Ylläs Ski Resort, Ylläsjärvi
Ylläs's sunny south side by the lake
Ylläsjärvi is the sunny southern base village of the Ylläs fell in Finnish Lapland, a quieter, lakeside gateway to the mountain's long runs and vast cross-country trails.
- 291 m Base
- 384 m Top lift
- 93 m Vertical
- 25 Pistes mapped
- 3 Lifts
Best known for
Après & vibe
Ylläsjärvi is the more relaxed and low-key of Ylläs's two villages, with a modest scatter of hotel restaurants, cafés and saunas rather than any real nightlife. It is a place to warm up and wind down after a day on the fell.
The resort
Ylläsjärvi lies on the southern side of the great Yllästunturi fell, strung along the shore of its namesake lake in western Lapland. It is one of the two base villages that share the mountain, and the sunnier of the pair, catching more of the low Arctic light across its slopes than the shaded northern side. The village is smaller and more modern in feel than its northern counterpart, with hotels, apartments and cottages spread near the lift station and along the lake. From here the fell's long pistes rise into the birch and up to the open summit, and an immense cross-country network fans out through the surrounding forest. It is the closer of the two villages to the regional airport, making it a convenient and peaceful base for the whole Ylläs area.
Choose Ylläsjärvi for the sunnier side of the fell, a calm lakeside setting and the shortest transfer from the airport, all with direct access to Ylläs's long runs and huge trail network. It suits families and nature-minded skiers who want quiet and light over village bustle.
On the south flank of the fell, Ylläsjärvi enjoys comparatively generous light and afternoon sun as the season progresses, a welcome quality in the far north. Winter is long and cold with dry, powdery snow at its heart, softening into bright, spacious spring skiing by March and April. The lower, tree-lined runs stay sheltered while the summit above the village remains exposed and wild.
Snow & weather
Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.
- Feels like
- —
- Conditions
- —
- Wind
- —
- Fresh snow (3-day)
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Live data © Open-Meteo.com
Reliable through a long Lapland season, with high-fell natural snow and northern cold sustaining cover into spring; the sunnier southern aspect is well managed with grooming and snowmaking on the main pistes.
Average monthly snowfall
Snowfall climatology unavailable.
Terrain & aspect
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Slopes mostly face SE — 14% on snow-holding, poleward-facing slopes.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Skiing & terrain
Good gentle nursery slopes at the base make it a reassuring place to learn.
Long, uncrowded cruising runs up the fell are the strength here, ideal for confident intermediates.
A few steeper pitches on the fell's flanks give stronger skiers some bite.
Limited true steeps, with the reward in long descents and open upper-fell off-piste in the right conditions.
The sunny southern fell
Ylläsjärvi sits on the south side of Yllästunturi, the aspect that catches the most of the low Arctic sun, especially as spring approaches. It gives the village a brighter, warmer feel than the shaded northern base across the fell.
Long runs into the trees
From the village's lift station the fell delivers some of the longest ski descents in Finland, dropping from the bare summit down through the birch forest. The sense of distance and space on these runs is a large part of the appeal.
Lakeside and cross-country
Set beside Lake Ylläsjärvi, the village is a launch point into the fell's enormous cross-country network and the neighbouring national park. Frozen lake, forest trails and floodlit tracks make it a fine base for Nordic skiing and snowshoeing.
On the map
Legend
Run difficulty
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced / Expert
- Freeride / Extreme
- Unknown
Run types
- Downhill — groomed
- Downhill — ungroomed
- Downhill — gladed
- Nordic (groomed)
- Ski tour
- ☾Lit (night)
- △Not patrolled
- →One-way
- ❄Snowmaking
Lifts
- Operating
- Operating (private)
- Non-operating
- Lift station
Slope-gradient grading
Downhill / ski tour
- Flat<3°
- Easy3–14°
- Intermediate14–22°
- Advanced / Expert22–45°
- Freeride / Extreme>45°
Nordic
- Easy<6°
- Intermediate6–9°
- Advanced>9°
Aspect (sun exposure)
- N — least sun
- E — morning
- S — most sun
- W — afternoon
Legend after OpenSkiMap
Stay in Ylläs Ski Resort, Ylläsjärvi
Ylläsjärvi offers ski-in hotels, apartments and log cabins around the lift base and along the lakeshore, generally quieter and more modern in feel than the northern village. Forest cottages nearby suit those wanting seclusion, with a ski-bus linking to the rest of the fell.
Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.
Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.
Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.
From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.
How to get there
The transfer data references Tromsø (TOS) in Norway as a northern gateway, but the nearest airport is Kittilä (KTT), and Ylläsjärvi is the closer of the two Ylläs villages to it, served by seasonal winter flights.
From Kittilä the village is a short road transfer of roughly half an hour on cleared Arctic roads, with shuttles and taxis meeting winter flights.
Best time: December to April, with dark, aurora-friendly early season and long, sunny spring days that the south-facing side shows off best.
Nearby resorts
Other resorts within reach.
Faces north © dr.eros / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0) Ylläs
- Vertical
- 444 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 22
- Lifts
- 21
Pyhätunturi - Luosto
- Vertical
- 295 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 26
- Lifts
- 13
Faces east © kallerna / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) Pyhä Ski Resort
- Vertical
- 181 m
- Pistes (mapped)
- 15
- Lifts
- 4
Iso-Syöte
Getting to Ylläs Ski Resort, Ylläsjärvi
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Kittilä (KTT) — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.