Ski resorts Ukko-Koli and Loma-Koli. Koli Ski Center Where to stay

Take a walk or ski trip through the rocky hills of Koli Park and you'll see why artists and nature lovers are inspired by these magnificent views that capture the very essence of the Finnish lake landscape.

In Koli Park, part of the beautiful Lake District of Eastern Finland, a chain of wooded hills rises above the crystal clear waters of Lake Pielinen. The hills of Koli Park consist of rocks that are perhaps the oldest in the world. The crystalline quartzite found here was formed more than two billion years ago in the heart of an ancient mountain range whose height exceeded the height of the present Himalayas.

Koli Park has a large number of walking routes. From the crest of the ridge there are amazing views. Climb to the Ukko-Koli (Ukko-Koli) and Akka-Koli (Baba Koli) viewpoints for stunning views of the lake, or descend any of the forested slopes to the quiet lake shores.

In summer, a car ferry runs along the lake towards Lieksa. You can also rent a kayak or rowing boat. In winter, the snow-covered hillsides of Koli Park are an excellent place for cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and snowshoeing.

Flowering meadows

In the heart of the dense forests of Koli Park, there are several old pastures and meadows that play an important role in preserving traditional local farming methods and breeding livestock breeds. The forest in several places was deliberately burned to clear fields, as was done in earlier times when slash-and-burn agriculture was widespread in Eastern Finland.

Get to know the forest properly - stay in the park for the night. Accommodation options range from mountaintop hotels and picturesque log cabins to scattered forest campgrounds that are free to use. Walking through the forest, observe the life of forest inhabitants. On the way you can meet many animals from a tiny mouse to a huge moose.

At the information and reference center you can learn a lot of interesting things about the geology, nature and history of the Koli National Park. At the end of the 19th century, Finnish romantic artists came here to capture the surrounding landscapes on their canvases. Archaeological finds indicate that in the Stone Age, ancient people living in Finland chose these difficult places for ritual sacrifices.

While in this part of Eastern Finland, don't forget to check out the Ruunaa rapids. This is a very impressive sight.

Address, opening hours, how to get there

• Kolin kansallispuisto
• Address: Kolin Kansallispuisto, Suomi
123 4567
• Coordinates: 63.063359 , 29.844246
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Estimate!

Last time I started talking about how from Sortavala we decided to go to Finland for a couple of days. The border was crossed somewhere in Karelia. The transition was remembered by a separate queue for the Russians, who were let in ahead of the Finns, and a thorough search with all sorts of stupid questions. Late in the evening we reached the city of Joensuu, which I will tell you about next time. After spending the night, in the morning we moved north to the Koli National Park to look at the “best view of Finland” recommended by the local guidebook. We looked. Now I know exactly where the earth ends and the thick pale gray hallucination-like nothingness begins - we have visited the very heart of the kingdom of the snow queen. So, Koli National Park.

2 billion years ago, high mountains rose in this place - the Karelids, not inferior in their power to today's Himalayas. But, as you know, everything except the Egyptian pyramids is afraid of time - to this day, only relatively small rocks remain of the once majestic mountains, the highest of which, Ukko-Koli, rises three and a half hundred meters above sea level. This is the highest place in Southern Finland.

The slopes of Ukko-Koli are a popular ski resort, so it is always crowded.

A small funicular runs from the parking lot to the hotel and ski slope.

Through its darkened glass, a good view already opens up, which could well compete for the title of “the best view of Finland.”

Having risen literally a few tens of meters from the parking lot, you seem to find yourself in another world, located a thousand or two kilometers to the north.

I admit, I have never seen so much snow before.

There is so much snow that it seems like you are in a sea of ​​snow that envelops you from all sides.

And in the middle of this huge sea, snow-covered lanterns shine like dim beacons.

Well, welcome to the winter fairy tale.

Among the tall fir trees and pines standing around like silent giants, you feel like a little ant. A tower located nearby, difficult to discern under a thick layer of snow, looks like some kind of incomprehensible extraterrestrial structure.

The symbol of the Koli National Park are numerous spruce and pine trees with several tops. This phenomenon is quite unique and occurs quite rarely. Its nature is simple - moist air rises up the rocks, where it condenses in the crowns of trees, after which it turns into ice. Huge ice clods on the tops of pines and spruces reach several hundred kilograms, and trees often break under their weight.

