The ski hike to Halti in Käsivari wilderness in Lapland is a winter hiking classic. In winter, you can reach the top of Halti by skiing the Nordkalott Trail, or your own trails in Käsivarsi wilderness.
Halti is Finland's highest fell, or Finland's highest point at least. Háldičohkka peak rises to 1324 metres above sea level on the Finnish side, with a few metres higher point on the Norwegian side. The summit of Halti is a popular destination for both summer hiking and winter skiing.
I did a solo ski hike in the Käsivarsi wilderness at the end of March. I had planned a ski hike to Urho Kekkonen National Park in Lapland, but changed the destination about a week before departure due to the stomach flu epidemic in the UKK Park. So the Sokosti summit was replaced by the conquest of Halti.
Käsivarsi Wilderness in Lapland
Käsivarsi wilderness is an area of rugged fell highlands. Finland's highest fells rise to over a kilometre in the wilderness. In winter, the fells gleam white against a blue and pink sky, while green northern lights and a bright moon shine in the night sky.
The Nordkalott Trail, which runs through the fells of northern Finland, Norway and Sweden, is the only marked route in the Käsivarsi wilderness area. In winter, a snowmobile track runs along the route from Kilpisjärvi to Halti. The route is about 55 km long in one direction.
The Käsivarsi wilderness has a lot of reservation and open wilderness huts. Along the Nordkalott Trail, there are huts every ten kilometres or so, making it possible to ski to Halti without a tent.
The Käsivarsi area is a reindeer husbandry area, and there are reindeer pens and gates along the route. Always remember to close them behind you if you have opened the gate yourself.
Skiing to Halti - my route
I planned my ski hike in the Käsivarsi wilderness to last six days. The daily distances would be about 20 km. Just the right pace to make pancakes and fill up a memory card with photos.
The seventh day came along between Porojärvi and Pihtsusjärvi. It was a very windy and white day. And my feet were bleeding.
First, I took my own trails in the wilderness area. From Halti to Kilpisjärvi I skied via the Nordkalott Trail.
- Kilpisjärvi - Termisjärvi 15,7 km
- Lake Termisjärvi - Lake Porojärvi 26,7 km
- Porojärvi - Jogasjärvi 3,5 km
- Jogasjärvi - Pihtsusjärvi 17 km
- Pihtsusjärvi - Halti hut - Halti summit - Pihtsusjärvi 23,2 km
- Pihtsusjärvi - Kuonjarjoki 21,3 km
- Kuonjarjoki - Kilpisjärvi 21,9 km
Ski tour in Käsivarsi wilderness - hiking story
In the morning I had hiked up to Salmivaara to watch the sunrise. The sky was cloudy, a nice little frost and calm weather.
In the parking lot of the visitor centre I packed my ski hike equipment into my sled and backpack. I had put my sports watch somewhere safe after the morning hike, it took me over an hour to find it, and I packed my stuff into the sled for the second time.
The morning was already well under way when I finally set off on my tour towards Lake Tsahkaljärvi.
Kilpisjärvi - skiing to Termisjärvi
There are ski tracks and snowmobile tracks from the visitor centre to a Lappish hut at Lake Tsahkaljärvi. I started skiing the middle one, where I could see other skiers.
The first few metres were already a battle. I had the same poor skins on my fell skis than the last winter, a heavy sled behind and a very steep and long hill ahead. I had to take off my skis and push the sled on the last slope before turning to the Lappish hut.
The hut was crowded. The air had cleared, the snow was shining white and the sky blue. I felt so happy as I set off across the lake ice on a wide snowmobile track.
It was quite a buzz, though. Snowmobiles were whizzing constantly in both directions. Drivers often waved as they passed.
Next up was another climb, this time to Masetvarri fell. There was no need to take off the skis on this slope, with branching and sideways turns, the sled went up quite nicely.
At the junction of the trails stood a map and information board. I parked at the foot of it and took a food container out of my backpack. Saana fell stood right before my eyes in a snow veil. I remembered the warmth of summer and trail running to Saana's summit and round trail just over two years ago.
