Lindsey McNeil samples ice driving, snowmobiling and a spine-tinglingy authentic sauna in Finland, the original winter wonderland…
It was on the last night of my trip to Finland that I had to face my worst fear: going naked in a sauna followed by a plunge into an ice hole.
It was there in our itinerary: ‘6pm – Smoke sauna followed by ‘ice hole high jinks’’. There was no avoiding it, so I did what any repressed English tourist would do and started start skulling wine at 5pm.
By six I was ready for anything and 30 minutes later found myself, wrapped only a towel, slipping and sliding through the snow towards a hole in a frozen lake. Without stopping to think I plunged into the icy depths, right up to my neck.
It was truly exhilarating. In fact, that’s pretty much how you could sum up any holiday to Finland, an unspoilt wilderness-cum-vast outdoor adventure playground for grown-ups.
Its enviable snow record and gentle slopes have earned it a reputation as a great place to learn to ski, but for heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, high-octane activities you have to look beyond the slopes.
Saariselka, located in the wild, mystical north, is a good base for a learn-to-ski break but it also offers a vast range of alternative entertainment, from ice driving to husky dog safaris to snowmobiling.
Ice driving, at the Test World Winter Driving Academy, goes down particularly well with groups and stag parties. After a quick demonstration and pep talk (in which you’re warned there’s an excess of several grand to pay if you total the car) you’re handed the keys to an Audi and allowed to take it quite literally for a spin around an icy obstacle course.
In a half-day session at Test World you can also try go-karting on ice and take a hair-raising ride around a rally course with a professional racing driver at the wheel.
Only slightly tamer and just as much fun, snowmobiling is another pre-bookable excursion. What’s great about riding here is that you can really get some speed up on the icy plateaux. We bounced along woodland trails knee deep in snow, getting used to the feel of the machines as they eased around bends, but once out in the able we were able to race along at 60kph.
Our guide stopped from time to time, to point out Russia in the distance, a couple of deer wandering through the trees and just to appreciate the peace and quiet.
Couples or families may prefer the tranquillity of a reindeer safari through a moonlit forest, followed by a traditional meal of salmon cooked over a fire, or to try their luck panning for gold at the nearby Tankavara museum, or simply a wander around the Sami Museum & Inari Village, soaking up some local culture.
If there’s time, you should squeeze in a massage – treatments at the Holiday Club Hotel in the centre of the resort come highly recommended – and a sauna followed by dip in an ice hole. There’s really no feeling quite like it.
Sample package
Seven nights half-board at the 4-star Holiday Club Hotel in Saariselka, which has an indoor pool complex and spa, costs from £555, including return flights from Gatwick, from Inghams. Flights are also available at a supplement from Birmingham (+£19), Bristol (+£25) and Manchester (+£19).
Pre-bookable excursions also include a snowmobile safari, £67pp, a husky mini-safari, £34pp and a reindeer mini-safari, £16pp. Ice karting at Test World costs about €43pp for 15 minutes, and three hours driving a rally car is €460. Half day excursions to Tankvara cost €39 and to Inari cost €29.
Ski pack items can be pre-booked, including a Learn to Ski/Board package which costs £139pp including equipment hire, tuition and lift pass. (020 8780 4447 or go to inghams.co.uk/agents)
