Venues


	Venues Ski Resort Slopes are open daily 10:00 - 17:00; in the evening Fri and Sat till 20:00. Saariselkä is a skiing center formed by two fells, Kaunispää and Iisakkipää, with a total of 10 slopes varying from extremely easy beginners' slopes to those intended for advanced skiers. Special attention has also been paid to snowboarders who have a halfpipe for their speedy runs and jump. Facts: 10 slopes (5 slopes are illuminated) The longest slope 1300 m 6 lifts, total capicity 6,500 persons/hour Halfpipe for snowboarders 2 slope restaurants Equipment rental, skiing school... Saariselkä tourist centre Saariselkä tourist centre is located in Inari municipality, which has about 7 700 inhabitants. There is an accommodation capacity of 11 000 beds in Saariselkä. During the high seasons, there are twice as much people in Inari than normally. Ivalo is the municipal centre and the largest village of Inari with its 4300 inhabitants. The northernmost road connection to Russia, to the Murmansk region, runs through Ivalo. Distance from the centre of Saariselkä village to the downhill skiing slopes is approx. 1 km. There is a shuttle bus connection between the hotels and the slopes 6 times a day. Ski Rental Ski Saariselkä rents skies for all purpose. They have slalom skies, snowboards and telemark skies. They also rent equipment for skiing. Ski Saariselkä office is located next to ski lifts and it is open when slopes are open. Ski Saariselkä offers also ski-schools for individuals and groups. Panorama restaurant Huippu The Huippu restaurant of Kaunispää is located on the top of Kaunispää fell, 437 meters above the sea level. A magnificent scenery reaches from the top over the round shaped archipelago of Saariselkä fell area as far as the eye can see, in the East even far to the Russian side. The Huippu on the mountain top has served visitors since 1954. The old Lappish history is still reminded by an old fell cottage on the top, which provided the first visitors of Saariselkä area with accommondation and food. Today's Huippu consists of cozy restaurants; the panorama restaurant with 90 seats and the top quality Necktie teepee restaurant with kitchen on open fire for 50 persons. The Huippu restaurant is located two kilometres from the ski center of Saariselkä. Pukinpuro Pukinpuro (Santa’s creek) is a wilderness hut between the fells and by a tiny creek, located only few kilometres away from Saariselkä village. You can reach Pukinpuro by snowmobile, car, hiking / showshoeing and mountain bike. Cabin with the fire place is a cosy dinner place for max. 20 persons. Gold panning It all started with gold. The first gold nuggets were panned from the Luttojoki in 1865 by crown bailiff Planting. Three years later the banks of the Ivalo river were teaming with hopefull gold panners who were all expecting to find a better life at the bottom of their iron pans (also known as a vaskooli) in the form of a glittering nugget of gold. The very first gold rush at Ivalo River was from 1869-1900. The Tankavaara goldvillage was first discovered by Aleksanteri Peltovuoma (aka Sauva-Aslakki) in 1936. At Lemmenjoki gold-panning started in 1945. You do not need much equipment to start gold-panning. In the beginning, all you need is a pan, a shovel and an adventurous mind. The easiest way to get started is with help of the safari organizers who'll take you out to the site, provide you with all the necessary equipment, show you the techniques and best of all gold finds are guaranteed. Tankavaara Gold Museum is one and only in Europe. Tankavaara is located 30 kilometres from Saariselkä. Open: 1.10.-31.5. 10:00 - 18:00; sunday closed 1.6.-15.8. 9:00 - 18:00 16.8.-30.9. 9:00 - 17:00 Siida Siida is the home of the Sámi Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre. With its cultural and nature exhibitions, it is both a meeting place and an exhibition center. Siida provides the visitor with new experiences and information on Sámi culture and nature of Northern Lapland. Siida is located in Inari approx. 70 kilometres from Saariselkä. Open: Jun 1st - Sep 30th open daily 9 a.m. - 8 p.m. Oct 1st - May 31st open 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Mondays closed Dec. 24th-25th closed Ivalo Airport Ivalo Airport is the northernmost airport in Finland and Lapland’s oldest tourist airport. More than 100,000 passengers pass through the Lapinhelmi (Pearl of Lapland) terminal every year. Distance from Saariselkä village is 25 km. Reindeer Park Iisko The beautiful scenery of Iiskonlompolo is within walking distance of the fell village and the ski slope services. The Lapp 'kota' tent by the shores of the little lake is the setting for hospitable, welcoming events, Lapp evenings and feasts. At the Iisko you can also get familiar with reindeer and the herdsman himself. You can take a drive with the reindeer and receive "a reindeer driver's licence". After that enjoy a hot cup of coffee or berry juice in a traditional Lapp tepe. A trip to Iiskonlompolo is an absolute must, no matter what time of year you visit Saariselkä. The lake is set apart from the fell village so the travellers cannot disturb you. What is more, the camp fires of Iiskonlompolo are so placed that even the traveller pressed for time will be able to pause there for a while. Joikun Kota 150 seats fell kota hut is located at Urupää fell approximately 10 km from Saariselkä. You can reach Joic-Kota by snowmobile, cross-country skiing, car/bus, hiking and mountain bike. Joic-Kota is ideal place for meetings and dinners. During the spring Joic-Kota works as a café. Action Park - Test World Test World is based in Ivalo, Finland, where the winter is the longest and the conditions for winter testing are the best possible. Located 300 km north of the Arctic Circle, this test base is the northernmost in the world. Test centre is located in the immediate vicinity of an international airport with good connections to Western Europe. Test World has two separate main testing areas, Mellatracks and Airport. Both can be further divided into three units, which facilitates the independent, safe operation of several test teams. In addition, they have extra grounds at Kaamastrack. Since winter 2005 Action Park is offering the driving experiences to the tourist in Saariselkä. Lake Inari Lake Inari, the unique great lake of the North, has a lot to offer. With its great expanse, diverse shores and numerous islands, Lake Inari offers fishermen, yachtsmen, hikers and researchers, silence, spontaneity, and locations for organised trips, nature, challenges, and constant new adventures. Lake Inari is in the Paatsjoki water system and it is the third largest and second deepest lake in Finland. Its water level is regulated. It is 50 kilometres wide, 80 kilometres long and 92 metres deep. Its coastline stretches for 3,308 kilometres and it has 3,318 islands. The water in the lake could cover Finland with a five-centimetre layer. There is a strange-looking, steep high island called Ukonkivi at Ukonselkä on Lake Inari, about 11 km from the village of Inari. It remained a place of worship for the people of Inari long after the church was built. Sacrifices of food, game birds, horns, and even jewellery were all taken to Ukonkivi, the dwelling place of thunder, to ensure good hunting. Conference places Holiday Club Saariselkä Conference Rooms: * Saariselkä Arena, 300-1000 persons, Class room style * Meeting room Aslak, 10-80 persons * Meeting room Seita, 30 persons Hotel Riekonlinna Conference Rooms: * Conference rooms, 500 persons (total) * Auditorium, 188 persons * 11 smaller meeting rooms Tunturi Hotel Conference Rooms: * 4 conference rooms,24, 40, 40 and 80 persons * Auditorium, 200 persons The Huippu restaurant of Kaunispää fell Conference Rooms: * Necktie Teepee + Panorama Restaurant, 50 persons (total)