Posts tagged finland
Huskies and Skidoos in Ruka, Finland
11 month ago
Back in January LincsGeek and I spent a fabulous week in Ruka, Finland, where we enjoyed some amazing scenery and lovely ski runs. [Read about the trip here.] The thing about Ruka that we really liked, apart from the fact that we often had runs to ourselves, was that it was more than just a ski holiday. It was a winter holiday – the landscape and location meant that there was so much more to enjoy thank simply hurtling down the slopes over and over again.
We booked two excursions through Crystal Ski when we booked our holiday – two things that we didn’t want to miss out on. Booking with your holiday makes sense really; first it means you’ve paid for the activities before you arrive on holiday so it’s easier to budget and you don’t use up those Euros on your first day, and it also means that should activities get booked up you have your place firmly secured. We chose two things from my big list to take part in – a snowmobile ride one evening, and a husky farm experience and sled ride.
Night Snowmobile Safari
Snowmobiles, or Skidoos, are very well catered for in Ruka. With over 500km of free-to-use snowmobile runs through forests and open landscapes you could spend a whole week exploring; but we decided to book a group safari style excursion as an introduction to riding the machines.
The snowmobiles we had were something like 700cc machines – they will easily carry two or maybe even three people and reach very high speeds. LincsGeek and I had one each, of course, and after some very quick instruction (this is the accelerator, this is the kill switch) we lined up in a row of about ten or 12 snow mobiles for our guided tour around Ruka. It was 7.30pm in the evening and pitch black, we were dressed in so many clothes (suits over our ski suits, gloves over gloves) due to the -29 degrees Celsius temperatures, and could not wait to get going. The line of bikes snaked along dedicated tracks, through trees, over hills and across lakes. To be honest I had no idea when I was going over a field or over a lake, it’s very difficult to tell the difference when there is that much snow!
Speed was controlled with a squeeze handle which was very responsive. The route we took wasn’t all flat and straight, there were some sharp bends (lean!) and some fun steep ascents and descents which added to the excitement. The snake line did mean the speed was generally kept down but there were opportunities to play about with the throttle and feel the cold wind on my face. I found myself leaving a nice big gap so I could see what the engine was made of, and I know LincsGeek did the same.
Sadly the Northern Lights weren’t out to play that evening – it would have been our best chance of the week to see them, but that would have been an added bonus of what was already a really fun way to spend a few hours. If you ever have the opportunity I would highly recommend taking a Skidoo out for a spin – seriously good fun, a proper buzz, and a great way to see the landscape away from the ski runs. Next time we go (there will be a next time) we will either book the day time safari or just hire a couple of snowmobiles for an afternoon.
Husky Farm Visit
On the Saturday we spent an afternoon out on a Husky farm close to Ruka Village. The main reason for choosing this one was to have a go on a Husky sled, naturally, but this was much more than that. We took a quick ten minute coach ride to a local Husky Farm (the Finnish know how to drive in the snow!) where they keep over 200 working dogs.
Husky sleds are very simple and traditional. Made from wood, they have two skis underneath, a tall handle at the back to hold on to, a large canvas sling for your gear (or partner!), and a metal brake mechanism. After some quick tuition (stand on the skis to move, stand on the brake to slow down, jump on the brake with all your weight to stop but be prepared to keep going anyway!), we went and met our dogs. Our sled had six Huskies that were absolutely raring to go – they knew what they were doing even if we didn’t! The two at the front were the leaders, trained to follow instructions (or the sled in front in this case) and give the sled some speed. The two at the back are trained for strength – they are the ones who get the sled going, the pullers. And the two in the middle were there to assist with both strength and speed. They did not need any encouragement to get going at all, but did need an awful lot of strength to get them to stop!
We did a 5km route around some sled runs on fairly flat terrain, getting up to speeds of around 30kph we were told. LincsGeek took the sled first and I sat inside, and then we swapped over half way around. It was absolutely amazing. So smooth. Quite fast. Really easy to steer. We were told that thanks to around 30cm of fresh snow the previous night the runs were nice and even and fairly slow, but they still felt quite fast to us.
