Summer season in Lapland: Expertise Mountain Biking & Mountaineering in Levitunturi

You could not imagine it, however Levi, Finland is not only a ski resort within the winter. Summer season in Lapland is simply as lovely!

The Levitunturi mountain gives breathtaking 360° views of Lapland and slopes in all instructions even in summer time and fall. Better of all, Levi is a real paradise for energetic folks and households within the hotter months as properly!

Sadly, this isn’t so well-known exterior Finland. However now you already know, and you’ll stay up for an excellent summer time trip in Levi.

Expertise summer time in Levi with mountain biking and climbing! Uncover one of the best routes for newbies and superior bikers, expertise the journey of the bike park or hike by breathtaking surroundings. There may be additionally quite a bit to find for households with babies.

In our article you’ll study all in regards to the companies within the village, the place to remain and the best way to get to Levi.

So seize your climbing boots or mountain bike and let’s go!

After studying this text, you’ll have all the knowledge you should make your summer time trip in Lapland unforgettable. And who is aware of, you may even meet a reindeer in your approach by the Finnish wilderness.

Our Finland knowledgeable, Hendrik, visited Levi together with his household in the summertime.

Right here is an summary:

Levitunturi – “Fjell of Levi” in Finnish – is an imposing mountain in Southern Lapland, standing alone and proud.

When you climb a number of hundred meters, you’re rewarded with a wide ranging view of the encircling panorama: the spectacular Pallas Mountains to the northwest, the Ylläs Mountains some 35 kilometers to the west, in addition to lakes, small fjells and numerous forests. On the foot of the mountains lies the charming village of Sirkka, which serves as a base for journey and exploration.

Take the gondola up the mountain, the place you possibly can both race down the summer time toboggan run or discover the world on one of many many climbing trails.

A real paradise for nature lovers and explorers!

Mountainbiking in and round Levi

Not solely does Levi have a well-known bike park, which I’ll speak about later, however there’s additionally lots to find for many who aren’t essentially searching for the adrenaline rush of downhill using.

With a big community of mountain bike trails that permit for adventurous day rides on single trails and thru picturesque forests, much less risk-averse bikers may also discover their cash’s value.

For my check, I attempted the Levi Tunturi Path, a roughly 18km route that circles Mount Levitunturi, and I used to be actually impressed with the wonderful upkeep of the path. Some could really feel it’s extra like a freeway than a path, however I’ve seen many trails which have destroyed the character round them because of the excessive variety of guests.

From my expertise I can say that properly maintained trails are a lot better for the atmosphere in these conditions.

Particularly for younger mountain biking newbies, these trails supply a secure approach to enhance their off-road abilities.

Skilled riders may also have enjoyable doing the loop round Levitunturi Path in competitors model and testing their velocity. However there are numerous different trails within the space, equivalent to a trip to Ylläs and again, or exploring the lesser-known locations round Levi.

You don’t want a automobile in Levi, because the village is kind of small. Nonetheless, if you wish to get round quicker, you possibly can swap to a bicycle and get round city. We used 4 rental bikes to get to the Levi Bike and Exercise Park, which is barely 3 km from our lodging and was simply managed even by our 5 12 months outdated.

Levi with small children

Levi Journey Park

Talking of our 5 12 months outdated, Levi shouldn’t be solely a professional at steep descents, but additionally has quite a bit to supply the youthful children!

Have you ever heard in regards to the Journey Park at Gondolintie? There are many free issues for toddlers and babies, equivalent to an superior playground, a small zip line parkour close to the bottom, and pedal automobiles, which our daughter simply beloved.

When the climate is heat and sunny, this can be a good spot to go – however don’t neglect to pack loads of sunscreen, as there may be little or no shade!

For teenagers over 115 cm tall, the massive zipline parkour is a fully sensible exercise – my son and spouse beloved it.

Earlier than you get began, there’s an introductory course the place you study all about climbing and the completely different options. After that, you get to decide on one among a number of routes – every thing from ziplining for nearly 1,000m to climbing over enjoyable obstacles.

I’m telling you, this seems a lot enjoyable! I’m already excited and may’t await our daughter to be large enough on her subsequent go to to Levi so we are able to all expertise this adrenaline rush collectively.

