Levi. A magical place 170 km beyond the Arctic Circle. Freezing temperatures, the fairytale village of Sirkka, reindeer wandering across the roads, auroras dancing in the sky, and of course Santa Claus himself. And most importantly – the iconic Alpine Ski World Cup, beloved by viewers from all around the globe. We set out to learn more about what happens behind the scenes of the World Cup, because the event itself serves as a showcase of everything Lapland has to offer at this time of year.
Santa Opens the Door
Even on the flight from Helsinki, a photo of Santa welcomed us with an invitation to visit his workshop. Is Santa the main attraction drawing tourists to Levi?
“Santa is one of the reasons people come here for the first time – mostly because their children want to experience this moment. But many return a second or even third time to discover everything else Levi has to offer. Santa simply opens the door,” says Satu Pesonen, CEO of Visit Levi.
Santa is inseparably linked with reindeer, which are typical semi-domesticated animals of this region.
“Each one has an owner. Most live freely during the summer season – from May to October. Before winter, they begin to be collected and brought home; the owners count them, check them, vaccinate them, and then they are either used in tourism or according to the owner’s wishes. In the past, reindeer were commonly used even as a means of transportation to school,” Pesonen adds.
Vlhová Got a Special Exception
Fans of Alpine skiing know that one of the prizes for the race winner is a young reindeer, and the athlete gets to choose its name. The record holder is American Mikaela Shiffrin – with nine reindeer she has even surpassed Santa himself. Their names are Rudolph, Sven, Mr. Gru, Ingemar, Sunny, Lorax, Grogu, Rori, and the newest addition, Winkie.
These reindeer come from the Ounaskievari farm, which raises socialized reindeer – including those used in sleigh teams. For years, the farm has been entrusted with the important task of selecting the friendliest and calmest reindeer calves that can be symbolically presented to the World Cup winners in Levi.
Farm workers dressed in Sámi clothing (the Sámi are the Indigenous people of Lapland) lead the calf to the ceremony, accompanied by an older trained reindeer to help the youngster stay calm. The winner, of course, does not take the reindeer home. It returns to the Ounaskievari farm with its new name, where its “owner” may visit it anytime.
You can meet, pet, and feed reindeer from previous seasons – those that have already returned from roaming free – directly at the race venue. During our interview with Jenna Uusikartano from the Ounaskievari farm, skier Henrik Kristoffersen stopped by to ask about his reindeer, worried whether they had been hit by a truck or something similar. The farm staff reassured him that Lars and Trenkki were perfectly fine.
“We gradually train the young reindeer so they get used to people. The World Cup can be a bit chaotic – lots of noise and crowds – so a companion reindeer always goes with the calf. The winners always receive a male reindeer, except for one special case. When Petra Vlhová visited our farm to see her herd (Igor, Lujza, Pepi, Boris, Michal), she fell in love with a white female calf and asked the owner, Johanna Hietanen, if she could receive that one if she won. And that’s exactly what happened – her sixth reindeer is named Zuzana.”
Uusikartano told us this lovely story.
She added that Mikaela’s newest reindeer, Winkie, was extremely calm and sweet, and the entire ceremony and photos went smoothly. She was a bit worried about Sunday’s ceremony, though, because the calf prepared for the men’s winner was very energetic and happily “dancing” around the pen. At the time of the interview we didn’t yet know who would win – but now it all makes perfect sense. Like skier, like reindeer. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen danced through the slalom faster than anyone else and could name this charming, hungry calf after his father, Bjørn. With the current excitement in Brazil, we have a feeling some new Brazilian visitors might soon find their way to Levi.
Aurora
And they’ll certainly find some fellow Brazilians here. Filippo Dias, who manages social media for World Cup Levi, also comes from this exotic country on the opposite side of the planet. He also works for Fearless Finns in a similar role, so you can imagine how he felt watching the Brazil–Finland double podium on Sunday. (Yes, that was his voice singing the Brazilian national anthem from the crowd.)
