Ruka

With a season extending to over 200 days each winter, Ruka offers snowsure skiing just to the south of the Arctic Circle and a vast range of off slope activities.

weather Forecast today: Occasional snow

Max temp: -10 °c
Min temp: -14.2 °c
Last snowed: Thu 19 Feb

Last Updated: Wed 25 Feb

weather Forecast today: Occasional snow

Max temp: -10 °c
Min temp: -14.2 °c
Last snowed: Thu 19 Feb

Last Updated: Wed 25 Feb

2%Easy

46%Beginner

37%Intermediate

15%Advanced

In 2019, the ski season started on 4th October – making Ruka one of the first ski areas to open in the northern hemisphere.

This says a lot about the snow reliability of this compact resort and is one of the main reasons why it is such a popular destination. It is located in between the town of Kuusamo (which is where you’ll fly into) and the Arctic Circle and is not far from the Russian border, ensuring cold weather and fantastic ski conditions throughout the winter.

The slopes may only cover 19km, but offer decent variety and with so much to do away from the pistes there’s no chance of getting bored during your stay here.

With everything from snowmobiling to ice skating, Ruka offers a fantastic range of winter activities – this is not just a ski destination, it is a real winter holiday destination.

Beginner
Fast lifts
Intermediate
Resort Activities
Advanced
Aprés
Snow
Value

Pros and cons

Resort is seeing a lot of upgrades both on and off the slopes
Limitless options for off slope activities
Accommodation is ski-in-ski-out and is lively when busy

Small ski area will frustrate keen skiers
Can be dark and bitterly cold in the middle of winter
Slightly harder to get to than other Finnish resorts further north in Lapland

On the Slopes

Although the vertical drop is modest and barely tops 200m, there is good variety in the Ruka ski area and access to the slopes was improved significantly with the new Village Express Chair and Scenic Gondola – both built for the 2018/19 season. Most of the slopes are equipped with snowmaking (the resort also stores snow throughout the summer to help open even earlier) and the vast majority are floodlit to ensure they are skiable even in the depths of winter. For beginners, a nice zone is located near the new Ruka Valley development – don’t worry if you’re staying in Ruka Village as you can now take the Scenic Gondola up and over to the other side.

Intermediates then have the pick of the resort’s runs to choose from. The Masto and Pessari reds are often less busy than the main runs so are good bets if there are lots of people about. Advanced skiers and riders will be frustrated here unless the park is their thing – if so Ruka is home to one of Finland’s top freestyle areas, as well as a halfpipe.

In the Resort

Most people tend to base themselves in Ruka Village, the original heart of the resort. Here is where much of the accommodation can be found, as well as the best restaurants and bars – which can become lively at weekends and when the resort is busy. New accommodation has been springing up at Ruka Valley, where it is hoped 1700 new beds will be created in the coming years, creating an attractive alternative base to the main village. Lots of cabins are also available.
As with other Scandinavian resorts, the off-mountain activities in Ruka play as big a role in your winter holiday as the skiing. A staggering 600km of snowmobile routes are ready for visitors, as are 159km of prepared cross country trails – 40km of which are floodlit. To make the most of your stay, be sure to check out the weekly activity programme (click_here) which includes reindeer safaris and traditional wood-fired sauna experiences.

Getting to Ruka

Flights are available to Kuusamo from which is less than half an hour from Ruka.

Kuusamo airport: 30 minutes

Resort (291m)

	Wed 25 Feb			Thu 26 Feb			Fri 27 Feb			Sat 28 Feb			Sun 1 Mar			Mon 2 Mar			Tue 3 Mar			Wed 4 Mar			Thu 5 Mar			Fri 6 Mar
	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night
Weather	Occasional snow	Mainly cloudy	Mainly cloudy	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Light snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Rather cloudy	Rather cloudy	Partly cloudy	Broken clouds	Occasional snow	Mist	Occasional snow	Light snow	Snow grains	Snow grains	Snow grains	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow	Light snow	Occasional snow	Occasional snow
Wind
Snow expected	0.4 cm	0.1 cm	0.3 cm	2 cm	1 cm	1.1 cm	2.2 cm	1.2 cm	1.5 cm	1.6 cm	1.3 cm	0.7 cm	0.9 cm	0.4 cm	0.3 cm	0.2 cm	0.2 cm	0.4 cm	0.3 cm	0.4 cm	0.5 cm	0.5 cm	0.3 cm	0.4 cm	0.3 cm	0.4 cm	0.5 cm	0.6 cm	0.5 cm	0.4 cm
Max temp	-10°c	-10°c	-13.2°c	-8.5°c	-7.8°c	-7.7°c	-5.4°c	-5.1°c	-4°c	-1.2°c	-1.1°c	-2°c	-1°c	-1.4°c	-3.1°c	-2.2°c	-2.7°c	-4.7°c	-1.4°c	-1°c	-1.2°c	0°c	-0.4°c	-2°c	-0.6°c	-0.8°c	-2.2°c	-1.8°c	-2°c	-3.6°c
Min temp	-13.2°c	-13.2°c	-14.2°c	-11.5°c	-8.6°c	-8.2°c	-7.4°c	-5.6°c	-5.1°c	-2.6°c	-2°c	-3.2°c	-3°c	-3.1°c	-5.4°c	-5.4°c	-4.7°c	-5.5°c	-4.4°c	-2.2°c	-2.4°c	-1.7°c	-2°c	-3°c	-2.9°c	-2.2°c	-4.2°c	-3.6°c	-3.6°c	-5.8°c
Feels like temp	-19.3°c	-15.8°c	-21.1°c	-20.6°c	-16.7°c	-15.5°c	-14.9°c	-11.7°c	-10.7°c	-9.2°c	-8.1°c	-8.4°c	-10°c	-8.2°c	-10.1°c	-12.7°c	-9.1°c	-11.6°c	-12°c	-9.2°c	-8.7°c	-8.9°c	-7.7°c	-9.2°c	-10°c	-7.8°c	-9.5°c	-11.3°c	-9.3°c	-10.9°c