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Ruka, Finland

Introduction

Finland is generally a flat country with lots of lakes and the Kusamo region, where this typical Finnish resort is located, is no exception. The journey to Ruka involves no great uphill climbs nor winding mountain passes, you simply arrive to see the hill popping out of the landscape like a volcano.

Ruka is just about Finland's largest resort and has hosted some major snowboard championships, indicating that the place has something to offer. Don't get too excited though, as this is not hardcore freeriding territory and you can explore the whole area in half a day.

However, the mainly intermediate slopes do offer carvers some nice flats to carve up and the slopes can be accessed with ease from any of the five carparks dotted along the road that circles most of the hill. Trees cover much of the mountain, so all the trails are cut through the forest giving you the feeling you are on a different run every time, rather than just riding 100 metres across from where you were originally.

All slopes are well groomed and pisted constantly, so bumps don't get a chance to build up. Most of the area has blue and easy red runs, with only a couple of blacks down the front side.

Resort Statistics

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