Downhill Skiing and Aurora hunting in Finnish Lapland

Planet

Go downhill skiing and Northern Lights hunting in Saariselka, Finnish Lapland on our bespoke four-night trip.

Your accommodation for this trip is the Saariselkä Northern Lights Village, which sits on the outskirts of the ski resort. We recommend guests take the pleasant walk of around 40-50 minutes from their hotel to the ski resort, but a shuttle bus is available on request for a small charge.

Saariselkä Northern Lights Village is fully Green Key certified. The Green Key certificate is a leading standard of excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable tourism. This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their tourism establishments adhere to the strict criteria stipulated by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

As a vacation resort which relies on the Northern Lights at the heart of its business model, it has a tremendous responsibility to local nature and society. As such, the hotel has implemented a number of steps to reduce emissions with the aim of carbon neutrality in the near future.

All waste is sorted into plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, glass, deposit bottles, cans and problem waste and recycled in accordance. Electricity usage has been reduced by installing motion sensors to turn off lighting, dimming lighting in the restaurant during meal times, keeping all electronics off when not being used, using fireplaces to generate heat, and trapping that heat with auto-closing doors.

Reducing water consumption is also a major priority for the hotel with shower water output being constantly measured and kept below six litres a minute, installing timers on showers to eliminate unnecessary waste, and keeping boilers at each cabin which limit the amount of time warm water lasts per usage.

Local produce is selected for meal preparation to support local suppliers, helping reinforce the tourism multiplier effect and reducing the carbon footprint of ingredients.

You will spend two days of this going downhill skiing at Saariselkä Ski Resort, which is also fully Green Key certified. Snowmaking machines are a huge environmental problem at many downhill ski resorts as they contain potentially damaging chemicals in the ecosystem and are highly energy consuming. Snow fences are used instead, which has the same effect but saves energy and reduces environmental impact. Since March, all energy used has been completely fossil-free.

People

Saariselkä Northern Lights Village is owned by local resident Markku Inkilä and his wife, Susanna Inkilä. Marku is a renowned Northern Lights photographer who’s work has featured in The Sunday Times, the Telegraph, and hundreds of websites around the world. The staff employed here are primarily local people, where each individual’s insight is valued and seen as key for the sustained growth of the company. Saariselkä Northern Lights Village recognises that a company is only as valuable as it’s employees, and they take center stage at their most valuable resource. By using locally owned accommodation, who in turn employ local staff, we aim to eliminate the risk of tourism leakage as much as possible.

This is a philosophy that carries over into our own business as a tour operator. Many of us in our office have studied and researched responsible and environmental travel issues as a part of their job, or at university. As a vacation company who’s primary destinations are the pristine winter wonderlands of Lapland and Scandinavia, we know how essential it is to preserve and maintain these conditions. We’ve learned that tourism can be a extremely positive force if managed in a sustainable way that benefits the local community, economy and environment. We encourage all guests to learn about the tradition and history of each destination, what contemporary life is like there, and any issues that are facing the area. This is crucial to our belief that not only we should benefit from the vacation experience, but so should our clients, suppliers, and the local people at every destination.