Once we returned our dogs to the farm we were introduced to some of the new arrivals – it was great to be able to play with some of the puppies. We were given some information on how the dogs are trained and looked after, and had plenty of time to ask questions and learn as much as we wanted to about the farm and the dogs and the sport of Husky sledding. The experience finished with hot sausages, muffins and tea in their hut.
It was a really fantastic afternoon that I definitely want to repeat sometime. (Note the photos are all a bit rubbish as it was so very cold!) Those dogs are amazing. You can book full day safaris too which look like great fun, although we were warned against the week long Husky Sled Safaris as they are apparently lots of hard work and you get very very cold!!
A Winter Holiday in Ruka, Finland
3We fancied a different kind of skiing holiday this year. It took us months to decide where to go. We’ve been to Arinsal in Andorra for a couple of years and thoroughly enjoyed it, but we have really outgrown the slopes and felt it was time to move on. With only a week of annual leave left the USA or Canada was not really feasible in our opinion, and places in the Alps can be so very expensive and incredibly busy. We wanted something fairly quiet, where we could ski nice blue and red runs, improve our skiing but not be pressured by busy crowds.
We eventually settled on Ruka in Finland for a week in January. We booked through Crystal Ski at Thomson, who have had all our ski holiday business so far; we find them very professional and approachable as a company. I still like to go into a Travel Agent to book a holiday package – something about it gives me confidence in what I am booking along with physical tickets and all the information I could need. They are really friendly in the Thomson branch in Lincoln and it’s a joy to go in there and discuss our next holiday destination… Obviously I spend many hours researching holidays online too. I actually found the online price was a little cheaper than the quote I received in the branch, so I simply asked them to match it; they naturally obliged.
The Sunday afternoon flight was around three hours from Gatwick into Kuusamo airport. They know how to deal with snow over there… good job really – the runway was covered and the roads, well LincsGeek and I couldn’t always tell where the roads were and where the verge was! The transfer was just 30 minutes by coach – absolute bliss compared to the four hour coach transfer from Toulouse to Arinsal in Andorra!!
Ruka promised to be a different kind of skiing holiday. Located within Finnish Lapland it is something like 20 miles south of the Arctic Circle and around 25 miles from the Russian Border. A quiet but well used purpose built resort with a range of hotels, apartments and restaurants, the village centre is right at the bottom of the main (front) slope. It’s small but has just about everything you need – a mini supermarket, a couple of pizza takeaways, a couple of fast food chains, and a good handful of restaurants serving a wide variety of food. Most of the village is pedestrianised too. And it is all covered in a lot of snow.
You know somewhere is going to be cold when the travel brochure warns you of the temperatures. I mean, this is a ski resort, it is going to be cold. But we’re talking Lapland here. Average temperatures at the time of year we went are -14 in the middle of the day. While we were there we had -22 on the Wednesday lunch time and it dropped to -28 on the evening we went on the Skidoo ride. Wow. Cold. Seriously, take lots (and lots) of layers, and make sure you have ski glove liners and fantastic socks!
The main thing about this part of the world was simply how beautiful it was. So much snow. So much ice. Everything was covered. The trees bowed under the weight of all the snow piled up on the branches. We were told that on the Friday night there had been something like 50cm snow fall overnight in some places – 20cm on the main slopes – which gave us the opportunity to practice our skiing in beautiful fresh powder. (For the record neither of us has experienced powder like that before; we had no idea what we were doing!!)
