You Gotta Love Snow ❄️

Snow in April? It might well happen when you are in Finland. Finns are so used to the snow that business goes on as usual even if there is a blizzard.

They say Inuit have dozens of words for snow in their language and the same is true for Finns and especially the Sami people of Lapland. Here lakes and ponds freeze over during winter and you can walk on ice. Many Finnish children learn to skate on frozen ponds and lakes. In many places you can walk even on the Baltic Sea.

Whenever snow falls, Finns hurry out to take out their skis to hit the tracks. Cross-country skiing is a national sport in Finland. Kids go skiing at school and at day care as well as on their free time with their parents as soon as they learn to walk. Snowshoeing is also a fun way to enjoy outing in a snowy forest. In fact, there are dozens of ways to enjoy snow and it seems that people are inventing more every year. Watch for example these funny videos, where people fall into powdery snow.

During spring months it often happens that the snow on the ground can carry you due to its hard surface and you can walk on it without sinking in the snow. This is because the days are warm and the sun melts the top layer of the snow and at nights the freezing temperatures make the top layer freeze over again. When you walk on the snow, you can go to many places where you can’t go at other times during the rest of the year and get unique perspectives and views. Spring mornings with lots of sunlight and hankikanto (the word in Finnish that means the snow that can carry you) is the time of the year that many Finns cherish.

Truth be told, in April many Finns are already looking forward to a warm spring. However, even when fresh powdery snow falls unexpectedly and you have already had enough of it for the day or the year, you can always cuddle up in a blanket, sip some hot cocoa, and enjoy the warmth and comfort inside with snowy views from your window.

Read more about the Finnish words for different types of snow here, and come and enjoy the snow in Finland during the winter months! Here are our tips for a pleasant stay in the Southeast Finland: