Published 6.10.2023
The winter season of Ruka Ski Resort opened on Friday, October 6th, using the stored snow from the previous winter. This marks the 8th consecutive year of opening the season on Saarua's stored snow slopes. The opening weekend is accompanied by the Arctic Weekend Ski Festival, which brings skiing enthusiasts together for slope events, a test center, workshops, film screenings, and evening parties. Ruka's first cross-country ski trail will open on October 13th.
For the 2023-2024 ski season start, Ruka opened with three stored snow slopes: Saarua's popular slopes, Ruka Park, and the Village-to-Valley gondola, along with the Saarua Express chairlift and Saarua III.
Using stored snow has become a regular part of Ruka's seasonal cycle, and this marks the 8th year of opening the ski season with stored snow.
- Ruka first experimented with preserving snow over the summer using a new method in the summer of 2016. We were among the first to adopt this method in Finland, and since then, we have consistently opened the ski season in October. Ruka continues to improve its snow preservation techniques. Last spring, we preserved approximately 150,000 cubic meters of snow for the slopes, according to Matti Parviainen, Ruka's Director of Slope Operations.
In addition to the slopes, stored snow is also used to create Ruka's first cross-country ski trail, which opens on October 13th. The snow is preserved during winter when snowmaking machines can be used most energy-efficiently. Ruka is known as one of Europe's most snow-sure ski resorts, with one of the longest ski seasons among non-glacier resorts. Ruka typically offers skiing for over 200 days each year.
During the Arctic Weekend season-opening event, participants can compete by climbing uphill on skins, covering up to 4,000 vertical meters
The Arctic Weekend ski festival, now in its second year, has seen an increase in ticket sales. The event features slope activities, workshops related to freeride skiing, film screenings, and equipment testing.
It also includes the unique Master of Vert competition, where participants compete to accumulate the most vertical meters climbed uphill without using ski lifts. Last year's winner achieved an impressive 4,000 meters of ascent, which is almost as high as Europe's tallest mountain, Mt. Blanc.
For additional information, you can contact Matti Parviainen, Director of Slope Operations at Ruka, at 040 068 0282.
Images for the media can be found here: Ruka Ski Resort Media Images