Skiing (and boarding) wise you have quite a large area to explore, with a good mix of blue and red runs and a few blacks too. There’s a good sized ski school with its own green slopes, and a couple of ski hire shops to get you kitted up. We used the Piste Rental Shop as this is the one Crystal use – we’d prebooked our ski hire when we booked the holiday. It seemed to be the busier of the ones in the village, but there was no wait when we went to get our skis. LincsGeek has his own boots so he just needed skis and poles, whereas I needed boot as well, but I was looked after by a great bloke who got me set up in no time. I always struggle with ski boots; my large legs mean I have a problem with certain boots as they don’t do up at the bottom of my calf. This wasn’t an issue thankfully as after failing with one pair of boots the guy in the hire shop could see the problem (“my legs are too fat” doesn’t always translate well) and without embarrassing me swapped my boots over and I was on my way. We were both told that we could go back and swap our equipment any time if we wanted or needed too, which was a good thing to know.
Slopes and Lifts
From Ruka Village you have the choice of two chair lifts – A and B – that are your doorway to the slopes. You can explore the whole resort by using a variety of chair, t-bar and button (platter) lifts. I don’t think we are unusual in that we really hate t-bar and button lifts, we will go out of our way to avoid them if at all possible, and thankfully the slope map showed a good number of chair lifts that meant we had plenty of kilometres of runs open to us. Unfortunately on the Tuesday the main chair lift – lift N – was closed for maintenance so we had to use a t-bar and a button to make our way back to the main slopes. We did it… but didn’t like it! The six man Ruka Express lift is a bubble lift and so has the canopy that comes down over you to keep you warm (well, warmer!) whilst sat still. The bubble means it closes when it’s windy, which it was for another couple of days, but by then we had worked out other routes around and only rarely had to use the dreaded t-bars! A good tip is to check the slope information on Ruka.fl each morning (also displayed on various screens around the Village) as they update it with any run/lift closures.
Once up on the slopes you are in amongst absolutely beautiful tree lined runs and the most amazing snow-covered vistas I’ve ever seen. No runs are very long, but they are really lovely, some are wide, others are narrower and take you into the forest areas. There’s also lots of off piste to explore, although we’re not quite ready for that yet! The slopes you can see from the Village are all red and black, the reds being perfectly skiable for an intermediate skier (even in the very strong winds we had a couple of days); but to help beginners there is a new green run that winds down the side of the hill to bring anyone less confident back into the Village. LincsGeek and I mainly stuck with the blues (the blues were very gentle, definitely on the green side of blue) and nice reds (a good mix of a little tricky and just fast), although we did both attempt a short black on the front slope which was a little scary!! I think it’s fair to say I’m stuck in the skiing rut that many people say is difficult to progress beyond – but I’m happy with my current limits at the moment.
Our favourite runs were probably the longish blue down to Vuosseli via the narrow Rosa and Rudolf run through the trees (past the reindeer pen), red run 13 at Saarua which is fairly short but allows for some decent speed, and red runs 1, 2 and 3 on the front slope which are actually all the same as they cross/weave/merge. Blue run 30 is a nice way to get across to Masto, although the day we went up to Masto peak was so windy I was pushed back up the hill!
Apart from skiing tree lined runs there is a super pipe and several park areas, a mogul run, and the biggest jumps I’ve ever seen in real life. Needless to say we aren’t quite at the point of flinging ourselves into the air (on purpose!) yet but it was great to watch others attempt and conquer those things. There is also a FIS run down the front slope and it was brilliant to watch a team – Russian – training on that. So fast! Oh and there are two ski jumps too, leading down into Ruka Ski Stadium, but neither were in use while we were there.
The slope maps, as always, are not that easy to follow; the lines on the map don’t translate well to reality, but you can generally see the bottom of the run from the top so it’s not easy to get lost. Quite a lot of the time during our week there we had lifts, runs and vistas to ourselves, other times we shared with just a handful of people. It was bliss! It did get busier at the weekend but everyone spreads out and I don’t remember queueing for a lift once.
