The latest leg of the Off Road Orienteering Cup.

Competitors will be arriving in Raajärvi, Lapland today to prepare for tomorrows early start of this 24 hour orienteering event. The Old Mining Village in Raajärvi, the best off road centre in Finland, is located approximately 65km from the Lapland capital of Rovaniemi. This is the third Lapland Trophy.

Lapland is still benefiting from the midnight sun making this 24 hour event a little easier for the competitors.

Competitors travel from control point to control point in 4x4 and all terrain vehicles in this orienteering and endurance competition. Upon reaching a control point competitors must take a photo of themselves simultaneously touching their vehicle and the control point number card as proof.

The Lapland Trophy is the second competition of the Finnish Off-Road Orienteering-CUP series this year.

The mention of a snorkel in the recommended equipment list must give competitors cause for concern!

A winch is highly recommended. If the car does not have one, an off road jack and/or manual tackle is strongly recommended as a minimum. Snorkels and other special equipment may be recommended when necessary.

The images are of previous Off Road Orienteering events.

Below are the competition rules in case you want to prepare for next years event.

Common rules for all competition classes:

            • Local traffic regulations MUST be observed when driving on public roads

            • During the competition the speed limit on unpaved roads is max 50 km/h, some roads may have a lower speed limit, indicated by speed limit signs

            • On paved roads the speed limit is max 80 km/h, unless a lower speed limit is indicated by speed limit signs

            • Always wear a seatbelt while driving on the road

            • Control points sign support (tree etc.) must never be used for winching

            • You may cross power lines, but driving along them is forbidden, and power line poles may NEVER be used for winching

            • Phone lines, oil- or gas pipes, railways etc.; same strict restrictions than for power lines

            • If an area is limited by sealing off lines, the winch cable may cross the sealing off line, but the car must NOT cross the sealing off line

            • Any equipment in and on the car must be properly fastened

            • Double wheels, traction chains etc. are forbidden

            • Axes, saws, chainsaws etc. must not be used and must be removed from car

            • Any assistance outside the competition is forbidden

            • Assistance offered or accepted by the organisers and equally available to all competitors is allowed

            • Only the competitors in the team are allowed inside the car, except in emergencies

            • Car maintenance and repairs may be done only by persons registered as competitors or service persons, and service cars must be registered in advance to the competition

            • Assistance from other competitors or their service persons is allowed

            • A competition car may only be towed by another competition car, not by service cars or outsiders

            • Outsiders may not carry competitors, service persons, tools, spare parts etc. for or to the competitors without competition jury permission in advance, except in emergencies

            • Service cars may only drive along roads that are suitable for a normal road car

            • Trailers are not allowed to be used during the competition to move competition cars

For further details of the event and to follow the event click here.

For details on visiting Rovaniemi click here.

When will the Lapp ski resorts commit?

Every year in Finnish Lapland and northern Finland ski areas compete for the honour of getting at least a few of their ski slopes open first. 

This mad race takes place months ahead of anything the ski resorts in the Alps could dream of. If temperatures are right the snow machines are switched on in early October.

The popular ski resort of Ruka in eastern Finland has already published dates for its opening weekend as   26-28 October 2007. The event attracts skiers from all over Finland where they celebrate when not skiing listening to the numerous live bands around the resort. The weekend culminates in the seasons first Suomi Slalom, a giant slalom race, on the Sunday.

Other ski areas: Levi, Yllas, Iso-Syote and Saariselka have yet to commit to opening dates but weather permitting they will be aiming for October or early November. All locations like to mark the opening weekend in a party atmosphere so pack your skis and dancing shoes and head north!

As well as the battle to open the slopes just as important, for the Finns possibly more so, is the race to get the first kilometres of cross country trails open. Cross country ski teams from across the world rush to Lapland to get in that all important pre season training.

To find out more about Lapland ski areas click here.

To visit Ruka for a pre-Christmas Ski break click here.

It just keeps getting better and better.

As the Finns return to Helsinki for the start of new school year and from their long summer vacations their post holiday blues are erased by the start of the two week Helsinki festival.

This exciting festival was established in 1968 and has been growing ever since. The festival incorporates a diverse range of events attracting acts from around the world. Visitors can enjoy music: classical, jazz and modern, sculpture, poerty, art, modern circus, the list is never ending. Events take place throughout the city.

Tickets are already on sale for this years Helsinki festival.

For the full list of events and locations click here.

A must for summer visitors to Finnish Lapland.

This excellent museum is located in the small village of Inari in northern eastern Lapland. SIIDA exhibitions show how nature and the indigenous people, the Sami, have adapted to life in these extreme northern conditions.

The centre is home to the Sami Museum and the Northern Lapland Nature Centre who have combined their skills to present an interesting and informative exhibition about the northern seasonal cycle and the evolution of the region from the Ice age to the present.

During summer old Sami dwellings are on show in the adjoining open air museum.

As well as the permanent exhibition the museum has several one off seasonal exhibitions on throughout the year.

One of this years most popular is People of the North.

People in the North 01 June – 31 Oct 2007
Through photographic material and documents, the exhibition introduces the audience to the colonization of the northern areas. The focus is on photographs taken by explorers, anthropologists and ethnographers as well as on their accounts of their journeys to the North in the 1800s and the early 1900s. The exhibition has been produced bŧ Bildmuseet, a museum which specializes in photographic art in Umeå, Sweden. The Inari Sámi Museum has complemented the exhibition with material from Finnish archives and collections.
Arranged by: Inari Sámi Museum

For further information on Siida click here.

Cycling event takes place in Finnish Lapland on 04 August 2007.

A challenging course has been set for cyclists through the Kätkä fell’s surrounding Levi in Western Finnish Lapland for this 40 and 80km event.

The mens individual and team event is 80 km and the women’s event is 40km.

There is prize money for winning teams and for route record holders.

For further details click here.

In honour of the work of Hannu Hautala

The 42nd Pori Jazz Festival, bigger and better than ever!

Today sees the start of the internationally renowned Pori Jazz festival. The event takes place each summer in the small town of Pori located in western Finland.

It attracts acts from around the world that play at indoor and outdoor venues throughout the town. This year Elvis Costello is among the many the many acts.

During the 42 years that the festival event has been running it has grown from a small local happening into a huge international event. Visitors camp or rent cottages in the area. While not at one of the concerts many head to the nearby stunning sandy beaches.

For further details of the line up click here.

Helsinki Design Week runs 14-23 September 2007

For the third year the creative industries will meet in Helsinki to take part in this special international theme week.  The Helsinki Design Week will include exhibitions and professional gatherings throughout the city.

Design professionals will gather at the Cable Factory for the Designpartners event. Further events will take place at Suomenlinna and Habitare 07 which takes place at Helsinki Fair Centre, is Finland's largest furniture, interior decoration and design fair 19-23 September.

For further details link to the Helsinki design Week site, click here.