Autumn in the Arctic
Autumn is the Arctic's training season - glorious ruska colours, no mosquitos, and intensive dog training on quads and sleighs.
Autumn is one of the finest Arctic seasons, and southern Finns know it. The 'ruska' period, two glorious weeks generally in early September when the trees turn every shade of red and gold, brings crisp mornings, long sunny days and perfect hiking and biking, with no mosquitos. International visitors have yet to discover it.
- 'Ruska' colours peak generally in early September - reds and golds, no mosquitos
- Crisp clear mornings and long sunny days
- Our main dog and guide training season
- Quad-bike training starts once temperatures consistently drop below 5C
- Early runs of 2km with ~10-dog teams build up to 20km with ~16 dogs
- One-week intensive sled-training course offered each October
The turn towards winter
Our Summer Activities and location sections cover the autumn options across Enontekio, from wilderness areas and the national park to huts and trails.
The first flutters of snow give us about two weeks' warning before winter settles in for good, anywhere from mid October to the first weeks of December. That sparks a local scramble to clear the yard and squeeze in a last hike or bike. We open the wilderness trails once a good cover of snow lies on the ground.
Our main training season
Autumn is our main training season for dogs and guides alike, and a great time to join us if you want to learn about the dogs intensively, since we train from morning until night. Each year we run a one-week intensive course for new mushers and anyone wanting a deeper, rounded perspective on working with sled dogs.
Autumn training seasons
Pre-snow quad-bike training starts once the temperature sits consistently below 5C. These early safaris are fascinating, as we see what the dogs have retained and introduce the new pups.
We begin with 2km rounds and small teams of around 10 dogs, then build swiftly to 20km sessions with perhaps 16 dogs per team. Once the snow compacts on the marshes and the river crossings are safe, we build a network of sleigh routes. The guides are then out nearly all day, developing the pups and teaching the lead dogs their turning commands.
Who autumn suits
Autumn suits clients who already know and love dogs. The October sled-training week in particular suits anyone keen to work with dogs professionally or as a hobby.
Good to know
- Best colour period
- 'Ruska', generally early September
- Quad training trigger
- Temperatures consistently below 5C
- Training distances
- From 2km rounds up to 20km sessions
- Special course
- One-week intensive musher training each October
Ready when you are
Real wilderness, 200+ huskies, eighteen winters in.