So, what can we do in Tahko in winter except snowboarding and skiing?
 
Cross-country skiing
Travelling skiing is probably the best way to see the beauty of Finnish winter. That’s why, it’s no wonder that skiing is the most popular kind of winter sport in Finland.  Ski tracks run through beautiful forests from town to town. While skiing, you will find a comfortable café where you can drink hot juice with doughnuts.

Walks on deer teams
There is hardly a person who hasn’t watched cartoons about clever North deer. You have a unique opportunity to see those noble animals with your own eyes on a deer farm. Here you can handle a deer team yourself and get “driving license”. But maybe you would prefer a real safari on deer along snowy vast lands of the North?

Safari on snowmobiles.
It can last from some hours to some days and it takes place in specially made places. The participants are given necessary equipment: warm overalls, boots, mittens and a helmet. All lines are divided according to the level of difficultness. For those who want to try themselves and feel adrenaline there are the hardest and winding lines!
Just imagine a snowy landscape, a wonderful warmth of deer skin, merry bells and happy faces…Riding on deer teams is an exciting and unforgettable adventure! A hospitable and beautiful country Finland welcomes you to conquer your heart forever.

Walking on snowshoes and winter fishing
Snowshoes are special shoes for walking on ice in Arctic regions. With these shoes you can get to the places where you can’t get skiing.
In Finland there are about 187 thousand lakes. It is a paradise for fishermen. Under ice catch is one of the most exciting winter activities. Thousands of  amateurs gather on the lakes to take part in competition of under ice fishing. And when you fry a caught fish on the fire by yourself gives you inexplicable pleasant feelings!

Ice routes in Suomi
The most popular winter hobby among Finnish is skating. When it gets cold and the lake is frozen you can see many people coming on the ice!

In Suomi you can go skating from late autumn to early spring when lakes, rivers and sea coasts of Finland are covered by natural ice. Water areas are the first to freeze, then lakes and the last one to freeze is the sea. Travelling gets especially exciting when there is no snow covering on the ice. Only imagine: under sparkling skating edges there is a deep transparent kingdom of ice. Coastal villages stay behind you when you enjoy skating deep to the sea, river, lake.
Everyone who wants to make “ice” skating can do it in spite of the age and the level of training. The main thing is to choose a route which is suitable to your skills. Those who can’t skate well should train in a usual skating rink first.
Speaking about your security it is recommended to go skating in groups, accompanied by an instructor, who knows the route well and peculiarities of the lines and who knows how to give first aid in extreme situations. Before going skating an instructor checks every equipment and has a right not to let a badly-prepared skater go on ice.

A correct equipment

Coming to ice is always risky, but you shouldn’t refuse a chance to try it. If you follow security techniques and you are well-equipped, then the chances to be in extreme situation are equal to zero.
 Equipment:
1)    skates and boots
2)    strong wooden stick with a sharp steel tip (jaasauva)
3)    sticks (special for skates)
4)    “claws”- an item with the help of which you can go out of ice-holes (naskalit)
5)    A whistle
6)    A rescue rope (heittokoysi)
7)    Tourist rucksack-stool ( capacity-about 40 litres)
8)    Extra clothes which are packed in a waterproof packet
9)    First aid
10)    Food and hot drinks
11)    Spare instruments to fix skates
12)    Money for unexpected situations
13)    Valid insurance from incidents

Extra things: guards for knees and elbows, mountain and sun glasses, Finnish knife and matches, a map and a compass, a mobile phone (in waterproof packet), a photocamera, GPS-navigator.
Clothes. When you go skating you should dress in such a way as you do it for skiing (an ideal variant-the more clothes, the better), thermo underclothes, woolen things (which are easy to take off, if it gets hot), a suit from waterproof and wind resistant material, a woolen cap, gloves and woolen socks.

By the way
You don’t need to buy much equipment for skating; moreover most fans of skating sport have suitable clothes, a rucksack, and boots with skates. In most cases companies who organize this offer you to rent skates and rescue equipment.
Safety rules when skating:
1)    Be reasonable about safety things
2)    Learn to use these thing before going skating
3)    Don’t go skating alone
4)    Take friends with you- and always try to see them
5)    An instructor is the main person
6)    The leader of the group always comes the first
7)    Stay in a group, don’t fall behind
8)    Don’t risk
9)    Respect the people of coastal villages
10)    Remember: your safety depends only on you

