Finland

[janinlondon]

Complete longshot. Has anyone been to Yllas?

Widening my criteria in the light of overwhelming response - anywhere at all in Finland...?

yes
I have been to Yllas
It is freezing
there are no lift other than drags so you freeze almost to death on the way up (this was 2 yrs ago tehy may have a chair now)
There are hardly any runs
The food is challenging (think reindeer and salmon, all the time)
The snow is incredible though!

oh and as it is regularly 20 below you have to wear 96 layers plus a kwik-fit style jumpsuit which is a nightmare when you want to go to the loo

Forget it with kids
you would spend all day dressing and undressing htem

Have to take dd swimming
Will be back later to answer any further qs!

Thanks CD. We have done Norway twice, so have encountered the excessively salmon-based menu and extreme cold before (and not yet put off!!). We have all the kit, and kids are all 9 years or over. After you posted I checked (panic) and it looks like they have installed not just a chair but a gondala too (woohoo)! We are only very intermediate skiers, but have a hankering to see the Northern lights and get in a few runs in what they laughingly call the days. Main priority is lack of other skiers and queues. I am guessing we might get that here ?

CD where did you stay?

A friend of mine went last year and loved it. Really cold but brilliant snow, really good for intermediates. Flood lit slopes in the evening as well I think. We are thinking about it for next Easter because it's so snow sure.

We stayed in some dumpy cabin nearby attached to a snow village that was never open

There is a hotel in Yllas (Saaga I htink it was called) that seemed ok - we took refuge in it one night while waiting for someone. It has a spa too. It is near the lifts you may even be able to ski in the back of it I can't remember.

The snow was truly truly amazing though!
Runs very short and if you are even a bit intermediate you will have done the whole place in half a day! I wouldn't be fooled by their piste map either - they claim a black or two but that is rubbish. For red read blue, for black read red. Blues are just nursery slopes there really.

Have you looked at www.laplandforum.com for lots of information about Lapland and Yllas. We're going to Yllas staying in a log cabin www.laplandlogcabin.co.uk. Friends who have been say it's good for families - good snow, no queues.

Thanks both. CD the Saaga hotel is where we were thinking of - I am a rubbish skier (rest of family are okay but I am so slow they all sing the theme from Lawrence of Arabia when I am coming down the slopes) so quite fancy being able to say I've been on some red runs. I mean what's the chance of anyone I know ever going there and finding me out? Teahee am off to look at that link now. Thanks.

We've been to Yllas twice - the last time earlier this year with 17 month old DD in tow. Two separate villages make up Yllas - Yllasjarvi where the Yllas Saaga Hotel is appears to be a more purpose-built area and the gondola was opened there at the beginning of 2008. Akaslompolo is a more traditional village with lots of log cabins dotted around. There is a supermarket, some restaurants and a few small shops. I can't comment on the skiing really as we only did some very basic cross-country skiing on both occasions - we really only went there for the snow!

The Trip Advisor Lapland Forum is a mine of information as is the one teahee mentions.

We've also been to Levi once and I think if we were to go to Lapland again, especially with a toddler in tow, we'd probably opt for Levi as its a little bit more compact - Yllas/Akaslompolo is quite spread out and it is a good walk to most places.

Temperature wise, we've only ever travelled at the beginning of January and have experienced temperatures ranging from +1 to nearly -20 so not too cold!

Thank you Mejon - very helpful!