I skied ahead on the snowmobile track, the gentle ascent continued until halfway of the stretch. After the highest point the rest of the way was downhill. I didn't notice much difference, though.
At Lake Termisjärvi I met a bigger group, apparently a guided ski tour. Then it was quiet again. I was dreaming of a quiet hut on Lake Termisjärvi, even though I was expecting a lot of outdoorsy people as it was the best spring season.
After a few kilometres of skiing, the mobile network disappeared from my mobile phone. What a wonderful feeling to be on the other side and out of reach!
Surprisingly, there was no smoke coming from the chimney of the Termisjärvi hut. No poles and skis leaning against the walls. The hut was empty, still a little warm. I thought I would wait a while in peace before pitching my tent.
According to the visitor's book, it wasn't every night that anyone visited the hut. Many people only stopped by Lake Termisjärvi for a day trip. I had stayed overnight in the Termisjärvi hut on my way back from the summer hike to Halti, but had skipped writing in the book. Nowadays I always write something on the hut books whenever I visit them.
Nobody knocked on the door during the evening. I didn't open the tent pack, but decided to stay the night in the hut. The sky was under a thick cloud cover, so there was no need to stay awake and watch the northern lights at night.
Skiing from Termisjärvi to Porojärvi
I woke up early because morning activities take a long time, especially in winter. It was still cloudy but bright outside. I was on my way around 8:30 AM.
From Lake Termisjärvi, the hard snowmobile track continued eastwards straight across the lake. I skied along it some distance from the lake shore. The weather gradually cleared up, with blue skies here and there.
The snow seemed to be very good, even icy-slippery on the surface. I turned towards Bollovuoma and followed some old ski tracks.
It didn't take very long before the first soft snow spot. It was difficult to move on in the sinking snow. The skis got stuck under the snow, the sled plunged into the hole, sometimes upside down.
It was hard to tell from the landscape which spot would carry and where it was too soft. It was a lot of work, so I took a short hot chocolate break on a rock.
The crossing of the River Kaitsajoki had been bothering me a bit beforehand. I arrived at a point where the water was flowing in a melting stream somewhere in the middle of two-metre-high snow walls. I stayed away from the drifts. I didn't dare cross the river from a snow bridge that had been used by a rabbit and a fox, perhaps in that order.
I hiked upstream the riverside. There was a wide point some distance up and a snowmobile track crossed it. I skied briskly along the track. I continued on the track until I had to go up the slope towards Lake Harrijärvi between Juovvagielas and Harroaivi fells.
The sinking snow continued for ages, roughly to the top of the wetland on a map. Muddling through the snow was annoying because of the effort involved, but also because of the passage of time. When I was finally back on the slopes and hard snow, I took a lunch break in the most glorious sunshine under the fells.
Now the skiing was nice again. The sled glided along nicely, and the slope was gentle enough that you could go at a steady pace.
There was still about three kilometres to climb to Lake Harrijärvi. It was past 5.30 in the evening - I had wasted nine hours wading in the snow. I skied the lower slopes of Harroaivi fell past Harrijärvi for a few kilometres.
In the icy silence, Käsivarsi wilderness looked fabulously beautiful. The sun began to set behind Juovvavarri fell in golden light. The Harrijärvi lakes shone against the pale pink and blue sky, from which the moon looked out over the fells.
I was so stunned by the beauty of nature that I stood there just admiring the scenery. For a long time I wondered whether to pitch the tent at Lake Harrijärvi or continue on to Lake Porojärvi. The night would be clear and the moonlight would make it easy to ski. In the morning there would be a snowstorm and a strong wind. I decided to continue to Porojärvi.
The icy snow gave me good speed to ski down the slopes of Bieggacohkka fell. At this speed I would be at Lake Porojärvi in no time. I tried to look at the terrain to see if it would be worth going around Juovva-Jantar from the east or west.
