Lapland & the Arctic
The land of deep winter and never-ending nights that truly captivated me on my first visit -- even though it ended in me breaking my leg! I keep going back, and every time I discover something entire unique and equally astounding.
A Taste of Wilderness in the Middle of Rovaniemi
The most memorable part of my brief sojourn to Swedish Lapland last year — the trip that inspired me to go back for much longer this year — was my first venture out into the untamed wilderness in a sled being pulled by six huskies. I remember being bundled up in reindeer skins and canvas...
Bashing Through the Ice in a 3500-Ton Ship
Standing on the bow of the Sampo icebreaker ship, I looked out “to sea.” That sea was a frozen, barren stretch of ice that stretched all the way to the horizon, only broken by lines of churned-up ice left by the ship’s previous excursions. It looked as though we should be stuck, hemmed in as [&helli
Snowmobiling on the Icy Gulf of Bothnia
Standing in the middle of the frozen wasteland of the Gulf of Bothnia, I felt like I could have been a thousand miles to the north. Sure, in the distance I could see a small windfarm, slowly spinning away in the light Lappish breeze, but when I turned away from it I was greeted with […]
Nearly Being Steamed to Death…in the SnowCastle?
Never did I imagine that a stay in the SnowCastle would result in me nearly passing out from heat exhaustion. As I curled up in my Arctic sleeping bag, leaving only my nose and mouth poking out into the -5C air inside my little dome of a room, the only thing I could think of […]
Enjoying the Moment at the Arctic Snow Hotel
After having spent four of the previous five nights standing outside in seriously cold temperatures until well past midnight, it wouldn’t have been surprising if I couldn’t muster up much excitement about yet another cold night. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Yes, I was tired, but t
Cross-Country Skiing…Without Falling Over!
I’m just a little bit clumsy. I’ve fallen into a parked car, giving myself a concussion in the process. I’ve dislocated my toe on the Tongariro Crossing, having to hobble the final 2km so I could catch my bus. Last year, I planned to try cross-country skiing, only to break my leg before I got [&hell
Being a Big Kid at Santa Claus Village
Sometimes I feel like my entire trip to Lapland was simply an excuse to indulge my inner child for a month. After all, I spent the entire time playing in heaping piles of snow, trying to make up for the fact that the first time I saw any snow stick to the ground was just […]
Officially Licensed to Drive a Reindeer Sled
In the 1960s, a massive change swept across Finland. The Americans had finally perfected their design of a vehicle for recreational use on the snow — the snowmobile. While it has always been seen as a fun toy — sort of like a jet ski — in North America, the Ski-Doo imported by a schoolteacher [&hell
Ice Karting: Channeling My Inner Yoshi
MarioKart is one of my favourite games ever. Since it originally came out on the SNES, I’ve loved zooming around the tracks (always as Yoshi), tossing turtle shells at people and avoiding the inevitable strings of bananas piled all over the track. Don’t tell Finland, but I’d rather play MarioKart th
Dozing Off Under the Northern Lights…What Could Be Better?
Watching the northern lights is an experience that is truly beyond words. There’s not really a way to describe the feeling of staring up at the sky as it explodes into colour, at first cloudlike and faintly white before it slowly morphs into green (and sometimes pink, purple, and gold) streaks acros