But a Ruka holiday isn’t just a ski holiday. It’s also a place to enjoy traditional winter activities and excursions. There are miles and miles of cross country skiing trails and skidoo runs, and a plethora of other winter sports to take part in such a snow shoeing, ice skating, ice karting and so on. We pre-booked two activities for our week away; a night time Skidoo ride and an afternoon at a Husky Farm including a 5km ride on a Husky sled. Both activities were done through Crystal with the local Sufari Shop, and we were really impressed with the organisation and our guides were fabulous. I’ll dedicate a separate post to the excursions soon but I’ll just say here that if you go to Ruka you absolutely have to experience both the Husky sled and a Skidoo – both were absolutely fantastic experiences.
Ruka Suites Apartment
Accommodation wise we chose the Ruka Suites and were put in 37A and we were really impressed. It was a really lovely, well-appointed apartment in the same block as the supermarket so we didn’t have to go outside to get anything we needed. Behind our front door, which used a code entry system so we didn’t need to carry a key or key card around with us (a good idea when skiing!), we had a lounge/kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms – one double and one with bunks, a shower room and sauna, a loo, and plenty of storage space. The brochure said it would sleep four to six (four in beds, two on the sofa), and we reckon it would sleep four adults in comfort (the bunks were full sized). It was very clean and the furniture was all traditional Finnish design – straight lines, very practical. The kitchen area comprised a hob, fridge, microwave and dishwasher, along with crockery and cutlery etc; not very big but it was fine for us and we could have cooked a selection of evening meals should we have decided to! The apartment block had ski lockers so you didn’t have to lug skis and boards up into the rooms, and there was a drying cupboard in our apartment so we could get our kit (most importantly, our boots) dried out each evening. Being a Finnish apartment we had a sauna which was a real luxury, and there was a balcony although to be frank we only used this to look at the thermometer which was attached to the wall! Technology wise we had a television and DVD player in the lounge area which showed a number of English speaking channels, and there was wired broadband which we magically turned into wireless courtesy of our Airport Express which we took with us. It was a very relaxing place to spend the week as we did not have to please anyone but ourselves.
Food and Drink
We did this holiday self-catering as when we worked out pricing we decided it wasn’t worth upgrading to the next level, and while we had lots of plans to cook meals ourselves to keep the cost down what actually happened was we ate out every day! We had ordered the grocery pack for our arrival, which was a good call as when we arrived at just after 9pm the shop was closed and the restaurants were winding down for the evening – it contained bread, milk, cheese, ham, jam, cereal, biscuits, tea, coffee and juice and kept us going for breakfasts and some lunches. We used the supermarket to get snacks and drinks throughout the week, just buying what we fancied at the time – mostly chocolate and jelly sweets.
Eating out in the evening was mainly done in the Colorado Bar and Restaurant. We were going to try all the restaurants in the Village but actually kept going back to the Colorado because the setting, food and service was very good. The menu was traditional American food – ribs, burgers, steaks – with a Finnish twist in places. The first night we were a little concerned as we seemed to be the only people in there, but it did get busier as the week went on (although we never waited for a table). It wasn’t cheap (nowhere was cheap, this is Finland, and it’s Euros), but we ate very well and the food was worth the money we paid. Ruka Village can obviously cater for many more people than were there that week, it was pretty quiet, I’m not sure how busy it gets in the Finnish school holidays.
We also ate in the Rukahovi which was nice but the setting wasn’t as comfortable, and we had the lunch time soup buffet in the Piste Restaurant two or three times which was really nice – all you can eat soup and bread is just what you need when it’s -22 outside! We tried the Kotipizza takeaway on the night of our Skidoo excursion as we wanted something quickly – our pizzas were made and cooked to order in a few minutes and were very enjoyable. The food at the Hillside Family Restaurant (at the bottom of the Vuosseli slopes) wasn’t brilliant to be honest. When we needed to warm up we tended to go into the Piste Bar for a hot chocolate, which was very chocolaty and so good.