I found a track to follow. There was some sinking snow again. I headed to the western slope of Jalges-Jantar following a track. I assumed it went to Kekkosenkämppä hut and curved a little to the left.
And so it was, the last kilometre was a full wade in metre deep snow with a heavy sled and crossed skis under the snow. The most amazing Northern Lights were popping up in the sky, but I was in survival mode with my camera in my backpack. It would have been difficult to set up the tripod in the sinking snow anyway. I just took a picture with my cell phone.
Finally, I saw the outline of the Porojärvi hut in the darkness. I wished the place was empty and I could just throw myself straight into the sleeping bag. The day had taken a bit more out of me than I had anticipated.
The hut was empty and cold. I dragged my stuff in and before I even set up any fire in the stove, I ate all the sugar I could find from the food bag and had a hot drink.
Even though I had added more clothes towards the end and hadn't felt cold, the strain and the long day in the freezing cold felt like a nasty exhaustion. As soon as I'd refuelled and got the fire, I spread out the mattress and dived into my sleeping bag to rest and warm up.
After an hour's nap, it was time for evening activities. A shocking surprise was waiting under the socks. Despite the tapes, there were large chunks of skin torn off my legs and blood on my socks. I shouldn't have tried a new kind of tape. I cleaned the wounds and ducked back into the sleeping bag.
Short day - whiteout and sore feet
I woke up at 6:45 AM and looked out the window - all I could see was white. My feet hurt. I wondered if I should stay for a day at Porojärvi hut. Well I wouldn't, I would ski to Lake Pihtsusjärvi as I had planned.
I boiled water for my bottles, taped my feet with plasters a bit better than yesterday and cleaned the cabin. And then fetch more wood and carve some thin and beautiful wood swirls. I'm not good at carving swirls, but some sticks will do the trick, too.
I had already gotten most of the gear into the sled when four hikers on a ski trip showed up. They were coming from the River Valtijoki direction for a lunch break and on their way to Lake Meekonjärvi. I wrote my greetings in the guest book and set off.
I had initially thought of skiing to Halti via River Valtijoki, but a quick plan would have added an extra day to the route and there was no time to plan better. In this whiteout with blistered feet, it was a very good decision to leave the hike through Käsivarsi wilderness via Valtijoki for another time.
The weather was downright awful. It was cold, the wind was gusting and the snow was flying horizontally in your face. With ski goggles, face scarf and hood on tight, the weather doesn't matter that much. But nothing was visible either. Not even the snowmobile track, which I had to seek for every now and then on the ice of Lake Porojärvi.
Pretty soon the snow was blasting down the track. Fortunately, there were some branches standing up along the way to mark the route. It didn't take long to ski the whiteout, the 3.5 km to Lake Jogasjärvi was covered in less than an hour.
The Jogasjärvi hut was small and empty. And cold. I thought I'd warm up for a while, so I put the fire in the fireplace. The cottage has a nice fireplace and no stove. The room is for 4 people, but the two wooden beds are only about a metre wide, and there's hardly any floor space.
The bad thing about setting up a fire was that I didn't feel like continuing skiing anymore. Especially as my feet hurt like crazy. I took off my socks and found the situation: my socks were covered in blood even though I had bandages and tape.
With a bit of quick maths, I decided to stay for a stopover at Lake Jogasjärvi. The wounds would have to dry out to make the twenty kilometre day trips possible. I took a comfortable position and a book in my hand.
At half past five, the hiking group I had met at Lake Porojärvi arrived unexpectedly. They had decided to come to Lake Jogasjärvi, not Lake Meekonjärvi as we had discussed. And I was supposed to be at Lake Pihtsusjärvi and not at Lake Jogasjärvi.
We were then wondering how to accommodate 5 people in a tiny hut, as no one really wanted to go and pitch a tent in the strong wind and frost. They pondered that a couple of beds could be set up on the floor. In the end, the brave group decided to ski the 6 km to Lake Meekonjärvi, even though they feared the hut would be full.
