggie and a reindeer burger with fries and a drink. At €20 in total for both burgers and extras, we think the price is acceptable. The small soup costs €12, which would have annoyed me. For dessert there is a Finnish dessert that resembles a flattened Berliner, filled with apple puree, with a cappuccino. Delicious! It's bearable 😜

The temperatures have now risen to -9 degrees, and without the wind in the sun it doesn't feel so cold anymore.

By the way, you can't trust the temperature readings at lift stations: depending on whether the thermometer is pointing into the sun or shade, we supposedly have -9, -4, +11 and +14 on 4 measuring devices 🤣🤣🤣

The +14 is also on top of the mountain. Very funny 😜

By 3:30 p.m. we are pretty exhausted and drive back to Zero Point, where our car is parked. Theoretically we could ski until 6 p.m., some lifts even run until 7 p.m. In the parking lot we see lots of skiers who are just starting to set off. And why not, it's been light for a long time now (although I would have liked to have skied under floodlights in complete darkness, light until 8 p.m. is also nice).

My son is feeling better, so we're going for a walk and showing him the town and the ski slopes. He wants to go skiing tomorrow too. Hopefully it works out.

After we've brought him back to the cottage, we head out again for apres ski. It's a real party! Today there's a DJ in the V'INKKARI Apres Ski Outdoor Bar who makes the fog machine glow, throws surprise eggs into the crowd, does a polonaise and plays international music. We suddenly find ourselves between songs like "YMCA" and "Cowboy and Indians". Yesterday the music was exclusively Finnish. Funny, but special.

At -12 degrees we treat ourselves to another "Lonkero" (grapefruit soda, lime and gin). Delicious and worth it. The après ski prices are quite high...

As the sun disappears behind the bar and the music changes to Finnish rap, we head back to the cottage. The sauna is calling! First, the oven is turned on and it becomes cozy and warm.

At 6:30pm my Aurora app is running amok! 99% chance of seeing the Northern Lights 🤩

We rush out immediately, but there are two problems: it is still light and unfortunately completely cloudy.

At 9pm we get dressed and walk to the street to see more. Unfortunately, here too: you can't see anything. It's still too bright and completely cloudy. The app still says there's an 85% chance of seeing the Northern Lights, but unfortunately it's also 100% cloudiness - and because of the 100% cloudiness we can't see anything. After about 15 minutes it's too cold and we go back. What a pity... I would have loved to see the Northern Lights 😢

Hopefully it will work out in the north near Inari, where we will be next week. The weather forecast looks pretty good at the moment. Fingers crossed!

After a round of cards we fall tired into bed.

What a great day in Lapland! Our expectations of skiing up here were exceeded in every way!

Highly recommended!

Key data:

Accommodation: Levilehto Apartments

Levi ski resort:

26 lifts / 38.5 km of slopes / Funpark

Weather: sunny / partly cloudy at -18 to -12 degrees during the day

Costs: Ski pass & ski rental Zero Point:

Ski pass 3 days/adult (from 12 years): 136,50 €

Ski rental 5 days (standard set: skis, poles and boots): 125 €