Splodz Blogz Verdict
The one question we have been asked over and over again is – would you go back? And the answer is very easy. Yes. We definitely would. We would love to. We had a fantastic week, loved the surroundings, enjoyed the skiing, were able to relax and rest (which is not always easy on a ski holiday!), found the excursions loads of fun, and liked Ruka Village itself. It would be a really nice place to ski with a group of family and friends where everyone’s level of skiing is different. You could enjoy a lovely holiday in Ruka without even putting a ski on which makes its appeal even wider.
No doubt the place will get busier as more of us Brits find out about it and more than one plane a week flies into Kuusamo, but we’re told that it hardly ever gets really busy and there are very rarely queues for the lifts. We are so glad we discovered Ruka.
A polite reminder that photography is all my own (or LincsGeek’s) work and therefore we own all copyright associated with it. If you would like to use any of my photographs please contact me first.
Review: The North Face Women’s Honee Snugs Delux Parka
3LincsGeek and I are fairly new to the skiing game. We went on our first ski holiday just three years ago after some ski lessons at snozone. Before that first holiday we kitted ourselves up as cheaply as we could – we wanted good quality at low cost, and so bought coat, pants, gloves, socks and thermals in the sales and at discount stores. Skiing is expensive, and you can spend a fortune on kit if you wanted to. I want to, there is so much fabulous kit about, but can’t warrant it.
So when The North Face offered me one this season’s jackets for our trip to Finland I was delighted. You already know I like The North Face as a brand, I find their clothing fits me nicely and their shoes are comfortable. And I love my down slippers! But they are a technical brand with very high price points.
This is the Honee Snugs Delux Parka, and as soon as I saw it I knew that this was exactly my kind of coat. Just look at the colour for a start, the muted green (Boyce Green) is just lovely, so much better than the (boring) black of my existing ski coat. And it just looks comfortable and warm. I couldn’t wait to try it out.
A military-style parka offering skiers and boarders serious protection from the elements. This longer-length jacket is built with Heatseeker™ synthetic insulation, ensuring a warm ride whatever the weather. An adjustable hem system, adjustable cuffs and powder skirt provide a secure and comfortable fit. When the holiday is over, convert the parka into street wear by removing the powder skirt and unzipping the hood down the centre to reveal long-pile fleece lining. Core zip-vents help to prevent overheating when pounding the hill or park. Chest, hand, wrist and media pockets provide ample storage for all necessities. Created to look effortlessly stylish, The North Face Women’s Honee Snugs Delux Parka is street cool for the mountain and beyond.
I was a little worried about the length – this is a long line ski coat – and as I am short it could have looked silly and restricted my movement. I think you’ll agree though that it looks great on (I hope you agree!) and thanks to the shorter front and longer back I can move my legs about with no trouble at all. Actually that lower bit at the back is genius – it was just right to sit on when I was on chair lifts, which made a big difference to keeping me warm on the way up to the top of the slopes. There was plenty of room under the coat for me to layer up (I had the medium); while this coat has a feminine cut it isn’t tight.
I could tell this coat had been designed for winter sports. The large goggle pocket, the internal phone/mp3 player pocket with hole for the headphone wires, the powder skirt, the sleeve pocket in exactly the right place for your lift pass – all make this coat very useful on the slopes. That sleeve pocket even has a glasses cloth attached, which was a very useful feature, and the long toggles on the zips mean you can use them with gloves on. The two pockets at the front are massive – I could easily fit my wallet and some chocolate in one and my camera in its case in the other – and those little hand warmer pockets half way up were also useful for my poor cold fingers.
All the pockets aside, the whole point of a ski coat is for it to keep you warm and dry. And it did. Thankfully. The insulation did its job and I stayed totally dry for the whole holiday and in all the weather conditions Finland threw at us. The main zip has a flap over the top to stop wind and moisture getting through, and it does right up over your chin which helped keep my neck warm and dry. I think it goes without saying that I wore this coat over the required thermal layers, and needed a neck tube too, but it definitely went a long way to keeping my body warm and comfortable. I was very thankful for such a good quality coat when it was -22 and blowing a gale in the middle of the day. I wonder if the addition of comfort cuffs would have helped keep my hands any warmer – LincsGeek has them on his ski coat and I like the idea, they stop snow going up the sleeves and fit underneath his gloves adding a layer to his wrists.
