Cross-country skiing

Kuvassa mies hiihtää perinteisellä tyylillä metsämaisemassa

In Vuokatti the skiing season starts already in October!

Vuokatti is truly a cross-country skier’s paradise because skiing has been made simple for enthusiasts of all levels. The trails of Vuokatti and Sotkamo offer perfect terrain for everyone from professional athletes to beginners, and those who like to enjoy a beautiful sunny spring day on skis. The first snow track opens every year around mid-October so the skiing season is exceptionally long ending in April.

Cross-country skiing track network

Vuokatti area has 190 kilometers of cross-country ski tracks. These tracks are being taken care of according to the high Olympic Training Center -standards for both free- and classic style skiing. 32 kilometers of skiing track are being lighted from early in the morning to the late evening. Note! When the temperature drops below -20 degrees celsius the lights will not be turned on.

The cross-country skiing tracks in Vuokatti can be divided into three groups by their location and difficulty level. The tracks around Holiday Club Katinkulta are the easiest, with quite flat terrain and length up to 10 km. The tracks near Vuokatti Sport all start from the Vuokatti Arena parking lot, and divide into those that go up to the hills, including a lot of challenging uphills and downhills (max. height difference 165 m). You can choose anything from 5 to 30 kilometers of excursion and race routes here. Multiple fireplace spots, huts, and Heikkilän Pirtti café on top of Ohravaara hill offer nice resting breaks. The rest of the tracks stay down in the “lowlands” with shorter distances and moderate height differences.

When spring comes around, the tracks around Katinkulta offer enjoyable sunny skiing! Here height differences are minimal, as the tracks run mostly on the lake. The connecting track runs between Katinkulta and Vuokatti Sport allowing easy transfer between the biggest accommodation providers and skiing track networks. In Sotkamo city, the sunny ski trail runs from Hiukka, and there are more tracks in the city center area as well. You can move between Vuokatti and Sotkamo using the cross-country skiing trail from Vuokatti to Sotkamo on skis.

You can find the real-time cross-country skiing trail maintenance situation from Fluent.

Vuokatti area’s ski trails (PDF)
Hiukka-Pöllyvaara area’s ski trails (PDF)

Cross-country skiing with a dog

Cross-country skiing with a dog

Cross-country skiing with a dog is allowed on some of the tracks in Vuokatti and Sotkamo. These tracks  include Hiukka illuminated  ski trail (on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 19:00 to 22:00), and all the on lake tracks in Sotkamo city. In Vuokatti suitable tracks for cross-country skiing with a dog are the Sun ski trail 6 km, Särkinen ice ski trail and Jäätiö ski and multipurpose trail in Katinkulta. Remember that dogs need to be leashed at all times, and dog feces should never be left on the skiing tracks!

Equipment rentals and service

Equipment rentals and service

Vuokatti Ski Service

Vuokatti Ski Service offers equipment for cross country skiing and many other activities. The cross-country ski rental package includes skis, boots, and poles. It is also possible to rent just what you need instead of the whole package. The rental works in a walk-in principle, so you don’t need to book anything in advance. Vuokatti Ski Service also offers waxing and other services for your equipment.

The shop is open year-round and offers everything you need for your active holiday activities: for example snowshoes, electric and mountain bikes, fatbikes etc.

Vuokatti Ski Service is located in Opistontie 1, 88610 Vuokatti, in the same building with the Vuokatti Arena. Customer service: +358 50 542 7268. You’ll find more info from Vuokatti Ski Service’s webpage.

 

Vuokatti Slopes

Vuokatti Slopes rents also cross-country skiing equipment from the rental in Pohjoisrinteet Veikontie 3, 88610 Vuokatti. You can also rent snowshoes and gliding snowshoes as well as get your skis maintained. Read more about their equipment rental and maintenance services.

Cross-country ski lessons

Cross-country ski lessons

In ad­di­tion to ren­tal equip­ment, Vuo­kat­ti Ski Ser­vi­ce al­so of­fers gui­ded skiing tours for groups. Read more Guided Ski tour.

First Snow Track

First Snow Track

Vuokatti Sport’s First snow track opens every year mid-October. Tens of thousands of cubic metres of snow are stored every year for the first snow track. In the first phase the track is 1,5 kilometers long and it gets extended phase by phase until it is 9-10 kilometers long.

More information about the first-snow track https://vuokattisport.fi/en/ski-tunnel-and-first-snow-track/

Cross-country skiing tracks

Explore tracks