The snow flakes kept growing and eventually turned into large white chickens.

Suddenly they scattered to the sides, the large sleigh stopped, and the man sitting in it stood up. She was a tall, slender, dazzlingly white woman - the Snow Queen; both the fur coat and the hat she was wearing were made of snow.

The walls of the palaces were blizzards, the windows and doors were violent winds.

How cold, how deserted it was in these white, brightly sparkling palaces!

Cold, deserted, grandiose!

These landscapes inspired Jean Sibelius to write his famous Fourth Symphony.

There is a legend that before the wedding, he dragged a piano to the top of the mountain, which he played for his future wife.

Cold, deserted, dead!

In the middle of the largest deserted snowy hall there was a frozen lake. The ice cracked on him into thousands of pieces, so identical and regular that it seemed like some kind of trick.

In the middle of the lake stood the throne of the Snow Queen; she sat on it when she was at home, saying that she sat on the mirror of the mind; in her opinion, it was the only and best mirror in the world.

Between the branches fancifully bent under tons of snow, one can see the endless Finnish forests, frozen in anticipation of spring.

Meanwhile, we reach the highest point - the peak of Ukko-Koli.

Some kind of surrealism, straight out of a Salvador Dali painting.

From the top you can see Lake Pielinen, located next to the rocks.

Actually, this is the best view of Finland.

This is the fifth largest lake in the country. This is where the Pielisjoki River originates, whose waters then flow through Saimaa, Vuoksa and Lake Ladoga into my native Neva.

The name of the peak is translated as “Grandfather Kolya”. Ukko means "grandfather" in Finnish.

And Ukko is the name of the ancient pagan thunder god.

The distances here are very short - from the hotel to the top only some 300 meters. But if you consider that you have to wade through almost knee-deep snow, it turns out that it takes about 25 minutes to overcome these 300 meters.

Some trees resemble snow-covered monsters. Just a little more and he will throw off his two-kilogram snow coat and severely punish the violators of his peace.

As I said above, you have to wade through knee-deep snow.

And this is along a well-trodden path. As soon as you take a step to the side, you immediately fall into the snow up to your waist.

So, slowly choking on the snow, we began to make our way to the next peak - Pakha-Koli.

If I understand correctly, it is translated as “Evil Kolya.”

Probably to justify the name of the peak, the wind here was many times stronger and meaner than at Ukko-Koli, located a few hundred meters away.

Even just standing on the top was difficult, so I had to take photographs from a shelter - in the soft snow I made myself a cozy den, from which only my head and the camera stuck out.

The third peak is Akka-Koli. Translated as "Baba Koli".

There was no well-trodden path there, and we decided to make our way at random, trying to recognize the red marks hidden under the snow, indicating the right path.

The peak of Akka-Koli is located on the opposite side of the ridge, so it offers views in the other direction.

The spruce and pine trees sticking out of the snow look like an army of huge fairy-tale warriors who stopped to rest and then perished under the onslaught of winter.

The ancient Karelians considered these mountains to be the habitat of higher beings, therefore many legends and traditions are associated with these rocks.

In memory of those times, there is a place in the park called the Church of the Devil - a long cleft in the rock about 30 meters deep. The top of the crevice is filled with huge boulders of stone, forming the roof of the cave. The ancient shamans from these places were sure that in the farthest hall there was a sanctuary of the devil himself.

A little later we tried to get to the cave, but our idea was a fiasco - the snow there was noticeably more than waist-deep, so after trampling around the parking lot covered with snow, we finally retreated.

“Now I’ll fly to warmer lands,” said the Snow Queen. — I’ll look into the black cauldrons.

This is what she called the craters of the fire-breathing mountains - Etna and Vesuvius.

- I'll whiten them a little. It's good for lemons and grapes.

She flew away, and Kai was left alone in the vast deserted hall, looking at the ice floes and thinking and thinking, so that his head was cracking. He sat in place, so pale, motionless, as if lifeless. You would have thought that he was completely frozen.

IN It was at that time that Gerda entered the huge gate, which was filled with violent winds. And before her the winds subsided, as if they had fallen asleep. She entered a huge deserted ice hall and saw Kai. She immediately recognized him, threw herself on his neck, hugged him tightly and exclaimed:

- Kai, my dear Kai! Finally I found you!