How to be a participant of skating campaign

There are a lot of companies who can offer you such skating campaigns. For example:
 -An organization of “skaters” Suomen Retkilustelijat ry deals with the development of this exciting sport and holds training for participants (in this company you can take part in skating only if you have had training courses) www.burnoutcity.fi/index.php
-a company Ice Way Oy organizes skating on lakes near mountain resorts: Levi (the length of lines-3,5 km), Ruka(2,5 km), Vuokatti (8km) and Tahko (7 km) www.iceway.fi/index.php

Running and walking on skies

Scandinavia is an old native land of skiing. Skies were used in northern countries long ago. On the wall pictures of people of the north there are figures of primitive skiers and in grottoes and peat bogs of Scandinavia fossilized skies are found. According to legends, walking and running on skies are blessed by gods.
Skies were born as a vital necessity of ancient nomads. For a person of modern society, suffering from little activity, wrong food and stresses, skiing has become an active help for the body. Ski running is considered to be the most effective of winter aerobics training, as it includes the work of most leg, hand and body muscles. Do you know that experienced skiers can rise in a crossbeam more than 50 times? And if to speak about endurance skiers surpass marathon runners. And the figures of men and women skiers are the figures to envy. Walking on skies is one of the best physical activities. The thing that skiing takes place in the forest, on the open air is also very essential. You experience enjoyment being in touch with nature. Winter forest, light frost, sun. Due to active work of a big part of muscles, an organism develops high capability for breathing oxygen. Fresh winter air is an irreplaceable tempered means. Winter air is rich in ozone oxygen, which has vital energy. Low temperatures in air make blood, enriching with oxygen more effective, which increases the mental productivity of the brain, rises your emotional level, decreases the feeling of tiredness. Cold air together with muscles work makes blood circulation higher. It clears the organism from slags, salt and cholesterol and makes metabolism better. The beauty of winter forest and curing needle trees will help you to save your energy and will give you the sense of self-confidence.
Region Kuopio offers many variants for people who like cross-country skiing. There are many prepared ski lines which are 400 km only in the town itself, 100 km of them are along the lake Kallavesi. Here you can find the routes for skiers of any level-from short routes along the plain to complicated ones in cross country areas.

Skiing on the lakes
Winter! White fields, a kingdom of snowy laces, strange  patterns of snowflakes, forest on the cheeks accompany you on a skiing walking in Suomi. Well prepared routes cross the places of our areas. As in the mountain skiing, every route has its own colour from green to black depending on the ease of ascents. Professionals, amateurs and even beginners will find their own path for skiing walks.

In a comfortable place Vipuniemi you can do morning skiing exercises, 20 meters from the cottage on the frozen lake, there is a route to Tahkovuori, where you can see flags, in such a way fishermen tick the holes for winter fishing. Muscles will wake up and will warm you. The cheeks will be red because of the frost. It is a real exercise on a winter morning.
If you don’t have skies, you can rent them in Tahko. Specialists will choose correct skies for you. It is easy to communicate with staff there, many of them know English, and sometimes you can meet Russian speaking managers. The atmosphere is comfortable. The cost for ski renting is different; it depends of the model and firm. Here you can also find the shop of sports clothes.
Skiing routes in the neighborhood of a mountain resort Tahko are equipped with indexes where directions and kilometers are written, some of them are lighted that allows to ski in the evenings.
You can choose any direction from Tahko. For example, 6 km to the north of Tahko there is an island Aholansaari where there is a museum, telling about a life of a famous Finnish priest Paavo Ruotsalajena. If you are hungry, you can rest in a café, eat something delicious, drink coffee and try various pastries. Routes are long and numerous, they are flat and uprising, and sometimes it seems that you have no more strength to continue, but when you see an index with kilometers and you realize that only few kilometers are left, you run for the finish. From time to time you can hear the sounds of snowmobiles which break the silence of a winter forest.
The skiers whom you meet are very hospitable and friendly. The age of skiers is different. Elderly people ski slowly on the route. You can even meet pregnant women! It’s pleasant to watch professionals who ski perfectly well. Their movements charm and inspire you. How beautiful they do it! You feel the might in every step and good work of muscles.
In any weather you can walk and run actively on a skiing line. A sunny day will show you the beauty of winter scenery, sparkling snow bewitches you with its many colours. Trees and bushes are covered with hoarfrost. Winter air gives you an unforgettable smell of a winter.
We guarantee you pleasure and enjoyment from skiing. And in the evening let you body rest near a fireplace, lying on a soft sofa or swinging in an armchair. Blinking of a fire, quiet crackling of woods, pleasant memories of a day will take you to a sweet dream.

Meeting on a ski route!!!!

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