Levi Ski Resort Live Cam

Levi is the largest ski resort in Lapland, featuring 44 slopes, 26 lifts, an international ski school, and hosting alpine World Cup races. It offers a wide range of services tailored for both beginners and seasoned skiers. Freeskiers and snowboarders can enjoy the kilometer-long South Park and various freeride areas. For younger visitors, Levi has dedicated children's zones — Leevilandia and Kids' Land — filled with fun activities and entertainment. In the summer, Levi transforms into a vibrant adventure hub with its Activity Park, offering mountain biking trails, thrilling zipline rides, high-ropes courses, family-friendly activities, and scenic cabin lift rides.

History

Kittilä, Finland history is woven with ancient Lapland lore. Long before any modern map marked this land, the first residents were Sámi reindeer herders who followed caribou across the forests. These hardy people lived off the land under the endless winter night and the brilliant summer sun. Even today, the rustle of the northern wind through pine branches feels as old as their stories. Kittilä’s own coat of arms – featuring a wolverine and a golden arc – hints at this heritage: fierce wilderness on the one hand, and a promise of treasures hidden in the hills on the other.

We often date Kittilä’s official founding to the 1800s. In 1828 it became a chapel in the Sodankylä parish, meaning local Finns and Sámi could finally worship at home. By a Tsarist decree in 1854 Kittilä was raised to a parish and township, and on July 11, 1868, the first local council met in the new wooden church village. That modest church (built around 1830) still stands in what they now call the Kittilä Church Village – a quiet cluster of historic buildings. Life then was very simple: families eked out hay from marshlands, fished the lakes, and herded reindeer across the fells. Winters were long, summers short, and community life revolved around the church and school.

In the 20th century Kittilä began to change. For much of its history this was a remote farming area, but after World War II the first tourists arrived. By the 1960s a small ski slope had opened on Levitunturi hill near the village of Sirkka. Word spread that Lapland’s snow and scenery were superb. The Levi ski resort grew quickly: today it has dozens of lifts and pistes, even hosting Alpine World Cup slaloms early each season. In the 1980s and 90s Kittilä saw a true tourism boom. Glass-roofed cabins for northern lights viewing sprang up, and designers even carved a lake into the shape of Finland. All of this turned Kittilä, Lapland’s hidden corner, into a winter wonderland for skiers and sun-seekers alike.

In the 2000s a new chapter began: gold. Prospectors discovered rich veins deep under the fells, leading to the Suurikuusikko mine. When this massive mine opened around 2009, Kittilä became home to one of Europe’s largest gold mines. Every year it produces tons of the precious metal – a fortune lying under the Arctic sky. Still, miners and reindeer herders share the land. Even as giant trucks rumble by with ore, a herd of reindeer is likely nearby reminding you whose homeland this really is. Kittilä has added mining to its resume, but it remains a place where traditional livelihoods still matter.

All these layers make Kittilä unique. Its population today is around 6,800, but the sign saying “Population: 6,861” feels like a wink to travelers that this is still a very small town. Artists and writers are part of the story too: celebrated painter Reidar Särestöniemi drew his inspiration from Kittilä’s northern lights and forests, and his summer studio is now a museum in the village. The novelist Arto Paasilinna was born here, spinning humor out of Lapland life. In every sense, Kittilä’s past lives on in its people and places. When you stroll through town or gaze up at the auroras dancing across the sky, you feel connected to both the history and the living culture of Lapland.

Climate

Kittilä’s climate is pure Arctic, and the Kittilä weather is not for the faint of heart. Winters here are long and bone-chilling. By November the ground is locked under ice and snow covers the trees. We often say the winter daylight is so short it barely exists, and indeed in mid-December the sun only peeks above the horizon for a couple of hours. Temperatures routinely stay well below −20 °C in January; I still remember a New Year’s Eve when the thermometer read −40 °C on my doorstep. That same cold wave gave Kittilä its place in the record books: in January 1999, a still night saw the mercury hit −51.5 °C in the village of Pokka – the coldest ever recorded in Finland. Locals joke that at such cold, even the voicemail freezes. Snow in Kittilä usually begins in October and can linger into April or May, blanketing the landscape in white. In that deep winter silence, when the sky is clear you can even see the Northern Lights reflected in the snow.

When summer finally comes, Kittilä weather flips to a gentler side. As the snow melts, the landscape turns sharply green. From late May to mid-July the midnight sun reigns: it doesn’t really set, only dipping to a reddish dusk around 1 AM and back to dawn four hours later. In July the warmest days can reach into the high teens Celsius (around 65 °F), and even the nights are cool and bright. I often change from a heavy coat to shorts in the same day! July can bring rain, but most summer days are pleasantly cool and sunny. It’s when the mosquitos and blackflies emerge too; one local tip is to pack good insect repellent if you visit in the peak of summer. In those endless days, berry-picking in the forests and fishing on the lakes become favorite activities under the golden sun.