[I will never make a model, but we had a great laugh taking these photos at the bottom of the Ski Jump in Ruka, Finland... below shows what happens when you run in the snow and it suddenly gets a lot deeper!]
This coat isn’t just for wearing on the slopes. The North Face has designed this for casual wear at home too, and you may have seen me sporting around and about quite a lot since we got home. The powder skirt comes out, the hood zips down the middle leaving it flat on your back, and you are left with a very nice parka style coat for everyday winter wear. The double zip is also very useful when wearing this coat casually – it means you can unzip it a little bit when you’re sat in the car driving.
I think you can tell that I really like this coat. I love the style, I really love the colour, and the fact that it’s great for the slopes and in town is perfect. It also fits well and is flattering – it’s not too bulky. This has become my “go everywhere” jacket, fit for all my winter activities. As for whether it’s worth the £260 price tag to be honest I really don’t know – I am not and probably will never be in the position to spend that much on any item of clothing, and so have nothing to compare it to. I know that with outdoors gear you get what you pay for and it is certainly superior to the ski coat I bought a few years ago, as well as my other winter coat. It has immediately become my coat of choice when heading out in the cold, wet and snow, and I think that is down to the design and quality.
Disclaimer: The North Face sent me this Women’s Honee Snugs Delux Parka to take on holiday to Finland and review here on Splodz Blogz. I have not been told what to say and have been no less honest as a result of receiving the coat for free.
Seeing the Northern Lights
3When we went to Ruka in Finland a couple of weeks ago we knew there was a chance that we might see the Northern Lights.
The Aurora Borealis is a natural light display in the sky particularly in Arctic and Antarctic regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the thermosphere. Named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi, Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from farther away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the Sun were rising from an unusual direction. (Thanks Wikipedia for the help with the definition!)
They are considered quite a sight, and are featured on many bucket lists (including my own!) – they are a sight to behold.
Ruka sits just below the Arctic Circle and the Northern Lights are visible from there on occasion. The photo above is borrowed from Ruka.fi website and looks across Ruka village from the top of the surrounding hills. Sadly, the conditions weren’t quite right for us and they were not visible from where we were. Not even on Wednesday evening when we took some snowmobiles out on a bit of a safari into the Finnish wilderness.
We didn’t go to Ruka to see the Northern Lights, we went for a winter holiday, but it would have been a nice bonus. We knew there was only a chance but we also knew that it would probably be our best chance. Now, of course, we want to create a new chance. I think we’ve pretty much decided to go back to Ruka for more winter skiing fun sometime, including venturing a bit further away on snow mobiles into the forests.
But what about this? A friend sent me the link to Hotel Kakslauttanen and it just looks amazing. And now I want to sleep in a glass igloo!
The site says:
Glass igloo provides an one of a kind opportunity to admire the northern lights and millions of stars of the crystal clear Lapp sky in a comfortable room temperature. Based on a groundbreaking idea and years of research and development, glass igloos are a marvel of modern technology. Built from a special thermal glass the temperature inside the igloo always stays at a normal level. It also prevents the glass from not getting white frosted, hence keeping the view clear even when the temperature outside drops to under -30°C. Every igloo is equipped with a toilet and luxury beds. On every evening a hot sauna and a refreshing ice hole are waiting for you.
Wow. What an experience that would be. I love the idea of relaxing in a warm bed, looking up at the sky through the glass igloo like ceiling, taking in the wonder of nature. All those stars, and that beautiful green tint. Can you imagine?
They have snow igloos and log cabins too, and run excursions and activities of course, but I think the glass igloo would be the most spectacular place to sleep. Maybe on the planet. I am definitely adding this to my list!
