The unique winter sports arena called Ylläs-Halli in Helsinki offers snow-tubing. © Ylläs-Halli
Winter fun
The winter sports arena Arctic Sport Center Oy brings winter to Helsinki all year round.
A unique winter sports arena called Ylläs-Halli has opened in Helsinki in the summer. The Ylläs-Halli is a center for winter activities, with the name Ylläs taken from a popular winter holiday resort in Finnish Lapland. Visitors can train or try out various winter sports such as biathlon, curling, ice skating, sledging, ice wall climbing or snow-tubing. The highlight of the arena is a more than one kilometre long ski track for cross-country skiing. The well-designed ski track offers a versatile terrain with options for beginners to advanced skiers. There is also an area where young visitors can practice different winter sports in a safe environment and under professional supervision. To minimize environmental impact the arena produces its own energy in an environmentally friendly way. The arena utilizes geothermal heat, solar energy and wind power according to its own strict energy and environmental program. The goal is that in the future the Arctic Sport Center would produce 30 to 40 percent of the needed energy on site. To create a true Lapland feeling the arena provides a realistic snowy environment with natural trees and walls covered with huge images of Lapland, ice bears and winter imagery.