Spring and autumn arrive quickly here. By late April most of the heavy snow has melted and the rivers run full from meltwater. Nights can still be frosty even in early June. Then, as July turns to August, the first autumn snows can dust the fells in September. These shoulder seasons are actually wonderful times to visit: by late September the nights are long enough again to hunt for auroras. Kittilä is increasingly featured in Lapland Finland tourism guides for its reliable northern lights shows and crisp, clear skies in fall. In short, Kittilä’s weather is a game of extremes – no wonder travelers often check a Kittilä weather forecast before packing. Just remember to pack layers, because whether it’s wind-whipped snow or midnight sun, Kittilä will keep you on your toes.

Geography

Understanding Kittilä means unfolding a big map. The municipality spans over 8,200 square kilometers – larger than some countries! A Kittilä map shows it touching Inari to the northeast, Sodankylä to the east, Rovaniemi to the south, Kolari to the southwest, Muonio to the west, and Enontekiö to the northwest. With so much space and only about 6,800 people, the population density is incredibly low. Kittilä’s main village, the Church Village, sits at 174 meters above sea level, but most of the land is wilderness. You won’t see a grid of streets here, just endless taiga forests, fells (hills), rivers, and lakes. Kittilä is around 67°40′N – well inside the Arctic Circle – so it ticks all the boxes of Arctic geography: boreal forests giving way to tundra-like hills, and plenty of lakes frozen long each year.

Lakes and fells dominate the landscape. The municipality boasts about 718 lakes, each one a perfect mirror of the sky in summer. In winter they become part of the snowy scenery. Between the lakes rise a chain of low mountains called fells (tunturit in Finnish). The most famous is Levi (Levitunturi) at about 531 meters altitude, home to the Levi ski resort. Nearby is Kätkätunturi (505 m) and the taller Aakenustunturi. These high points aren’t mountains by global standards, but from their summits you can see half of Lapland. Hike or ski up one, and you’ll behold pine forests rolling like waves, dotted with small lakes and peat bogs. The terrain is truly wilderness: elk and lynx roam unseen, and wolverines range the fells. And let’s not forget reindeer – there are roughly two reindeer for every person in Kittilä. In some winter nights, your headlights might catch the glow of antlers from a wandering herd more often than a deer.

The human settlements are correspondingly small and spread out. Besides the Kittilä Church Village, the main communities are Sirkka and Äkäslompolo up near Levi. Sirkka is the base of Levi; it has shops, hotels, and even an airport runway carved through the trees. Äkäslompolo lies by a small lake and feels like a fairy-tale Arctic village with its wooden cabins. All of these are nestled under fells, so a short walk from the village brings you into the dense forest. For travelers, a detailed Kittilä map or GPS can be a lifesaver, because attractions are hidden in valleys or across frozen lakes. The few roads follow river valleys; public buses link the villages but are infrequent. Many visitors rent cars or snowmobiles to explore. Off the beaten track you might stumble on a glass igloo for aurora watching, or a farm offering reindeer sleigh rides under the stars. The map might show only a few dots of civilization, but each leads to an adventure.

Geography and tourism go hand in hand here. Kittilä is, after all, Lapland’s adventure playground. Any good Kittilä travel guide will tell you the must-do activities: skiing down Levi’s slopes, hiking or riding a dog sled under the midnight sun, or chasing the Northern Lights by snowmobile. In summer, people paddle the rivers, mountain-bike over pine-carpeted trails, or cast for trout in the emerald lakes. Even the list of things to do in Kittilä will inspire weeks of outings: steaming Lappish saunas and ice-fishing huts, midnight golf under the sun, and wild berry-picking in mossy forests. The emphasis is always on outdoor experiences – there are no big city tours here, just pure nature. That’s the point: Kittilä is beloved for its tranquil wilderness.

Travel Tip: Locals advise bringing both winter gear and an open schedule. Weather in Kittilä can change fast, so pack layers and check the forecast daily. If you want to see the Northern Lights, rent a car or join a tour that can drive you outside town at night – even a few kilometers makes a big difference in darkness. In winter, hand warmers and a windproof parka are worth their weight in gold; in summer, don’t forget insect repellent for those bright midnight hikes. Also, try visiting in early spring or late autumn: you might have Kittilä’s quiet beauty almost to yourself.

Interesting Fact: Kittilä holds some bragging rights. It recorded Finland’s lowest-ever temperature (−51.5 °C in January 1999) and even hosts one of Europe’s largest gold mines. You can literally ski on slopes above a hidden mountain of gold. The coat-of-arms tells the story: a wolverine (the official local mammal) under a golden arc (signifying that mineral wealth). And get this – there are more reindeer here than people (about two per resident), so a curious herd is as common as a passing car. All these extremes make Kittilä feel like a land of hidden wonders.