Большой Вудъявр

Bolshoy Vudyavr, whose name translates roughly as Big Wood, is the largest ski resort on Russia's Kola Peninsula, set in the treeless Khibiny mountains right above the town of Kirovsk and well inside the Arctic Circle. Its polar location defines the experience: an unusually long season that can run deep into spring, floodlit night skiing through the dark midwinter months, and a genuine reputation among Russian skiers as a freeride and off-piste destination, with open bowls and gullies in the surrounding fells. The lift-served pistes suit intermediates and improvers, but it is the backcountry and ski-touring potential that gives the place its edge. The atmosphere is that of a working Arctic town rather than a purpose-built resort, austere and characterful, with dramatic tundra scenery. Conditions can be fierce, with wind and cold, but clear days offer a chance of the northern lights over the mountains.