EUROPE SNOWBOARD TOURS
Svanstein Ski, Lucky Ranch, Pyhä & Pyhä-Luosto Backcountry
This is a Powder Surfing tour to Finnish and Swedish Lapland, above the Arctic Circle in the depths of winter. The focus of this tour is Powder Surfing, which at it’s core, is a return to the roots of snowboarding. On this tour, you’ll get to ride a hand-crafted pow surf board in the local hills and backcountry areas. You’ll get to experience binding-free riding, propelled by gravity. Similar to surfing and skateboarding, the lack of bindings allows exploration of how stance and position affect the ride. It conveys the spirit and original stoke of surfing and gives the rider a connection with nature. It opens up the backcountry and backyard hills to new forms of riding and exploration. Here’s what to expect on our Arctic Pow Surf Tour:
- You’ll spend two days powder surfing in the Finnish backcountry. WATCH HERE
- You’ll ride in Finland and Sweden at local resorts and backcountry areas including Svanstein Ski. WATCH HERE
- You’ll have the best chance at witnessing the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) on the cold, clear nights. WATCH HERE
- You’ll get to experience snowboarding culture in the Arctic while travelling with our local guides.
- You’ll sample many of the local activities like ice fishing, ice hole swimming, sauna, husky sledding, ice karting and snowmobiling.
WHERE WE RIDE – SVANSTEIN & PYHA
We spend 3 nights and 2 days exploring Svanstein, located in Swedish Lapland. If you want to get a feel for the terrain and conditions in Svanstein, then check out this short edit WATCH HERE. It’s enough to get anyone frothing to ride some Swedish pow. Apart from the super light dry snow and perfect freeride terrain, the resort has 16 marked runs plus a terrain park with a mini pipe. Svanstein also has some serious cred in the snowboard world. The resort is operated by three legends in snowboarding; Johan Olofsson, Ingemar Backman and Jacob Söderqvist. These guys will show us a few of their favourite runs and if the conditions are right, they will operate the sleds so we’ve got access to the best backcountry zones.
We spend 4 nights and 3 days exploring the local fells and Pyha Luosto Backcountry in Finnish Lapland. These Fells are local hills where we’ll have our snowsurf sessions. We’ll make our approach to the ‘surf grounds’ with snowmobile & sleigh as well as some short hikes. When it’s lunch time out here, it’s time to get out of the elements and escape the cold into a ‘Kota’. These Kota’s are traditional Finnish timber huts in the woods, where visitors can cook food over the fire. We’ll break for lunch in a ‘Kota’, get warm, grill some food over the fire and share some beers. We’ll also head out for a guided day into the Pyhä backcountry and surrounding national park. We’ll have our local guides on hand to show us all their secret zones and keep the good vibes going while we’re hiking and finding fresh lines. There are many different freeride areas in the vicinity of the Fell and the Pyhä-Luosto National Park, which offer challenging terrain suited to even to the most experienced riders.
SNOW & CONDITIONS
February is the best time of year to experience snowboarding in the Arctic. What you can expect is light dry snow, perfect for powder surfing. Temps will be cold, with temperatures ranging from -15 to -25 degrees Celsius. Days will be short, with an average of 6 hours of sunlight per day.
LOCAL GUIDES & LOCAL EXPERIENCES
Throughout the tour you will be hosted by our local Finnish snowboard guides who are on-hand to show you the best of each area, and theirlocal knowledge will unlock many places that are beyond the reach of most visitors. You’ll get an authentic experience and cultural insights with visits to local towns, restaurants, and après-ski.
SMALL GROUPS
We offer one of the smallest client to guide ratio’s in the industry which ultimately leads to a better experience for everyone. Our small groups allow greater manoeuvrability and ease of access to the best areas a destination can offer. When we are on mountain, our guest to guide ratio is 6 people per guide. This also makes for a more personal experience between our guests and guides.
QUALITY ACCOMMODATION
We make sure all our guests stay in quality accommodation that’s in the best location. Throughout the tour you’ll stay in 3 star hotels which have great facilities. Our comfortable twin share rooms are equipped with 2 single beds and each room has a great heating, private ensuite bathroom, TV, and free WiFi.
EASY AIRPORT TRANSFERS
We take the hassle out of travel and make it a stress-free trip, especially if you’re travelling solo or it’s your first time to Finland. Once your flight arrives in Rovaniemi Airport, grab your bags and our guides are on-hand to meet you. Once your flight arrives, grab your bags and our guides are on-hand to meet you. We’ll make a scenic door-to-door trip, from the airport straight to our hotel in Svanstein. Grab a window seat and in 2 hours you’ll arrive at our powder paradise. Our guides will be on-hand to check you in, and make sure you’re set up for the adventure ahead.
PRE TOUR SUPPORT
After you sign up for a tour, you will receive pre-trip emails with specific information about your tour, the arrival and departure day process, information about the destination, packing suggestions, and other relevant information to help you prepare for your trip. In addition to this, you have access to our customer care team who are just a phone-call away. And as a full-service travel agent, we are able to take care of your flights, insurance, stopovers and pre or post tour arrangements.
WHY TRAVEL WITH MINT?
In a rapidly changing travel industry it’s important to know that your travel provider is accredited, accountable and responsible. We are a registered member of AFTA and IATA and conduct business in accordance with the ATAS Charter and Code of Conduct. When you travel with Mint you can have peace of mind that you are booking with a qualified and established travel operator with over 20 years of expertise. And as a full-service travel agent, we are able to take care of your flights, insurance, stopovers and pre or post tour arrangements.