Kai and Gerda walked out of the icy palaces hand in hand. They walked and talked about their grandmother, about the roses that bloomed in their garden, and in front of them the violent winds died down and the sun peeked through. And when they reached a bush with red berries, a reindeer was already waiting for them.

Instead of a reindeer, a faithful Citroen was waiting for us, in which we could finally warm up and come to our senses.

After walking around the park we headed back to Joensuu. At the exit from the national park there was a large notice about an open ice road connecting the two shores of Lake Pillinen. If you follow the highway around the lake, this route would take about 100 kilometers, but here you could cut off 60 kilometers.

Of course, we had to go in the other direction - but I had to see what the Finnish winter road was like.

I expected to see anything, but not a wide, well-cleared highway, along the sides of which there were many road signs.

Tomorrow - a little more Finland.

Updated: 23.4.2019

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Ski slopes are open

The Koli ski resort has been operating for over 75 years! What's new for guests this ski season? The belt lift is open for children! Now the youngest guests of the resort can easily climb to the top and develop their skiing and snowboarding skills.

The Koli ski center is located in North Karelia, 75 km north of the city of Joensuu. Koli National Park is also located here. From Helsinki to Joensuu it is easy to travel by train or plane; Taxis for groups run regularly from Joensuu to Koli. Approximate travel time from Helsinki is 6 hours.

There is a black run in Ukko-Koli, which is considered one of the most difficult ski slopes in Finland. The resort offers rental facilities, a ski school and the Rinnetupa cafe-restaurant, which can also be booked for private events. New to the resort are the SkiShop sports store and telemark equipment rental service.

Don't forget to check out Koli Relax Spa! Here you will find the very relaxation for body and soul that you have always dreamed of! In the SPA complex you can enjoy various swimming pools, saunas, tropical showers and all kinds of treatments .

Koli's slopes have some of the best profiles in Southern and Central Finland! The Ukko-Koli slopes are perfect for high-level skiers and can compete with the slopes of Lapland itself!

Ski school

The ski school in Koli is the oldest ski school in Finland. We have specialists who will help you learn to ski and snowboard, you will learn what telemark is and much more. Whether you are a professional or a beginner, we are always happy to help!

We are Werneri ski school.

Contacts

Ski resort

010 762 3630

Rantatie 27 83960 Koli

Ski school

010 7623 630

Rantatie 27 83960 Koli

How to get to the resort

http://www.koli.fi/fi/Koli-info/Miten-Kolille

Slope information

• Number of slopes7
• Number of lifts4
• Ski pass systemSkiData
• Ski slopes100

Information about slopes and routes

• Opening hours
• Slopes open0
• Lifts open0
• Children's slopes open0
• Ski slopes open0
• Snowparks are openClosed

Facts about the slopes

• Maximum height difference 230
• Longest descent1500
• Illuminated slopes4
• Slopes with artificial snow7
• Black tracks2
• Red trails3
• Blue trails1
• Green/transition trails1
• Children's slopes1
• Children's VillageYes
• SnowparkYes

Facts about ski lifts

• Lift capacity 7200
• T-bar lifts (anchor)2
• T-bar lifts (plate)
• Belt lifts1
• Moving ropes
• Chair lifts1
• Gondola lifts0

Trail information

• Length of ski slopes80
• Illuminated trails50
• Artificial snow trails

Information about services

• Rental locationYes
• Ski serviceYes
• Snowboard repair and maintenance Yes
• Ski shopYes
• Ski schoolYes
• Cafe on the slopes2
• Restaurants3
• RV sites
• Snowmobile trails
• Nearest gas station
• Nearest train station

  Joensuu, 75 km

• Nearest airport

Entering Finland and heading along highway No. 6 towards the city of Joensuu, you pay attention to the road designation - a small red-brown sign with two Latin letters “R” (one black, the other white), facing each other. to a friend - “ R unon ja R ajan tie (Road of Poetry and Borders) is the oldest tourist road in Finland. It runs through the whole of Eastern Finland, following the Russian border, starting close to the coast of the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland), where groves and rocky landscapes abound. It passes through areas heavily influenced by the glacier, creating rugged hills, and finally ends in the mountains of Lapland. These territories are characterized by coniferous forests and an abundance of lakes and a clearly demarcated change of seasons.