Tonttula Elves Village

On the final day of our trip, we visited the elven village of Tonttula, which is positioned a bit away from Sirkka. A brief taxi trip took us there.

Right here we had been in a position to take a guided tour, make Christmas decorations and bake gingerbread cookies – our kids particularly loved this.

We additionally visited the massive cave and acquired to pet some cattle. We ate lunch right here and took a brief hike on the forest path.

Even if it was July and a bit out of season for us mother and father, the go to was total very good and enjoyable for all of us, particularly our kids.

Levi Bike Park

A few years in the past I watched my good friend Kaddi go downhill mountain biking and thought, “Wow, that appears fairly cool!”

Due to Jesper, who I met on my trip in Åre, I acquired to expertise what it was prefer to trip down steep hills. It was actually thrilling and I had loads of enjoyable.

The truth is, it’s a lot simpler and safer than you may suppose. That’s why I used to be much more excited after I had the possibility to trip downhill with my son at Levi Bike Park, one of many oldest bike parks in Finland.

It was an unforgettable expertise and we each had a good time!

First, we picked up our downhill bikes on the Levi Bike Park retailer and outfitted ourselves with our protecting gear. From POC knee pads to physique harnesses and helmets to gloves and shirts, it was all there.

Then we met our teacher Pieto, who shouldn’t be solely a path builder in Levi. Our group consisted of six folks with completely different talent ranges, however Pieto was in a position to cater to every of us. Even I, as an skilled rider, was in a position to study one thing.

After an introduction to our bikes, we took the gondola up the mountain and began our tour on the Village Path.

The inexperienced path is ideal for newbies and likewise gives nice views and thrilling options. We’re certain this path will likely be very fashionable sooner or later!

We did the path in phases, taking breaks to follow completely different abilities. For instance, we discovered the best way to make turns and trip waves.

After mastering the Village Path on the Levi Exercise Heart, we took the gondola again as much as the Blue Groove Path. This is among the hottest trails in Levi and has a lot of thrilling berms and options – all at an simple Blue Path degree.

We had loads of enjoyable!

Within the afternoon, my son and I rode the Village Path and the South Route with Pieto. We had the paths to ourselves and will actually put the pedal to the steel.

Though there have been loads of riders and bikers developing the mountain, the paths had been quiet. Even on the favored Blue Groove we might simply cease and take footage with out anybody getting in our approach.

What a sense!

With greater than ten trails of various levels of problem, the riders had been unfold out very evenly. This additionally signifies that slower riders don’t really feel like they’re holding others again. High!

We had some actually cool days on the Levi Bike Park!

My son and I rode loads of trails and he did all of it with out worry and with nice approach – and that’s after just one lesson! He informed me that he actually loved the expertise and since we’re again dwelling he has been using his Woom OFF Air on the paths close to us and he’s having a blast.

So cool!

As a aspect notice, many ski resorts around the globe are abandoned throughout the summer time months. That is in fact not ideally suited for the native communities. That’s why I totally help the thought of villages the place you possibly can dwell all 12 months spherical.

Thankfully, there are companies just like the Levi Bike Park that be certain that resorts, eating places, and even the costly gondola and raise infrastructure don’t should shut down when the ski season is over.

Companies like these and others hold the small village of Sirkka bustling year-round and permit its residents to make a dwelling from January to December. How cool is that?

Mountaineering in Levi

Nearly each night I made a brief or longer hike up Levitunturi.

In summer time in Lapland there may be an incomparable golden hour that makes my photographer’s coronary heart beat quicker each time. The good climate and sumptuous views make each hike an unforgettable expertise.

Though there are some marked trails main up and across the mountain, I largely simply walked round and explored the environment. I particularly loved visiting Santa’s Cabin, climbing to the highest, and simply following little trails that regarded promising.

If you wish to study extra about how these mountains had been shaped, it is best to undoubtedly go to the Ice Age Path. There are additionally many different trails to discover round Levi – a fast search on Retkikartta will provide help to discover and discover all of them!

Companies within the village

In Sirkka, with its properly laid out middle, you’ll uncover a wide range of outlets and companies.

A improbable expertise for the youngsters and me was the summer toboggan run, the place you possibly can trip alone or with a companion on a 2-person sled.