In the evening I made pancakes, with homemade apple jam and brown cheese from Norway. Then I slept soundly.
Skiing to Pihtsusjärvi hut
The morning looked just as grey as yesterday. I taped my legs for skiing. The first aid bag revealed another unpleasant surprise: a seemingly unopened big adhesive plaster packet had been opened, and there were only two big plasters left.
I set off to ski a snowmobile track from the rental hut along the edge of Lake Porojärvi. On the north shore, a couple of snowmobiles went towards Lake Meekonjärvi. I skied across the Reikämaa island to Venemaa island. Further ahead I could see a couple of skiers heading towards Saivaara fell.
The air cleared in minutes. At the same time Saivaara appeared out of the greyness. North of Venemaa, there was open water. I decided to go around the possible weak ice in the middle of Lake Skádjajávri, where I could see snowmobiles. If the ice cracked, they'd probably come to help.
I headed straight for the northern shore of the lake, as there was no need to visit Meeko's huts. There was a good hard snow on the slope. I took a break for lunch in the stunning scenery of the Meeko Valley.
The journey continued towards the Nordkalott Trail. The black dots in the middle of the white told me that the motorway was nearby. I arrived at a wide snowmobile track at River Vuomakasjoki.
On the hard track, the skiing was again faster. If you can ever call skiing with a sled fast. The terrain was fairly flat, with a little hill here and there. It took a couple of hours to ski along the River Vuomakasjoki to the Rajavartiosto (border guard's) huts and across Lake Vuomakasjärvi.
Then I was surprised when the Halti Trail did not turn sharply right towards Pihtsusköngäs waterfall as in summer, but continued past the huts. After a while, I realized that the winter maintenance route was actually on the west side of Pihtsusköngäs waterfall.
The track started to climb the slope of Bihcosnjunni fell. First gently, then steeper. The ascent never seemed to end. Dragging the sled up the fells on slippery skis made me think again the strange amusements one can have.
Snowmobiles passed by from time to time. Finally, the ascent stopped and the descent started. The sky became cloudy and soon the small dots of Lake Pihtsusjärvi huts disappeared. The descent allowed to pick up speed again.
I would never have imagined how long it would take to ski across a lake. I was already planning a good camping spot in my mind, thinking the hut would be full. To my surprise, there was no one at the open wilderness hut.
There were snowmobile tracks all over the yard. A thick grey cloud covered the whole area, you couldn't even find your way to the dry toilet without a GPS. I didn't pitch my tent. When you're alone in a hut, you can keep it nice and cool for sleeping.
Halti in winter
The weather forecast had promised sunny skies for the day of the Halti conquest, but everything still looked light grey outside. Annoying 5:45 AM wake-up call.
I was in no hurry. On my last trip I hadn't quite made it to Halti summit before the fog, now it would be nice to see the scenery. The weather would most likely clear up in the afternoon.
When I saw a slight clearing, I started skiing towards the Halti huts. I left the sled at Termisjärvi hut, I would return there in the evening. I skied at a brisk pace without the sled, as if a load had fallen off my back. I was at the Halti hut in less than an hour - and the sun was shining from a blue sky!
Halti open wilderness hut
I'd never been to the Halti huts before, new or old. The cottage was really nice, with the afternoon sun shining warmly on the terrace. There was no one here either, strange.
I decided to have lunch before going to the top of Halti. It was a great atmosphere, with the sun on the terrace bench. Even the noodles hadn't overcooked, as usual.
I wrote in the guestbook that I was going to summit Halti. Then I went skiing up the slope.
There were two ski marks on the slope, so I followed them. It had only been sinking snow by the cabins, the slopes were hard and easy to ski. Soon I reached the snowmobile track that would lead to the top of Halti. At least there would be no avalanches to worry about on the slope.
Without a sled, the ascent didn't feel heavy at all. The last stretch was a bit steep. It was at this point that a large group of snowmobilers passed me. Of course, that's how you'd get easily to the top of Halti.
