Levi is a

fell A fell (from Old Norse ''fell'', ''fjall'', "mountain"Falk and Torp (2006:161).) is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain or moor-covered hill. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, Iceland, the Isle of Man, pa ...

located in

Finnish Lapland Lapland ( fi, Lappi ; se, Lappi; smn, Laapi; sv, Lappland; la, Lapponia, links=no) is the largest and northernmost region of Finland. The 21 municipalities in the region cooperate in a Regional Council. Lapland borders the region of North O ...

, and the largest

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. The resort is located in the village of Sirkka,

Kittilä Kittilä ( se, Gihttel, smn, Kittâl, sms, Kihttel) is a municipality of Finland and a popular holiday resort. It is located in northern Finland north of the Arctic Circle within the Lapland region. The municipality has a population of () and ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and is served by

Kittilä Airport Kittilä Airport , fi, Kittilän lentoasema, is a Finnish airport located in Kittilä inside the Arctic Circle. It handles general aviation and mostly seasonal international traffic and is one of the main airports in Northern Finland. During the ...

and

Kolari Kolari is a municipality of Finland at the Swedish border, which follows the Torne River, the longest free-flowing river in Europe. It is located in the region of Lapland. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of whic ...

railway station. At a

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

of 67.8° north, it is located approximately north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

. The peak of the Levi fell is at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

of above sea level. There are 43 ski slopes (17 of which are floodlit) and 27 ski lifts in Levi. Ascending the fell are 2

gondolas The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hul ...

, 1

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

, 14

T-bar lift A surface lift is a type of cable transport for snow sports in which skiers and snowboarders remain on the ground as they are pulled uphill. While they were once prevalent, they have been overtaken in popularity by higher-capacity and higher-c ...

s, 5 stick lifts, 4 rope tows, and 1

magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its users to their destination. In literature One o ...

for children. Levi is one of two locations of gondola lifts in Finland, and has been chosen as the best domestic skiing resort in Finland four times. Levi is an early stop on the

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France ...

circuit, hosting slaloms in mid-November; the races in 2019 were held slightly later (November 23–24). With snowmaking, the climate provides a reliable early season technical venue in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, prior to the late autumn events in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. The slopes in Levi are mostly suitable for beginners or intermediates, but there are also three black slopes for experts. The highest vertical drop is and the longest slope is in length. The longest ski lift is about long. Levi has one superpipe, one halfpipe, two streets, two snow parks, 10 free children's slopes and seven slope restaurants. The skiing and snowboarding season in Levi is fairly long, often lasting from October to mid-May. The ski school provides instruction in downhill skiing, snowboarding,

telemark skiing Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing, using the rear foot to keep balance while pushing on the front foot to create a carving turn on downhill skis with toe-only bindings. Telemark skiing is n ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

. Cross-country skiers have illuminated ski tracks and snow that lingers well into the spring. There are of cross-country skiing tracks and of snowmobiling tracks in Levi. The resort's latitude, north of the

, usually guarantees generous snow cover and sub-freezing temperatures (< ) throughout winter. It also allows for excellent chances of observing the Northern Lights. Although very popular in winter, Levi is very quiet in the summertime, yet still a good base location for exploring the surrounding areas. At from the centre of Levi is Luvattumaa, Levi Ice Hotel & Ice Gallery; from Levi is the Snow Village Lainio, where one can view snow and ice buildings, eat in an ice restaurant (in Lainio), or experience a night's sleep in an ice room.

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References

External links

*
Levi Finland
– Information on the area and resort
Snow Village.fi
– Lainio Snow Village
Levi Finland
– Airlines and Destinations visits Levi Finland {{Authority control Kittilä Buildings and structures in Lapland (Finland) Ski areas and resorts in Finland Tourist attractions in Lapland (Finland)

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References

External links