Playtime Tester Review: KEEN Hoodoo High Lace Snow Boots
03 months ago
It seems like a very long time since I won the KEEN Playtime Tester prize… but it hasn’t been until this last couple of weeks that I’ve been able to give the KEEN Hoodoo High Lace snow boots a really good try. I will be honest and say I very nearly bought this pair of boots last year before we went skiing. I’d tried them on, found them at a decent price, but something stopped me. I’m not sure what. I loved them from the pictures, and wanted them badly. When I won the competition and was allowed to choose four pairs of KEENs it was an absolute no brainer, I had to have these.
The Hoodoo High Lace boots are calf length lace up hiking boots with a thick chunky sole and insulated sock. This is what the website says:
The Hoodoo High Lace tames snow banks and cold fronts with ease. Lined with plush synthetic shearling, the high shaft combines handsome oiled nubuck leather with a fast and easy lacing system for a stylish look that’s easy to get into. Inside, a KEEN.DRY waterproof/breathable membrane and 200g KEEN.WARM insulation keep feet warm, dry, and happy—so you can enjoy winter wherever you are.
I have to say, they only just fit around my legs. I really do have large legs, I hate it, really hate it, but because these are lace ups I can get away with it. Now they’re broken in I can get them laced up better too, the sides of the boot have softened up and they are easier to lace up now they’re not as stiff as when I first got them out of the box. That of course is generally true of any boot. They fit under my ski pants and my boyfriend jeans well, look great over leggings, but I couldn’t get them over or under my straight cut jeans – they wouldn’t do up when the jeans were tucked in and the jeans wouldn’t stretch over the top; I just had to choose my outfits to go with them.
Walking around in the snow was a doddle. The massive lugs on the bottom of the boot gripped onto the thick fresh snow in Finland with no problem at all. I did fall over twice – the first time I was running through the snow when all of a sudden it was at least twice as deep and I sank(!), and the second was when I was walking down a steep icy path – oops. So not fool-proof but better than standard hiking boots. They’ve also been great in the slush and ice this week at home; I walked up the hill into the village on Monday morning and felt very sure footed when others were wobbling around treading daintily. Don’t get me wrong, when it got really icy on the pavements I was careful – I’m not stupid (!), but I was confident that if there was grip to be found, these would grab onto it.
I can also confirm that they keep my feet warm and dry – even in deep snow and at -22C to -28C in Finland last week. I obviously wore them with ski socks while out there as I wanted to give my feet every chance possible, but I can honestly say that my toes were quite happy even when my fingers were moaning! The toe protection is great too, that solid area keeps my feet safe when I inevitably bash into things (so clumsy!), and also help the boots keep their shape.
We had great fun on a couple of walks in the snow in Finland taking in the scenery and snapping photos, having something decent on my feet made a big difference as I didn’t worry about them. Playtime is definitely back in these. I’m so pleased with them. They do their job as all-weather boots without a problem, and fit with my idea of what snow boots should look like. Let it snow!
Being a Playtime Tester has turned me into a proper KEEN fan. Put it this way, next time I need to buy a pair of shoes or boots for the outdoors then I would definitely consider KEEN. The shapes are just right for my feet, with plenty of space for me to wiggle my toes without them being sloppy. And they look great too – the range is full of rugged looking shoes suitable for wearing all day and for various activities. And yes, that’s a glowing review, I can’t help it! I now have my eyes on a pair of the canvas mary jane style flats for the summer.
So thanks KEEN. I’m looking forward to Spring to see what you come up with next.
See my other KEEN Playtime Tester choices… KEEN Arcata Shoes | KEEN Turia Sandals | KEEN Bryce WP Shoes
Disclaimer: I won some KEEN shoes of my choice in a competition in 2012, and have naturally decided to include reviews of them on Splodz Blogz.
Quick Trip to Helsinki
0Last week I went to Helsinki, Finland, on business. It was a bit of a whistle stop trip but I did find time to take in a few of the sights and sounds of the city whilst there.