The attraction may be very widespread and it is strongly recommended to return within the early morning or early afternoon to keep away from lengthy waits. After 4pm it may possibly get very crowded and you’ll anticipate to attend as much as an hour to rise up and down.

We rented 4 bikes from the Zero Point shop down by the slopes in Sirkka and it was an absolute blast!

We informed them our measurement and wishes on-line beforehand and once we arrived all we needed to do was strive the bikes on. What can I say? They match like a glove and we might begin using immediately. We additionally acquired our rental helmets. It couldn’t have been simpler!

Better of all, the shop has bikes for youths of all ages. Our daughter was thrilled to get her pink Trek bike!

The Vacationer Info Heart makes it simple to guide actions, get raise tickets, and even discover a cozy place to remain. Should you lose one thing alongside the way in which, no worries – there are a number of sporting items shops close by.

For the small starvation in between there are a number of cafes and a espresso store, however in case you are actually hungry there are a number of eating places to select from. We selected an house with a kitchen and went procuring on the S-Market grocery store within the middle to arrange our personal meals.

I don’t drink alcohol anymore, so I didn’t go to the bars and nightclubs in Levi, however for those who really feel like a chilly beer after an action-packed day on the downhill trails, you possibly can!

The place to remain

Our spacious house on the Hullu Poro Hotel was our dwelling away from dwelling throughout our keep.

It’s a quick stroll to town middle and the bus stops proper exterior the door, which may be very handy. The small spa with sauna and sizzling tub was the proper place for the youngsters to calm down after an extended day.

Our house accommodated as much as six folks and had three bedrooms, two loos, a small kitchen, and a pleasant eating and dwelling space. We even had our personal sauna, however the climate was so heat that we didn’t use it.

All in all, it was a really comfy keep and the included breakfast was scrumptious.

Learn how to get to Levi

We began our journey to Levi by practice and bus and spent one night time on the hostel Café Koti. This resolution allowed us to shorten our journey days and discover Rovaniemi a bit.

We particularly appreciated the Offended Birds playground, which can also be free! With our youngsters, we spent a number of hours enjoying on the varied installations lovingly designed by Lapses.

There was additionally a soccer subject and we borrowed balls to play a number of rounds.

Bus and practice

Bus and practice are nice!

We determined to take the practice from Vaasa to Rovaniemi and again and it was actually low-cost – particularly for those who guide early. Our practice tickets value us a complete of solely €75.00.

Granted, the journey takes between 6 and eight hours and it’s a must to change trains twice alongside the way in which, however with some cool card video games, audio books or a film in your pill, the journey could be tremendous pleasurable for everybody.

Flying to Kittilä

Alternatively, you possibly can fly to Kittilä with Finnair, which is the quickest approach.

Nonetheless, the flights are a bit dearer and there are restricted connections. Should you resolve to fly to Levi, make sure you guide properly upfront.

There are native buses that take you from the airport in Kittilä to Levi and again – they run similtaneously the flights, so it’s tremendous simple!

The Gear

As normal, we traveled gentle, utilizing solely the Arc’teryx V110 Duffel and our Eagle Creek Cubes to retailer our 4 outfits and belongings. My digital camera gear and MacBook had been safely tucked away in my trusty Peak Design Journey Backpack, whereas I used my HUCKEPACKS Phoenix Lite for climbing and the Vaude TrailSpacer 18 for biking.

However I particularly appreciated my Luna Sandals OSO Flaco and my Houdini Dawn Shorts, which I all the time prefer to put on in the summertime. We acquired our mountain bikes and downhill bikes together with safety gear on the Levi Bike Park Store (for the downhill) and at Zero Level in Sirkka (for the MTBs), so we are able to journey relaxed with out bikes by public transport. 🙂

Do you have to go and go to Levi?

Levi actually wowed us!

There are thrilling and enjoyable actions for youths and adults alike, which we actually loved.

It was particularly nice that there have been a lot of free issues to do across the Journey Park and that we might discover the world on bikes – our youngsters particularly beloved that. So for those who’re searching for an energetic trip vacation spot with loads of room to calm down, it is best to undoubtedly take a look at Levi.

With an abundance of various actions, lodging for each price range, and beautiful views from Levitunturi, it’s undoubtedly a vacation spot to place in your listing to your subsequent summer time or fall trip!