Halti summit
And there it finally appeared: Halti's yellow pile of rocks. Now it looked like a huge marshmallow against the blue sky. I rushed to the mailbox to write my name in the guestbook.
The summit of Halti was my second Halti conquest. The weather was bad in the summer, now it was the best you could imagine.
I left my skis leaning against the border mark and set off for a walk across the glittering landscape. I didn't go to the higher summit on the Norwegian side this time either.
When the snowmobile group left, I was left alone at the top of Halti, and top of Finland. Time seemed to stand still. Halti in winter in the best possible March weather was an incredible experience.
I sat down at the foot of the rock pile at the top of Halti to enjoy the evening sun and the calm weather. I had hot chocolate and ate biscuits. This moment had it all. Perfect peace.
Back to Lake Pihtsusjärvi
It was already half past five in the evening, and the wind was blowing hard. It was best to go skiing down from Halti. I didn't go to the Halti huts anymore. I skied down the slope in powder snow next to the snowmobile track with a smile on my face and shouted "Shlalom Baby" to the immense scenery. "Whoaa!"
The visit to Halti was, together with the sunset over Lake Harrijärvi, the absolute highlight of the trip!
The sun dipped behind the fells and dyed the sky a gorgeous golden colour. The landscape quickly changed back to a cold blue, with the sky ahead glowing a deep pink. I arrived at the Termisjärvi cottage around 8 PM.
A tent had appeared in the courtyard, but the hut was still empty. I then stayed in the cottage for the second night as well.
During the night, small and vivid northern lights and the full moon arrived. I couldn't get the right settings on my camera, the pictures turned out to be crap.
From Pihtsusjärvi to Kuonjarjoki via Nordkalott Trail
The morning was clear, although the sky was cloudy. The temperature was probably below minus 10C degrees. I started skiing the Nordkalott Trail route towards Kuonjarjoki.
After crossing Lake Termisjärvi it was time to climb Bihcosnjunni fell again. Coming from the direction of Termisjärvi, the ascent was a bit easier. The descent, on the other hand, was faster. As the track was slushy from the sledges, I skied this slope downhill in powder snow next to the track.
After that I skied along the River Vuomakasjoki. I met another hiker who was skiing alone with a sled. In the Meeko Valley, the cloud cover was breaking up and the spring sun was warming up.
Meekonjärvi hut - lunch break
I skied straight to the Meekonjärvi open wilderness hut. The cabin was empty, but there was a hunting party with dogs on the lake. Loud shouting and cursing echoed through the valley.
I read the guest book. It was great to see that the people I had met at Lake Porojärvi and Lake Jogasjärvi had made it safely through the snowstorm to Lake Meekonjärvi and that the cabin had been empty. They had had a nice evening.
I ate my noodles in the sunshine on a bench outside of the hut, admiring Saivaara fell. I could have spent the whole afternoon here. Except for the noise of the hunters.
From Meeko Valley, the route took off on perhaps the hardest climb of the hike. I took several breaks on the slopes of Gahpervarri fell and waved hello to the passing snowmobile drivers. There were plenty of snowmobiles on the Nordkalott route!
Gradually the slope eased, with nice soft descents and climbs all the way to Kuonjarjoki. Another female hiker with a small sled passed by and we had a nice chat about the route and the huts.
I arrived at Kuonjarjoki at 7 PM. For once there were other hikers in the hut. In a way it was even nice, because I missed the tent nights. In winter, people (me) are just so lazy that if there is an empty hut available, they don't bother to pitch a tent.
At night there was another beautiful clear full moon, even better than the night before. I finally (maybe) got the settings for the northern lights in place - but the green lights of the northern sky were not visible.
The frost was biting hard during the night. I put on plenty of clothes and wrapped myself in two sleeping bags. I slept soundly until morning, it was almost too warm when I woke up.
