Kuusamo, Finland

Every year a group of friends and I take a ski trip. Yes, black people ski lol. This year we chose Kuusamo, Finland. It’s a small ski town about an hour plane ride from the capital of Helsinki. It’s good to note that since the town in so small, commercial airlines cannot land at their regional airport. There are only two flights daily; early morning and late at night and they will always be oversold.

We rented a double cabin, with three bedrooms on each side. If you’re boughetto like me its a must that my living quarters be laid. A sauna on each side, fire places, full kitchen and living room amenities so we were able to turn up in the crib every night. The night life sucked, there was 1 bar that did nightly Karaoke.

If you are looking for a Winter Wonderland, multiple ski slopes and tons of winter activities for the non skiers/snowboarders, this is your place. The Ruka ski area was absolutely beautiful, I was told by some of my followers that it reminded them of the movie “Frozen” though I have never seen it. For those that ski/snowboard, we know that lift tickets in the U.S. are always ridiculously high. The lift ticket at the Ruka Ski resort was only about $50USD for an all day pass. Because everything was located on the resort you could rent your skis for about $30 USD and walk to the slope of your choice. In Kuusamo, there’s about 4 hours of sunlight during the winter months, so it was always best to wake up first thing in the morning and hit it. For those that dare; on some nights there were a few slopes that offered night skiing.

Not everyone in our group actually cares to ski or snowboard which was fine because there were so many other activities for them to choose from. I’m an adrenaline junkie, and I like to do overly adventurous things that will make me even question myself.

Day 1, we all rented snow mobiles. We’ve been doing our trip for 5 years now, so we rent our own snow mobiles, instead of that boring slow guided tour. This day was almost like we had the town to ourselves. The squad and I reeked havoc on that damn path lol. If I’m not pushing my snow mobile to the max, then what fun is it for me?. If my heart doesn’t stop and fall into my stomach when I take a hill, then what is life?
We probably spent a whole 4 hours out there, tearing up the snow, getting lost and causing minor damage after a few crashes with the snow mobile lol

One of my favorite activities was the “dog sledging”. This was one of the dopest experiences ever. You and a companion get on a sled, one standing and one sitting, and are pulled by a pack of husky dogs though the pure white snow capped forest. The dogs run at top speed, but you can use the harness to slow them down. They run up the hills and back down the hills making it very exhilarating. Because of the speed the dogs run, its almost a must you wear a balaclava or thick scarf to cover your face because the winds will be piercing.

If you don’t want the adrenaline rush of the dog sledging or snowmobiling, there was a pen of puppy husky dogs that you could play with. The little furry friends loved company, they’d jump and play the whole time you’re in the pen.

Ever seen a reindeer, like the one Santa uses to deliver gifts at Christmas? lol Well at Ruka, there were actual reindeer, and yes you could take them for a ride. Reindeers and very chill animals so expect a slow stroll through the path with them. You also get to feed the baby reindeer, who chop on moss all day long.

Then there was Ice Karting! It was basically kart racing on ICE! I felt like I was in the movie Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Every turn you take, be prepared to over maneuver the steering wheel, and slam on the brakes before you hit an ice wall.

But there’s more! Wanna keep it on the chill side? You can go tubing or sledding down the small hills.

Ruka had an abundance or snow activities which were all reasonably priced. Some of the others that I didn’t get to try were; SnowShoeing, IceFishing, RiverFloating, Ice Climbing, Winter Biking.

I would so head back to Kuusamo and visit Ruka. We booked our lodge months in advance as the cabin houses are always sold out. The houses were split 10 ways making it very affordable for those that need to pay over time. The food in Finland was very different, so as always we found a grocery store and did our own cooking daily. We had no issues traveling while black through Helsinki and Kuusamo, the people in Finland are some of the most pleasant people I’ve encountered while traveling.