WAYPOINTS INFORMATION

You can choose the Lapland Extreme Challenge clockwise or opposite. Waypoints are mandatories if you want to do it as we propose. You have to choose the way you think is best to arrive to the waypoints. Some of the waypoints are in wooden shelters (laavu), cabins and towns, some others are in the middle of nowhere. Is also possible to find cabins and shelters between mandatory waypoints.

You can prepare your own track with the excursionmap, is very easy to use it, you can see where the laavus and cabins are, plan your track and download a .gpx file.

Some of the cabins you will find in the way have a half free (open door) and half payment (need the key). In general all laavu and cabins have firewood and some of them have a propane kitchen, but sometimes wood supply could be finished, so be prepare.

Please let the cabins as clean as you find it or even more. Thank you!!

YOU CAN DOWNLOAD in .gpx format all waypoints to your GPS and the recommended 8,3 kms track from wpt 39 to Rovaniemi.

HOW TO USE excursionmap.fi

WAYPOINTS LIST

001.-  N66.67729 E25.71292                    021.-  N68.40398 E28.03413

002.-  N66.93775 E25.74267                    022.-  N68.30896 E27.81375

003.-  N67.01200 E26.05772                    023.-  N68.21320 E27.84367

004.-  N67.20644 E26.07344                    024.-  N68.08379 E28.00515

005.-  N67.44715 E26.11178                    025.-  N67.82310 E27.77773

006.-  N67.62361 E25.82219                    026.-  N67.52792 E27.53997

007.-  N67.86999 E26.19897                    027.-  N67.34402 E27.34555

008.-  N68.07053 E26.06619                    028.-  N67.16898 E26.89777

009.-  N68.26072 E26.15682                    029.-  N67.04476 E26.57013

010.-  N68.32251 E26.47959                    030.-  N67.02629 E26.51261

011.-  N68.40697 E26.47330                    031.-  N66.98858 E26.44888

012.-  N68.49842 E26.41592                    032.-  N66.98729 E26.21456

013.-  N68.55097 E26.35860                    033.-  N66.96862 E26.03142

014.-  N68.70600 E26.54566                    034.-  N66.83984 E26.00051

015.-  N68.77461 E26.65215                    035.-  N66.68954 E26.08384

016.-  N68.84633 E26.88712                    036.-  N66.62070 E26.08457

017.-  N68.90993  E27.01423                   037.-  N66.53395 E26.12922

018.-  N68.92508 E27.41946                   038.-  N66.54599 E25.92193

019.-  N68.63691 E27.56789                   039.-  N66.54364 E25.84663

020.-  N68.56083 E27.68438                   040.-  N66.50468 E25.73843

SOME OF THE MANDATORY WAYPOINTS ARE IN REFUGES:

RECOMMENDED GEAR

Progress in deep snow is the most common during the Lapland Extreme Challenge. Also there are snowmobile tracks with packed snow and B roads cleaned by machine due that there is trafic on it. So best is ski and sometimes walk.

Following is the gear we recommend to do the Lapland Extreme Challenge.

- Forest skis (metsäsukset in finnish language) and back-country skis: For deep snow forest skis are the best. There are two kinds of forest skis, thin and long and short and wide. Thin forest skis can be more than 2 meters long. Back-country skis are limited in very deep snow.

- Spliboard is also ok and in very deep snow floats better than back-country skis.

- If you don't know about the use of the wax, best is to use seal skins.

- Pulka: As short and small as possible. For us the right size is 130 cm long and 40 cm wide. We recommend to use poles dragging system.

- Pulka brands: Fjellpulken, Acapulka, Snowsled.

SAFETY and TIPS

- Best dates to start the Challenge is in the end of February.

- Better finish before the middle-end of April.

- Could be very dangerous to cross rivers and lakes in the dark without any signs or even with a snowmobile track.

- Be careful when you cross or advance in rivers and lakes.

- River and lakes doesn't have to be totally frozen (even with -40ºC not all are totally frozen). Some sections can have lots of centimeters of ice and some sections have thin ice. Just be careful with snow-bridges.

- Best way to cross rivers and lakes is following the official snowmobile routes, always approximatelly signed in the map (retkikartta) and normally with sticks (but not always).

- In official snowmobile track, some snowmobiles can drive very fast. Be careful.

- Don't trust all snowmobile tracks. Reindeer herders goes everywhere out of official tracks.

- Of course is very important to have enough batteries for your satellite tracker devide, phone and GPS and keep it as close to your body or in a very insulated place.

- In case of emergency you can also call 112. There is an app called "112 Suomi". Don't forget that if you ARE NOT injured, 112 won't send you a rescue team.

- All rescue fees and evacuations off the Challenge are at your own responsability.

- Polarguide and Logistics is not responsable for the accidents that the participants may have for whatever reason or situation.
Whoever does the Challenge does it under his/her own responsibility.

- Is good to have a whistle.

- Is good to have a good rear flash light and reflective patches.

- Almost all track have telephone signal except the very isolate sections. Urho Kekkonen National Park does not have telephone signat at all.

- In Finland is easy to pay by visa card or similar but is also recommended to carry the sum of 400 € cash aprox. in order to cover the unexpected.

- Is not difficult to get a taxi in Finland. So if you want to quit just go to the closest road and call a taxi.

- You can move around Finland in english language, but in some places you may find people who doesn't or speak very basic, so is good to have a paper with some words in Suomi.

- In general, all laavus (shelters) and cabins have firewood and some of them have a propane kitchen, but sometimes wood supply is empty, so be prepare.

- Participants can buy food and supplies in Inari (small supermarket), Ivalo (big supermarket) and Luosto (small supermarket). Also is possible to buy food and maybe petrol in little towns and petrol station you can find in the way as Tanhua, Käyrämö...

- You can find white gasoline in petrol stations. It's called "4-tahti besiini". Is the kind of petrol used for lawn mowers and chain saws. Also you can find propane-butane mix cans (not so good if temperatures are so low).

- To light a firewood is good to have this kind of pils normally used to light barbecues.

- Hotels in Inari, Ivalo and Luosto.

- People of all nationalities have the right to enjoy the Finnish countryside freely under the traditional Finnish legal concept know as Everyman's Right.

- Respect Private Property. You are not allowed to pass, sleep or use any Private Property (Finnish laws).

- Please do not litter the trail. Leave no trace.

- Respect yourself. Do not damage any structures and Private Property.

- If you want, we can keep your baggage untill you finish the Challenge for 100 €. Whatever baggage you let us will be outside, well protected but expose to minus zero temperatures.