Skiing from Kuonjarjoki to Kilpisjärvi
I got boiling water ready in my thermos, folks in the hut had already boiled a big pot of water. Judging by the number of skis, poles and sleds in the yard, the rental cabin was full.
From Kuonjarjoki, the trail immediately started a rapid descent to the River Kahperusjoki, and immediately afterwards a climb. The summer route goes around the north side of Guonjarvarri fell, while the winter route goes around the south side via Viittakuru gorge and Naalivaara hill.
The sky was mostly cloudy, everything looked white again. At Viittakuru, a light snowfall started. The wind was quite calm. The hills were just visible in the landscape.
Just before the new huts of Saarijärvi appeared on the horizon, the sky suddenly cleared. A couple of ski hikers passed by, then another group. I had apparently hit a quiet week, as there was hardly anyone around before the last stages of the trip, but now there seemed to be people everywhere.
There were also a couple of groups at the huts, one just leaving with a sled towards Halti, the other coming to Saarijärvi from kite-skiing (or something similar my ear caught from the loud chatter). The open wilderness hut was empty though, I ate my last lunch noodles and coffee on this ski trip there.
The final stretch of the journey was again accompanied by cloudy skies. Not much of anything picturesque stood out in the even landscape.
The summer route runs north of Muurivaara and Másetvarri fells, visiting the Norwegian side. In winter, the track winds between Muurivaara and Salmivaara (the route I took on my first hike to Halti because of corona restrictions). From the lower slopes of Muurivaara the track descended to the Kilpisjärvi-Termisjärvi route.
Finally, Saana fell emerged from the grey, a magnificent landmark of Kilpisjärvi. One more cross-country ski over Lake Tsahkaljärvi and the final descent down steep slopes (with a little fear of snowmobiles) back to the parking area of the visitor centre.
The last part from Kuonjarjoki to Kilpisjärvi to the parking lot of the visitor centre took a little less than eight hours, including about an hour for a lunch break in Saarijärvi. It was the fastest section of the trail that I skied with a sled.
The ski hike to Halti was a great trip all round. The minuses were badly chafed feet already at the start and an accidentally too small supply of patches. And it was a bit annoying when I missed the magnificent northern lights in the snow drift going to Porojärvi. But the incredible Harrijärvi lakes scenery and the conquest of Halti with its magnificent sunsets definitely made the journey an amazing experience!
Tips for a skiing trip to Halti
- The Kilpisjärvi - Halti hike in winter on the Nordkalott Trail is not as demanding as it might sound. The maintenance track is marked and easy to ski, all the way to the top of Halti. There are huts every ten kilometres, so there is no need for long day trips or sleeping in tent.
- The Halt ski hike is therefore suitable for quite beginners, as long as you know the basics of winter hiking. Skiing alone is just as easy as with a larger group, especially along the Nordkalott route.
- If, on the other hand, you want to ski your own routes in Käsivarsi wilderness, you need to be a more experienced winter hiker. So you have to be prepared to stay in the open fells, where the weather can change suddenly and the conditions may be extreme.
- The Termisjärvi-Porojärvi section of my route is exactly the kind of trip I would not recommend to a beginner. If you're going to ski in deep powder, you'll need to be in pretty good shape, if you're going to ski in deep powder for long day trips.
- The fastest day was the visit to Halti (same 8h as from Kuonjarjoki to Kilpisjärvi but 1,3 km longer), although it included a lunch break at the Halti huts, a ski to the Halti summit and a long stay at the top of Halti. Without a sled, you can ski so much faster, even if you're wearing a pair of fellskis with skins underneath.
- With a sled, the skiing speed is significantly slower than without a sled. It's worth measuring your own speed before you go ski hiking so that you can plan the right distances and day stretches.
Kilpisjärvi and Käsivarsi wilderness - destinations and experiences
- Halti summit hike - the Nordkalott Trail
- Hiking from Halti summit via Termisjärvi to Kilpisjärvi
- Saana fell summit and round trail
- Malla Strict Nature Park and Kitsiputous Falls