Over the centuries, many bloody wars have raged through these sparsely populated areas. Still, here a person lives in the conditions that nature offers him. Even today, local residents have a special relationship with nature and the opportunities it offers for peace and activities to their liking.

The weather along the “Road of Poetry and Borders”, which stretches from south to north for more than 1000 km, is influenced by various natural factors. In South Karelia, the proximity of Lake Ladoga creates a semblance of a marine climate. In summer, Lappeenranta is often the warmest place in Finland. Moving north in the area of ​​Salpausselk (?) in Parikkala (Parikkala) there is a “winter” border. North of Salpausselka the winter is snowier, and Ilomantsi is the snowiest municipality in Finland. In the Joensuu region, summers are usually hot and winters are cold. Here the difference between the two seasons is already very large, and even further north the winter frosts are much stronger than in the southern regions. Also, the length of the day, the polar night or white nights, are the trump card of the tourist road that runs along the eastern border of Finland.

Beyond Parikkala begins North Karelia, the administrative center of which is. North Karelia is the fourth largest province in Finland by area (21,583.68 km?) and the 14th largest by population - 164,665 people. (29.2.2016).

Koli is located 75 km north of Joensuu. “Koli” – what is it? Anyone who goes into skiing will immediately answer that this is a famous ski resort in Finland. In addition to the resort, there is the Koli Hill, there is the Koli National Park, and, after all, there is the Koli village. Well, first things first.

Koli Hill is the largest in North Karelia. It rises 347 meters above sea level, and 253 meters above the level of Lake Pielinen, on the western shore of which it is located. Koli has several peaks: Ukko-Koli, Akka-Koli and Paha-Koli. They say that they got their names from the names of pagan deities. Everything is possible... The Kolya hill consists of white quartzite and where there are open peaks, it seems that they are covered with eternal snow. This is a very ancient formation. Kolya's age exceeds two billion years. Scientists suggest that in the pre-glacial period it was as high as the modern Alps. Koli has withstood the “treatment” of the glacier, weathering, and erosion. If you climb to the highest peak of the Koli hill - Ukko-Koli, then from there you will see a beautiful view of Lake Pielinen lying at the foot of the hill and the surrounding surroundings. In good clear weather, you can see from it for tens of kilometers around.

Lake Pielinen is a match for Koli and is not inferior to its famous “neighbor”. This is the fourth largest lake in Finland. It is located at an altitude of 93 meters above sea level. The area of ​​the lake is 894.21 km?.. It stretches for a maximum of 120 km, and at its widest point it reaches 40 km. There are about 1,500 islands in its waters. The largest of them is Paalasmaa. Its area is 27 km?.. Several large rivers flow into the lake, and one flows out - Pielisenjoki, which carries the waters of the lake in a southerly direction, and they ultimately end up in the Neva water system. The lake is navigable; the first travelers got to Koli by water. After all, the first road to Koli was built only in 1913.

On the western shore of Lake Pielinen lies one of the most famous natural parks in Finland - Koli National Park, founded in 1991. Five years later, its territory was expanded, and now it covers an area of ​​30 km? or 3,000 hectares. Koli National Park is divided into three zones according to the main natural objects of protection. One zone includes the national landscape and geological objects. This zone covers the highest peaks of Koli. The cultural zone is located next to the village of Koli, located at the foot of the hill. This zone supports the diversity of the traditional life of the local population: the cultivation of agricultural fields, which were reclaimed from the forest since ancient times by slash-and-burn methods and oats, rye and turnips were grown in the ashes. Traditional grazing - local breeds of cows and sheep, as before, graze freely in the forest in open clearings and clearings framed by birch groves. In the natural zone, the forest nature of the hills is preserved. The flora of Koli is very changeable and a large variety of plant species grows in a small area. Huge spruce, pine, birch and aspen trees grow in the forest. Linden trees are found in several places in the national park. The grass cover is also rich. Perennial ferns are widespread. There is also such a rare plant as calypso with the scent of vanilla. The needle rose is a plant symbol of North Karelia. Orchis from the orchid family is also found here.

