Cross-country skiing season ends unusually early in northern Finland as trails become unmaintainable

The cross-country skiing season in northern Finland is drawing to a close weeks ahead of schedule due to unusually mild spring weather, with some trails already closed and others no longer serviceable by grooming machines, Yle reports.

In Kuusamo, trail maintenance—typically carried out until late April—may cease before Easter as warming temperatures soften the snow base. “We likely won’t be able to groom with machines after this week unless nighttime frosts return,” said Viljo Lohilahti, foreman for the city’s outdoor recreation sites. “This hasn’t happened in decades.”

The situation threatens Easter skiing plans, with over 240 km of municipal trails in Kuusamo, including more than 100 km at Ruka, at risk. Meteorologists forecast daytime highs above 5°C in northern Finland, though some nighttime frosts may occur.

In Kainuu, conditions are similarly dire. Kuhmo has only maintained a single 5 km loop, with meltwater forcing skiers to carry their equipment across bare patches. Sotkamo’s Vuokatti trails are reduced to one lake route and an artificial-snow loop after warm weather weakened natural snow.

Lapland faces mixed conditions. Pyhä-Luosto expects 100 km of well-used trails to remain open through Easter, but 60–70 km of less-traveled routes are currently ungroomable. A 3 km snowgun-dependent trail will likely last longest. Levi’s trails remain mostly skiable, though water is pooling on lake crossings. Saariselkä has paused natural-snow trail grooming until colder weather returns.

Rovaniemi’s trails hang in the balance. “We’ll see which survive this week,” said Mikko Sahimaa of Rovaniemen Latu ja Reitti. “If the snowpack thins too much, even frost won’t help.”

Grooming machines require at least 10–15 cm of firm snow to operate—a threshold many areas have already fallen below.