Snowmobile tour
Speed, silence and the vastness of the North
Arctic Adventure 02
A year later, you still remember your frozen thumb! On a snowmobile, the throttle is under your right thumb. The handlebar grips are heated and the rest of you is wrapped up warm: thermal suit, boots, thick mittens, a helmet that keeps the cold out but lets the wind whistle round your head. Your throttle thumb, though, is on its own. Twenty minutes in, it starts to freeze.
Snowmobile tour in Lapland: speed, silence and the vastness of the North
I’ve been on three snowmobile trips: once in Northern Norway and twice in Finnish Lapland. Twice I was a passenger, once I drove myself. That ratio is no coincidence, and I’ll come back to that later. What all three trips had in common is what sets a snowmobile apart from any other Arctic adventure: speed. In a single morning, you can traverse forests, hills and frozen lakes, and it’s only at that pace that you truly realise just how vast the North is.
Arctic Adventures · Snowmobile tour
All featured works are available as premium illustrations on art blocks, metal prints and acrylic glass prints.
A snowmobile collection
Why these four illustrations exist
This collection arose from a practical enquiry from Swedish Lapland. After I’d shown a selection of the ‘Lapland 8 Seasons’ art blocks to snowmobile companies, one of them wrote back asking if I had anything specifically related to snowmobiles, something their guests would recognise from their own day out on a snowmobile. So I created it and added my own snowmobile experience as well.
I chose the three landscapes I find most special in a Lapland winter: a pink sky, a fiery sunset and the northern lights. And I asked myself: do I want to go on a trip alone, or as a couple? Let’s draw both scenes. And that’s how the Snowmobile collection came about.
"Everything I illustrate starts with something I’ve experienced."
Featured work
Pink Sky: before the engine starts
In 'Pink Sky', two riders stand beside their snowmobile, looking out over the vast wilderness they still have to traverse. The trees are so heavily laden with snow that they lose their shape. Above them, the sky glows pink and lilac.
That colour really does exist in Lapland: on the clearest days of a Lapland winter, the light turns that shade of pink because the sun is still below the horizon. It doesn’t get any brighter than this during the polar night. Those rare pink mornings, as the sun comes back, have their own story in Frosty Winter. Here, they mark the start of a day on the trail.
The hush of dawn
Arctic adventure
My first ride, at dusk in Northern Norway
My first ride on a snowmobile was at the end of April in Malangen, south of Tromsø in Norway. It was one of the activities during a short holiday with a packed programme full of Arctic adventures. On this trip, we set off in a small group of about six snowmobiles. I was sitting on the back.
It soon became clear that glasses and a helmet don’t mix well. Condensation kept freezing on my glasses, so I was soon looking at the trail through a layer of ice. Since then, I’ve worn contact lenses on every ride. Lesson learnt.
The plan was to climb a mountainside. We never got that far. A couple from our group skidded off a bend, and their snowmobile had to be dug out of the deep snow by hand. Not long after, another couple asked if anyone could take over their handlebars, as they’d lost confidence. I was able to. So, on my very first ride, I ended up behind the handlebars after all: a few laps around the valley instead of the climb.
We rode back as the light slowly faded. Twilight on a snowmobile is magical, even under a sky covered from edge to edge with grey clouds, which is exactly what we had. Later rides brought better weather, and that is part of it: no two rides are the same.
Featured work
Sunset: riding into the gold
In Sunset, three snowmobiles make their way across the open snow, while the sky behind the pine trees turns shades of gold and orange. Each rider sits alone on their own machine. I’ve never experienced a sunset like this on any of my trips; my twilight in Malangen was grey. But riding alone, that’s something I’ve been able to experience.
Riding into the warm gold of dusk
Riding a snowmobile
Behind the handlebars
Years later, in late February near Levi, I wanted to drive myself. My husband and I each had our own snowmobile, along with a family whose youngest child was sitting in a small sledge being pulled by the guide. It was +1°C with a strong wind, and we were travelling at a fast pace. I could barely keep up. Every now and then, the speed scared me and I slowed down a bit; at one point, according to my husband, I was travelling at 50 km/h.
Riding a snowmobile is more physically demanding than it looks. You steer with your whole lower body, lean into the bends, and for the first few minutes it feels completely unnatural. But then, surprisingly quickly, you get the hang of it.
As the temperature was above freezing, I rode with my visor open for almost the entire journey: warm air, a clear view and, this time, no glasses that froze over.
As a guest, you always ride under the supervision of a guide and stay on the official snowmobile trails. This rule protects the ground beneath the snow and you, too. The trails have been firmly compacted by countless machines and often show deep ruts. Right next to them, the snow is soft and a metre deep. During one of my trips, the guide warned us to stay on the track. One of our fellow riders slipped off the track onto the verge anyway and got stuck straight away. It’s only on the vast open plains that you can stray a little from the tracks and really open the throttle.
The trip was brilliant! I got to experience the power of a snowmobile for myself and really feel that weight beneath me. I rode on my own, and felt the speed!
On the other hand, I didn’t see much of the landscape itself. When you’re riding, your eyes are fixed on the track, on the rider in front of you, on the next bend. The North whizzes past at the edge of your field of vision. You trade one for the other, and next time I’ll be riding pillion again!
From the backseat
As a passenger: the best seat on the trail
I enjoyed my third trip, at the start of March, the most. It was −10°C, the sky was clear and a brilliant blue, and my husband and I were sharing a single snowmobile. I could have swapped places and sat behind the handlebars, but I didn’t want to. I stayed on the back for the whole trip, and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.
From the back, you can look around you, and there’s so much to see, because the landscape is constantly changing during a snowmobile ride. One moment you’re weaving through a dense forest; the next, the landscape opens up and you’re riding amongst ancient trees, their bare grey trunks standing out against the snow. Then you descend along the side of a hill and suddenly find yourself on an open lake.
We rode about fifteen kilometres towards Lake Levijärvi, and our guide chose a different route back. At one point we drove through a gate, and a little later we came out onto the frozen lake itself, with Mount Levi in front of us, where the slopes and the ski lifts were bustling with skiers. Having lived here winter after winter, I recognised it all from a distance. Most visitors see a beautiful frozen lake. I saw my home.
Featured work
Northern Lights II: when the engine goes quiet
Northern Lights II is the quietest piece in the collection. Two riders stand beside their snowmobile and look up, while the northern lights rise like a green flame from behind the trees. I have only ever imagined the night itself. I know the silence.
A quiet moment under the aurora.
Halfway through a thirty-kilometre trip, we stopped for a hot juice at the edge of a large frozen lake. Our fellow riders hurried into the café to warm up. We stayed outside. After all that engine noise, the silence on the lake was overwhelming: nothing moved, nothing made a sound. That contrast is at the heart of a day on a snowmobile. First the roar of the engine, and then, the moment you switch it off, the North in all its glory.
We also had some company: a reindeer wandering on its own near the rest area. It was lovely to meet it, and it only dawned on me afterwards that this reindeer belongs to someone and is part of a herd. A few days later, another stray reindeer turned up on our own driveway, until its herder came to collect it and take it home. I explain why there are no truly wild reindeer in Lapland in my story about meeting reindeer.
Featured work
Northern Lights I: the ride I still want to take
'Northern Lights I' is the wild version. Two snowmobiles race through the frozen wilderness while the northern lights glow green above the trees, beneath a sky full of stars. I created this drawing out of a deep longing. All my trips have been in daylight, and I still wonder what a snowmobile trip at night would be like. How dark is it out there, beyond the reach of the headlights? And if the northern lights were to appear above us, that ride would be complete.
Two figures, one wild sky.
Would I book another guided tour? Probably not. What we’d love most is a whole night exploring the trails ourselves, just the two of us, with a good GPS (getting lost isn’t on our to-do list), so we can leave the busiest routes behind us. And on returning home: a hot sauna. After a dark night with the northern lights, gazing into the flames of a Finnish wood-fired sauna, that’s what makes it absolutely perfect.
Frequently asked questions
Can you go off-trail on a snowmobile tour?
Not during a guided tour. Participants must stay on the official snowmobile trails, which protects the ground and vegetation beneath the snow. It’s also safer: just off a hard-packed track, the snow can be soft and up to a metre deep, and a snowmobile can sink into it within seconds. On wide frozen lakes and open plains, there’s usually a bit more room to manoeuvre.
Do you need a driving licence to ride a snowmobile in Lapland?
To drive one, yes. Organisers of safaris in Finnish Lapland and Northern Norway usually require the driver to be at least 18 years old and to hold a valid driving licence, which you must bring with you on the day. Passengers do not need a driving licence. On many tours, there are two guests on each snowmobile, who take turns at the controls; riding solo usually incurs an extra charge.
Is it better to drive a snowmobile or ride as a passenger?
That depends on what you’re expecting from the day. If you’re driving, you’ll enjoy the speed and the thrill, but you’ll need to keep your eyes on the trail. If you’re sitting at the back, you can fully enjoy the forest, the vast open fells and the frozen lakes. I’ve done both, and I prefer the back seat. If you’re sharing a snowmobile, swap places halfway through and see for yourself which suits you best.
When is the snowmobile season in Lapland?
As long as there is enough snow: in Finnish Lapland, usually from around December to April, and in Northern Norway, often until the end of April. At the start of the season, the trails are smooth; by the end, they are packed hard and full of ruts from weeks of traffic. A trip at the end of the season means longer days and milder temperatures, sometimes mild enough to ride with your visor open.
Arctic Adventures
Reindeer
Arctic Adventures · Snowmobile tour
DISCOVER THE COLLECTION
Pink Sky, Sunset, Northern Lights I and Northern Lights II are available as art blocks, metal prints and acrylic glass.
This collection was created at the request of a snowmobile company. If you run a lodge or safari company and would like to have something bespoke created for your own guests, read more about custom artworks.
Snowmobiling is one of six ways to explore the Arctic.