Responsible snowmobile safaris
The rise of the electric snowmobile, like the electric car, has happened in the span of one short decade. In 2011, Fairbanks University in Alaska had an electric snowmobile with a range of just 30km. Today, you can put your name down on a waiting list to purchase a Taiga, a Canadian-developed electric snowmobile with a 140km range, a 20-minute fast charge, and an operating threshold of -40°C degrees. Electric snowmobiles are non-polluting, and nearly silent, making them great for spotting wildlife, and good for the environment, too.
Our Finland Vacations
Finland Northern Lights vacation, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
Cross-country skiing vacation in Finland, Russian border
Guided hut-to-hut cross-country skiing vacation in Finland
Northern Lights activity break in Finland, Arctic Hills
Experience the wilderness by car, snowmobile, skies, huskies
Lapland vacation, husky safari & log cottage
Luxurious log suite,northern lights & overnight husky safari
Finland hiking vacation
A hut-to-hut hiking journey along Finland's eastern border
Northern lights family vacation, tailor made
A mix of Lapland family activities and a relaxing Spa hotel
Finland winter activity vacation & Northern Lights
Discover this Finnish winter activity wilderness week
Husky safari in Finland
Sled with huskies through spectacular Finnish scenery
Finland wildlife short break
Bear, wolverine and elk widlife short break in Finland
Winter cottage vacation in Finnish Lapland
Winter Cottage vacations, Finnish Lapland.
Wild Taiga wildlife vacation in Finland
Special Taiga mammals of Finland
Cross-country skiing vacation in Finland
Fun, relaxing cross-country skiing for beginners and pros.
Finnish family winter adventure vacation
See the Northern Lights in Finland
Northern Lights vacation in Finnish Lapland, Harriniva
Hunt for the Northern Lights in Finnish Lapland
Winter tailor-made vacation in Finland
Adventure in Finnish Lapland, huskies, northern lights & more
Northern Lights vacation, Finnish Lapland
Unique aurora tour with huskys, snowshoeing and snowmobiling
Wild Taiga self drive vacation in Finland, Finnish National Parks
Self guided driving tour in Finland's Wild Taiga wilderness
Winter adventure in Finland
A week of winter activities in Finnish Lapland
Family winter adventure in Finland
Great range of activities in Lapland's winter wilderness.
Scandinavia small group tour
Soak up a little Scandinavian minimalism
Winter vacation in Finnish Lapland, tailor made
An extensive choice of activities to suit your travel date.
Luxury wilderness Northern Lights vacation, Finland
Nangu Northern Lights Activity Vacation
Snowshoeing vacation in Finland
A great snowshoe tour in the new Hossa National Park.
Finland snowshoeing vacation
Explore this stunning setting of Oulanka National Park
Christmas in Finland, log cabin stay
Log cabin week in Lapland over Christmas
Lapland New Year vacation, Northern Lights
New Year celebrations, Tromsø & the Northern Lights Route
Self drive family vacation in Finland
A self-drive vacation for families Finland
Northern Lights short break in Nellim, Finland
Short Northern Lights break in Finland.
Family winter activity vacation in Finland
A combination of activities, cottages & snowy landscapes
Wildlife photography vacation in Finland
Wolverine photographing in winterland Finland
A short history of snowmobiles
Snowmobiles came into the market in 1960 in Canada. The ‘Ski-Dog’ was designed to replace the dog sleds used by trackers – but a typo led to it being called the Ski-Doo. The design is simple: instead of wheels, snowmobiles run on a rotating track, like a tank, powered by a two-stroke or four-stroke engine, or more recently, of course, an electric motor.Snowmobiles were rapidly adopted in Lapland by reindeer herders in the 1960s. Motorised transport revolutionised the lifestyles of the herders who could afford them. Now they could go out to check on their herds in the day, but return to their families at night. “In a Changing World, Lapps Herd Reindeer by Snowmobile” ran a New York Times headline in 1977. The traditional reindeer sled was abandoned.
Why do we need electric snowmobiles?
Whilst snowmobiles are the fastest way to get around Lapland, conventional snowmobiles are simply too loud. Two-stroke engines buzz along at a high RPM, creating an intolerable racket. In a silent, snowy landscape, the chainsaw-like running is abrasive – and pervasive. Before the US government capped park visitors in 2014, a study found that you could hear snowmobiles 70 percent of the time in 11 out of 13 tested locations in Yellowstone National Park during the winter months. A North American study from 1982 confirmed that the noise stressed wildlife, causing a 250 percent increase in heart rate in white-tailed deer1. Go on an aurora tour in Lapland on a snowmobile and you’re contributing to light pollution, too, thanks to your headlights.Using a snowmobile can radically up the carbon footprint of your vacation. Two-stroke engines burn a heavily polluting combination of oil and petrol. One study from 1999 showed running a two-stroke engine for seven hours produces more air pollution than running a ‘modern’ car for 160,000km. Samuel Bruneau, co-founder of Taiga electric snowmobiles, found further, compelling evidence: “The two-stroke engines on conventional snowmobiles are up to 50 times more polluting than average cars.”
Our snowmobile vacations
Unlike, say, huskies, they don’t require year-round care to be used for a short winter season, so their running costs are actually a lot lower. A whole service industry has grown around them. Choose a snowmobile safari, and you’re giving money to the mechanics in the area. Companies who use snowmobiles also argue that the alternative isn’t dog sleds, but four-wheel drive vehicles, which can be even worse for noise and carbon emissions.
Our travelers are divided. Some love the thrill of snowmobiles. Others point out the negatives. “The only activity which I felt harmed the environment was the snowmobile safari. I am sure that this form of transport is vital for working people, but as a tourist jaunt it is polluting a place that is proud to be the cleanest in Europe,” says Irene Mitchell, who booked a winter cottage vacation in Finnish Lapland.
After her tailor made Northern Lights family vacation, Caroline Brooks said, “Snowmobiles seem inherently bad for the environment and, while essential for local people such as the reindeer herder to do their work, our two-hour snowmobile trip with other travelers seemed like a frivolous burning of fossil fuels, even though it was fun!”
Our top Finland Vacation
Finland Northern Lights vacation, Wilderness Auroras
Winter activities & Aurora hunting in Finland
2021: 14 Mar, 21 Mar, 28 Mar, 28 Nov, 5 Dec, 12 Dec
2022: 2 Jan, 9 Jan, 16 Jan, 23 Jan, 6 Feb, 27 Feb, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 27 Mar
Responsible snowmobiling
Whilst Finnish law states you need to be 15 or over to ride a snowmobile, most companies ask that you are over 18 and hold a full driving license. You should stick to the 60 km/h speed limit (up to 80 km/h on frozen waterways) and always stick to the trails.