“The flora and climate of the national park are perfect for animal habitat. Mixed forests are inhabited by flying squirrels, martens, stoats, voles, hares, lynxes, moose and bears. There are also rare species such as the black shrew, wood lemming and the endangered crested newt. Birds common in the northern part of the park include wood grouse, black grouse, hazel grouse, osprey, bluetail and black whale. The lake is home to vendace, whitefish, pike and perch. Koli National Park is home to invertebrates such as the flat beetles Aradus laeviusculus and the snail Bulgarica cana, which are found only in Koli in Finland. It is also home to over 717 different species of butterflies.”*

Archaeological finds show that people in the vicinity of Kolya have been hunting and gathering for a long time. A Stone Age site was discovered on the shore of Lake Pielinen, but traces of permanent human habitation on the western shore of the lake appear only in the second half of the 18th century. The oldest buildings, pastures and open fields for farming date back to the 1750s, when the village of Koli appeared.

Today the village is home to about 250 people, many of whom are entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, but also villagers who work in agriculture and the forestry industry. In the village of Koli there is a local store with a post office and pharmacy. In the center of the village there is the Kolin Ryyn?nen Art and Cultural Center and the Koli Local History Museum. The Ukko visitor center hosts exhibitions and has a souvenir shop. Here you can also purchase summer tourist maps of the Koli region, which will help you navigate while walking along the hiking trails of the Koli National Park. Almost all hiking trails begin from here, which are designed for different ages, physical fitness and interests. Hiking trails of varying lengths from one kilometer to 60 km.

There is also a hotel here, but the tourist pilgrimage to Koli began in the second half of the 19th century, after some representatives of the Finnish artistic intelligentsia visited here and reflected the beauty of Koli in their works. Artist Eero Järnefelt painted a series of paintings reflecting not only local landscapes, but also the daily activities of the local population. Composer Jean Sibelius expressed his impressions of his stay in Koli in his fourth symphony, and writer Juhani Aho published a series of articles describing Koli and local attractions. This was also facilitated by legends that speak of sacred places, koduns and caves. In one of these caves, which the locals call the “Church of the Devil” (Piirunkirkko), Ero Järnefelt painted a worm-like poem in red paint, traces of which are still visible to this day, albeit dimly.

“Yksi salaisuus, yks henki,
yks onni kumpaisenki
on kirkko t?m?,
sen pyhyytt? muistelemma aina."

Eero and Fanny 1893

The first travelers spent the night in private rural houses. But then the Finnish Tourist Union in 1896 built the first guest house “Ulamaya” (Yl?maja - upper hut) on the top of Ukko-Koli and laid the first path to it, and below, not far from the pier, the first sign appeared, written on a huge boulder, once brought by a glacier. The inscription reads: “2 km to the traveler’s hut.” Today it is the oldest sign in Finland, still in use, and points to a nature trail leading from the port towards Ukko-Koli.

In 1911, a local teacher built another guest house in the yard of the torpa, which was called “Alamaja”, which means “lower hut”. It stood until the 1980s and then was dismantled. In 2004, a new hotel was built, which now stands on the very shore of Lake Pielinen. She was named in memory of her predecessor, also “Alamaia”.

The port has also been updated. Today, guest yachts and a local car ferry moor there, transporting everyone to the opposite shore. And in winter, if weather conditions permit, an ice road is built across the lake, which reduces the distance between Koli and the city of Lieksa by 50 km. This is the longest ice road in Europe.

In 1923, Koli became the most visited tourist site in the country, which was facilitated by the opening of the road, and in the 1930s, a “serpentine” leading to Ukko-Koli was built. At the same time, skiing began to actively develop in the country. The first ski slope was opened in Koli, Ulyamaya was expanded, and it began to welcome guests all year round. Subsequently, a modern hotel was built on the top of the hill, which now welcomes guests, and the wooden “Ulamaya” was dismantled in the 1970s.

During the Second World War, tourist life in Koli stopped. It was revived again only in the 1960s, but big plans for the development of Kolya were slowed down due to the energy crisis of the 1970s.

Today Koli is a multifaceted area of ​​natural tourism, on which there are more than one hundred kilometers of summer tourist routes, of which 80 km are located in the national park.