Travelling in early December I have to say I was expecting to find it bitterly cold and with snow on the ground. I’ve heard about their heated pavements, the need to wear layers and warm boots. But on landing at Helsinki airport and getting off the plane, I was pleasantly surprised how mild it was. Well apart from when we left a restaurant at gone midnight – then it was cold, windy and damp – but there was no snow. I also thought it would be dark most of the day. It got light sometime between 8am and 9am and dark again about 2pm – so not far off what it’s like at home. I know I was quite south in Finland so would probably find more extremes if I had gone further north.
One thing I did notice was the plethora of Christmas trees and lights adorning the streets and businesses across the city. It was great to see – simple but quite stunning decoration in places, it made me feel really Christmassy. We’d been tipped off about a Christmas market, quite a famous one apparently, with goods and food and all sorts of things. It started the Friday we were there so as soon as my meeting finished at lunch time I headed over to see… But only found a load of unmade huts. I was quite disappointed! No idea if we were in the right place really but a couple of the locals said we were. I guess I’ll have to stick with the Lincoln one, which I’ve actually never been to anyway (I must rectify that next year, although it’s really crowded).
I did manage to fit in a little sightseeing. I went to the Church in the Rock (Temppeliaukion Kirkko) which is just stunning. It was just round the corner from the hotel so it would have been rude not to. It was free to get in, and is basically just a church carved out of the natural rock, with a copper domed roof. Absolutely gorgeous. The copper is highly polished inside and the rock is bare. There was a small group setting up for a concert that evening and I could tell from their tuning up and rehearsal that it was going to be just a beautiful sound – but I had a table booked at a restaurant with my business colleagues. Just outside the Church was a couple of souvenir shops, and I noticed a selection of postcards for a Sibelius Monument – so I took a walk to find it on behalf of my musician family. It is a fantastic sculpture by Eila Hiltunen incorporating some 600 hollow metal pipes, some all jagged and open, which as a whole is supposed to represent Silbelius’ music. It looked like you might be able to play them somehow, but it was pitch black – worth seeing in the dark as its all flood lit, but perhaps also worth a look in the daylight to get a proper idea of what it “does”.
The Museum of Design is supposed to be an excellent place to visit. But unlike in London the museums charge for entry and as I only had a very short time I decided not to. Shame as I would have liked to see the comic exhibition. Talking of cartoons there was one character that was everywhere – Moomin – remember them? There were shops full of merchandise (quite expensive mind!). I remember my sister being just a little obsessed with the white hippo-like cartoon creature when she was little – I wish I could have afforded to buy her a little something for Christmas but unfortunately not.
There are two cathedrals – Tuomiokirkko and Uspenski Cathedral, both of which are beautiful from the outside (I didn’t go in either). The steps leading up to the white Cathedral are steep but worth the climb – you can see right across the water.
What else did I learn? The Finnair City Bus from the airport to the centre of Helsinki was an excellent service (not just for Finnair passengers). At €6.20 each way it’s a bargain compared to about €45 for a taxi, and is really easy to find and use. Oh and don’t worry about English – people were really friendly and they learn English from a very young age, meaning communication wasn’t a problem. Finland is a bilingual country anyway – Finnish and Swedish – so all the signs are in two languages (and the words are long!), but many restaurants had English translations for their menus, and the staff everywhere I went were more than happy to help out an uneducated English lady without making me feel useless!
Lappi was a Lapland traditional restaurant I ate in. We had an amazing meal there – including Reindeer, which is a local favourite. It wasn’t cheap – and actually eating and drinking is quite expensive all round, but I only had good food.
Worth the trip? Well yes because I was travelling for work, but I’d say it would be worth a long weekend or short city break for pleasure at some point. The flight is less than three hours from Heathrow or Gatwick, so it’s very doable for a two or three night stay. If I went back I would go prepared to spend lots on food and go into some of the museums that looked really interesting.
Next time I wanna go and see the northern lights… oh and I’d take my DSLR because the snaps on my iPhone don’t do the place justice.
