Rukatunturi ( fi, Ruka) is a high

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 ...

and a

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 ...

in Kuusamo,

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 ...

. Apart from downhill skiing, there are over 500 km of cross-country skiing tracks. Also

snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

s can be rented to enjoy some of the area's 600 km of snowmobile routes (of which 100 km are safari organizers' private routes). Ruka is also the southern end of the

Karhunkierros Karhunkierros (Finnish for ''Bear's Round'') is a hiking trail that stretches from Salla to Kuusamo in north-eastern Finland. The route was first marked in 1955, and has since become the most popular hiking trail in Finland, attracting some 15,000 ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

trail. The total of trails in Ruka and Kuusamo area is: 160 km of hiking trails, 605 km of biking routes, 350 km of classified paddling routes (including class 1–4 whitewater paddling) and 100 km of boating routes. In winter 1954, the first

slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the ''direction'' and the ''steepness'' of the line. Slope is often denoted by the letter ''m''; there is no clear answer to the question why the letter ''m'' is use ...

, now called "Eturinne" ("Front Slope"), was opened. The current number of slopes is 29, operated with 20

ski lift A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. Types * Aerial ...

s (one high-speed detachable chair with bubble). There's effective snowmaking on all runs by almost 90 snowguns and 5 groomers. Ruka has turned into a diverse tourist centre whose year-round usage is growing. In winter there are for example Nordic skiing World Cup competitions. FIS Nordic Combined season starts yearly in Ruka (Nordic Opening). There are also annual national competitions in alpine and freestyle skiing, and there have been international competitions in these sports, too. Ruka has one of the longest ski seasons in Europe, starting usually in October and ending in June. During the main season ski lifts are open daily from 9.30 am until 7 pm. There's also night skiing on Fridays 7–11 pm (usually from December until mid-April).

Ruka Through The Seasons

In the winter months Ruka is a ski resort and activity centre with 29 ski slopes, 23 flood lit slopes for night skiing, over 500 km of cross country ski tracks, a border cross park and street as well as other activities such as snowmobiling, snowshoeing, reindeer sleigh rides, husky sled rides, visits to Santa's home, ice carting, ice fishing, ice climbing and

Finnish sauna The Finnish sauna ( sv, bastu) is a substantial part of Finnish and Estonian culture. It was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists at the December 17, 2020 meeting of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguardi ...

. The winter season usually runs from the beginning of December until May. In the summer the snow melts and Ruka becomes a hiking and mountain biking centre with the Oulanka National Park and world-famous Karhunkierros, 80 km hiking trail, on its doorstep. Other activities on offer are canoeing, white water rafting, fishing, birdwatching, hiking with huskies, lake cruises, bear watching, water skiing and ATV safaris. In the autumn the forests of Ruka and Kuusamo change colours, with not just the trees but the forest floor, which is carpeted in plants, turning reds, oranges and yellows.

Ruka Pedestrian Village

In November 2010 th
Ruka Pedestrian Village
became ready. Ruka now has an underground car park for 320 vehicles. The car park is heated in winters. Now it is possible to walk from the hotels to the slopes without crossing any roads.

References

External links

* *
Ruka & Kuusamo travel guide www.rukakuusamo.com

Ruka-Kuusamo homepage www.ruka.fi

Ruka Ski Resort homepage ski.ruka.fi

Ruka-Kuusamo homepage for Tour Operators

Nordic Opening – FIS Nordic Combined at Ruka
{{coord, 66, 11, 46, N, 029, 06, 45, E, display=title, region:FI_type:landmark_source:dewiki Ski areas and resorts in Finland Kuusamo Buildings and structures in North Ostrobothnia Tourist attractions in North Ostrobothnia

Ruka Through The Seasons

Ruka Pedestrian Village

See also

References

External links