Two ski centers have been created on the slopes of Koli: one is located on Ukko-Koli and is aimed at experienced athletes, the other, also located in the national park, is aimed at family recreation and is located on Loma-Koli. Ukko-Koli has two lifts and six descents. The largest difference in height is 230 meters, and the length of the slopes is 800–1,500 meters. Ukko-Koli has one of the steepest ski slopes in Finland (33.8 degrees). Loma Coli has six slopes and four lifts. The greatest height difference is 145 meters, and the length of the slopes ranges from 530 to 1,050 meters. Two of the slopes are intended for snowboarders and students of the new ski school. For children there are snow forts and "centrifugal" sleds and a "carpet" lift.

In 2013, Koli was chosen as “Tourist Site of the Year” and its slopes as “Ski Center of the Year 2013”.

When preparing the article, photographs of Marina Afanasyeva were used.

Ski lovers have long included Finland among their popular resort destinations. The country located in the north of Europe is ready to provide all conditions for active recreation. The Koli resort is one of the most visited places by skiers.

The picturesque place is located in eastern Finland. It opened to holidaymakers in 1991 and now annually welcomes up to 100,000 tourists from all over the world. The country's unique natural attractions are located on an area of ​​45 km². In the park, visitors will see the highest point in Southern Finland - Mount Ukko-Koli. From a height of 347 meters you can see the fourth largest lake in Finland - Pielinen.

The park is often chosen for walking. Tourists enjoy the green hills and clear water of the lakes. The place is famous for its natural beauty - the famous gorge Pirunkirkko or "Church of the Devil". This is the longest natural cave in Finland.

The park is open to visitors all year round. Walking along Koli will help you take a break from the bustle of the city and enjoy the beauty of untouched nature. Every year, tourists choose a place for a family vacation.

Children and adults are offered a variety of entertainment to choose from:

• fishing;
• dog sledding;
• horseback riding;
• hiking;
• skiing, sledding, snowboarding.

Among lovers of active recreation, a popular local ski resort of the same name is popular. It consists of two separate centers - Loma-Koli and Ukko-Koli. They are located 5 km from each other.

Characteristics of routes and slopes

The ski resort has been operating for over 75 years. Since 1938, its pistes and slopes have welcomed athletes. Options are presented for beginners and experienced skiers.

A total of two ski centers 10 slopes and 12 tracks, of which:

• 6 slopes with artificial snow in the center of Ukko-Koli, 2 illuminated;
• 4 slopes on the territory of Loma Coli, 3 illuminated;
• snowboarding - a 740 m long track in the center of Loma Coli;
• 60 km of cross-country ski trails.

The maximum length of the descent is 1.5 km. The elevation difference is 230 m. In Ukko-Koli there is the Black Route - one of the most difficult in Finland.

The resort organizers have come up with a special lift-tug for beginners. In total, the resort has 7 drag lifts, 3 in Ukko-Koli and 4 in Lomo-Koli.

Prices for equipment rental and lift

The price of the lift depends on the number of planned days at the ski resort. The more time you devote to skiing, the cheaper the cost of one lift. A single adult ticket for an hour costs 5 euros, children's 3 euros.

Ski pass prices:

The most profitable way is to purchase discount cards! For couples with children, it is economically beneficial to buy a family ticket! Young visitors under 7 years old and seniors over 70 years old are admitted free of charge!

A family ticket with the S-Etukortti 94 card will cost 110 euros for the whole day.

If necessary, you can also rent equipment at the resort. The rental cost will also depend on the time. Minimum rental time of 1 hour will cost 20 euros.

Equipment rental prices:

It is most profitable to purchase the entire set for a day for 37 euros!

The resort operates a contactless SkiData KeyCard system. It allows you to speed up the climb up the slopes. You independently load a convenient number of tickets onto it. Card cost - 6 euros.

Photo gallery of the Koli ski resort:

Hotels in Koli

The ski resort is located near the city of Joensuu. Travel time from here to the slopes is 1 hour. Here tourists will choose a hotel suitable in terms of price and number of stars.

Sokos Hotel Koli

For those who are not ready to spend even a minute on the road, . It is located right inside the park. It can be easily reached on skis by going down the slope.

The rooms are equipped with everything you need:

• separate bathroom;
• TV;
• kettle;
• bath accessories

Price for two adults per day 8549 rubles And 7203 rubles for one. Breakfast is included in the price.