A new snowmaking system has been adopted in early 2025 in Virpiniemi Ten hybrid snow cannons and three low-pressure snow cannons are storing snow into a snowbed This snow will be used to build a new 5-kilometer first snow ski track in Virpiniemi which will be opened in the fall of 2025.  new air and water piping will be built onto the first snow ski track That will make it possible to move snow cannons into different locations along the track snow can be cannoned directly onto the track even during short periods of frost” Outdoor Sports Director Mika Puolitaival from the Oulu Sport Services explains.  Virpiniemi currently has a 1,7-kilometer track for freestyle and classic skiing styles This track’s snowmaking will soon be expanded so that the track will increase to 2,5 kilometers long Contact information Accessibility Statement Suomi | Svenska Tourist information (visitoulu.fi) Business Oulu (businessoulu.com) New baby and family swimming groups will start in August in the Oulu Swimming Pool in Raksila and Vesi-Jatuli in Haukipudas The starting requirements for baby swimming is the age of 3–6 months and a minimum weight of 5 kilograms When babies start baby swimming at this age they are most likely able to participate in the group until the end as planned Registration for Raksila’s Wednesday and Saturday baby swimming groups opens on Wednesday July 31 Registration for Sunday family swimming groups for children between 1–2 and 3–4 years old opens on Wednesday August 7 Registration for new baby and family swimming groups in Vesi-Jatuli opens on Thursday August 8 two new baby swimming groups for babies between 3–6 months old one baby swimming sibling group and one family swimming group for children between 1–2 years old will start You can register to the groups via the online registration system at the address www.kuntapalvelut.fi/oulu Register your child with the child’s personal information You may enter the baby swimming group with an adult swimming charge You will not be charged in connection to registering online Baby swimmers must participate in the baby swimming info session before participating in the group’s activities.  Oulu Swimming Pool (Raksila) groups: vauvauinti@ouka.fi (June 28 – July 28 summer break responds to messages starting from July 29)   Vesi-Jatuli groups: vauvauntijatuli@ouka.fi (June 28 – August 7 summer break responds to messages starting from August 8)  Open image viewerThe sun may glow redder than usual on Monday evening Image: Nella Nuora / YleYle News20.9.2020 17:59•Updated 20.9.2020 18:16Smoke particles spreading from California wildfires will arrive in Finland on Monday evening around 6pm a meteorologist with the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) took to Twitter to share NASA's microparticle forecast which shows a column of particles spewing towards Finland This prompted Juha Lindfors to share an image of a glowing sunset already visible on Saturday evening in Haukipudas only be able to catch a glimpse of glowing skies if conditions are clear Yle meteorologist Matti Huutonen said an area of rain will sweep over Finland from west to east on Monday "We’ll have to see if the rain moves on before sundown," Huutonen explained He said people in southern and western Finland as well as Lapland would have the best chance of experiencing a spectacularly coloured sunset "Particles high up in the atmosphere do not per say impact the air quality on the ground," Huutonen said of the airborne ash particles causing vivid red sunsets HELSINKI FINLAND JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 42 Oulu has had many faces since it was founded in 1605 at the mouth of the river Oulujoki Its first claim to fame came through its important role as an exporter of tar in the 1800s connecting Oulu to the sphere of international trade the city has become a major centre for technological know-how particularly in the fields of mobile and web services the city will experience yet another transformation in which it will see unprecedented growth: at the end of the year taking Oulu’s population from today’s 140,000 to almost 190,000 and causing Oulu to overtake Turku as the fifth largest city in Finland the visitor in Oulu could well be surprised by the relatively small size of its city centre The pedestrian street Rotuaari forms the heart of the city with a mixture of small boutiques and pubs and bigger department stores particularly in the summertime when there’s a lively market it is easy to improvise cycling excursions – for example to Nallikari the biggest of Oulu’s 17 beaches – taking advantage of Oulu’s coastal location and its excellent cycling paths Only a fraction of the articles are available to public please subscribe to be able to read whole article on the digital paper Please check our subscription periods and prices from here. 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The same subscriber code is valid for iPad and iPhone Helsinki Times' application Advertisement inquiries and other after-sales issues: info@helsinkitimes.fi Helsinki Times is the first and only English language newspaper providing news about Finland in English A weekly print edition of Helsinki Times was published from March 2007 up until Feb Helsinki Times is an online-only publication and other groups and individuals interested in Finland from all around the world © Helsinki Times All rights reserved.  Terms of Use | Privacy Policy Open image viewerQueues at Rovaniemi Airport in January 13:56A sure sign that the tourist season in Finnish Lapland is in full swing is high hotel prices Hotels are often so fully booked and pricey that foreign airlines have started transporting their flight crew away from the hubbub of Rovaniemi to hotels as far as 2.5 hours away by car — to Haukipudas This has been the case for the past couple of years Flight crews are also known to have spent nights in the region of Sea Lapland (Meri-Lappi) which is home to the cities of Kemi and Tornio According to the CEO of tourism outfit Visit Rovaniemi airline crews seek accommodations further afield when flight routes are added at short notice and they haven't reserved rooms in time most of the season's hotel bookings are made up to a year in advance," she explained adding that these sorts of situations are isolated cases hotel room prices in Finnish Lapland in December were nearly twice as high as the national average a hotel room in Lapland averaged about 282 euros per night while hotel stays in Uusimaa — home to the capital area — had an average cost of 119 euros per room Statistics Finland has not yet published the average hotel prices specifically for Rovaniemi the average price for a hotel room in the city in December stood at nearly 350 euros per night — and prices in the region have generally risen over the past year the average price for a December hotel stay in Kittilä rose by 13 percent and in Inari by 15 percent The rising hotel prices are due to high demand according to the head of the Lapland Chamber of Commerce "There are too few hotels in Rovaniemi," she explained A number of hotel construction projects are underway The increased tourism and hotel prices have affected other sorts of events and organisations Locals generally know not to plan events in the winter who works as an events planner at the University of Lapland it's not possible to organise international scientific conferences in Rovaniemi during the busy winter period "Guests won't make the trips if hotels cost 400 to 500 euros a night," she explained.