“Levi is a truly unique World Cup venue, and it’s not just because of the snow or the Arctic surroundings. There’s something magical about this place that’s almost impossible to describe. As a Brazilian who fell in love with Lapland, I often say it must be the magnetic field or the energy of this land that pulls you in and makes you want to stay.
One of the most incredible things here is how clearly the seasons change. My favorite is winter, of course.
I also have a deep love for the northern lights, and living here allows me to share that passion with people. With my expedition company, I get to guide visitors, especially from Brazil, to experience the auroras for the very first time. Watching them see the sky come alive… it never stops feeling special.”
The northern lights occur when particles from the solar wind – electrically charged plasma – collide with the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. The northern lights you can see in Levi (and anywhere beyond the Arctic Circle) are called the Aurora Borealis (the southern version is Aurora Australis). More than 400 years ago, Galileo gave it its name: “Aurora” after the Roman goddess of dawn, and “Borealis” after Boreas, the Greek god of the cold northern wind.
Anyone traveling beyond the Arctic Circle between autumn and spring hopes to witness this magical phenomenon. Not everyone is lucky – strong solar activity and a clear sky are required, and Levi often has cloudy weather.
If you’d like to see the northern lights yourself but aren’t planning a trip north, here are two tips. The My Aurora app (free) will notify you when auroras are active. And here’s the live camera from Levi, perfect for watching the lights whenever the sky is clear.
A Bit Too Warm for Training
Walking from the iconic Levi sign and the bottom station of the gondola – whose cabins are named after past winners – toward the grandstand offers even more unique experiences. We spoke with Elena Pack, who cares for the huskies lounging lazily on their blankets in the -18°C cold.
“At Lapland Husky Safari we have 180 dogs. Because of their extremely thick double coat, they perform best at temperatures below -12 degrees. We begin training them in early September once the temperatures drop. They love pulling sleds – one person sits, another stands behind. A team consists of 5 to 6 dogs, and we offer various route lengths.”
Besides dog sledding, Lapland Safaris offers snowshoeing or ice fishing.
Stands, small shops, and sponsor booths provide places to warm up by the fire and enjoy hot drinks – served in traditional metal kettles.
“They’re made entirely of metal, just like the fire pit, so they heat up quickly and boil water fast. It’s a traditional Finnish way of preparing hot drinks,” explained Mikko Heiskanen.
Levi Black
You might be surprised to learn how flat Finland – including Lapland – really is. In Levi, the highest point is Levi Fell at just 531 meters above sea level. For comparison, Tofana above Olympic Cortina d’Ampezzo rises to 3244 meters.
Levi Fell may be modest in height, but it offers stunning views. One of its slopes is the Levi Black (also marked as G2), the venue for World Cup races. The course is about 1.5 km long with approximately 300 meters of vertical drop.
The Gondoli 2000 lift takes skiers to the start – the one whose cabins bear the names of past race winners.
From above, you would also see the iconic village of Sirkka, nearby Kittilä Airport (less than 15 km away), and Lake Immeljärvi, where Lara Colturi was ice-skating before the races.
Don’t expect much sunshine in Levi in November. The sun stays low on the horizon, rising around 10:00 and setting around 14:00 – the day is truly short. That’s why the Levi slalom is held under floodlights.
This iconic venue has been on the World Cup calendar for 21 years. It is not only famous but also remarkably innovative. In response to global warming, the Finns are experts at storing snow from previous seasons. This year, natural snowfall began only a few days before the World Cup, but organizers still prepared the slope thanks to snow kept under thermal blankets from last winter.
It’s no surprise that Lapland’s winter atmosphere – and the warm hearts of ski fans – make this World Cup stop truly one of a kind.
So what do you think? Will you come to Lapland too?
Gallery
Many thanks to Mima and Matt for their kind assistance
