Rukatunturi, Finland
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About Rukatunturi
Village 320 m. Facts: verified.
A ski resort with its village at 320 m and its top at 494 m. It has 25 km of runs and 24 lifts, as mapped on OpenStreetMap. The runs drop 208 m, from 494 m to 286 m. For beginners and families: 61% of the km of runs are green or blue. For experts: 3 km of black, expert and freeride runs. Within 5 km of the village: a ski school. It is usually in season from December to April. The snow is usually deepest in March, about 0.7 m at the top (494 m). The town to stay in is Ruka.
Rukatunturi is a 492 metres (1,614 ft) high fell and a ski resort in Kuusamo, Finland. Apart from downhill skiing, there are over 500 km of cross-country skiing tracks. Also snowmobiles can be rented to enjoy some of the area's 600 km of snowmobile routes (of which 100 km are safari organizers' private routes). Ruka is also the southern end of the Karhunkierros hiking trail. The total of trails in Ruka and Kuusamo area is: 160 km of hiking trails, 605 km of biking routes, 350 km of classified paddling routes (including class 1–4 whitewater paddling) and 100 km of boating routes.
In winter 1954, the first slope, now called "Eturinne" ("Front Slope"), was opened. The current number of slopes is 41, operated with 21 ski lifts (three high-speed detachable chair with bubble and one gondola). There's effective snowmaking on all runs by almost 90 snowguns and 5 groomers.
From the Wikipedia article Rukatunturi, shortened. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
The ski area
Runs from 286 m to 494 m: 208 m of vertical. 25 km of runs and 24 lifts, as mapped on OpenStreetMap for Rukatunturi, Ruka.
| Beginner (green) | 0.3 km |
|---|---|
| Easy (blue) | 15 km |
| Intermediate (red) | 7.2 km |
| Advanced (black) | 2.6 km |
| Not graded | 0.1 km |
| Gondolas and cable cars | 1 |
|---|---|
| Chairlifts | 5 |
| Drag lifts | 12 |
| Magic carpets | 6 |
Measured along each mapped run, so it can differ from the resort's own figure. Ski area data © OpenSkiMap.org and OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
For families
61% of the km of runs are green or blue.
Within 5 km of the village:
- a ski school: Ski School Ruka, 0.3 km
The Family filter counts these. Places from the Overture Maps Foundation, from Meta, Microsoft, Foursquare and AllThePlaces. Foursquare data © 2024 Foursquare Labs, Inc., Apache 2.0. Check opening times before you go.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 20 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. ORD to KAO, changing at FRA.
See flights ORD → KAO · Skyscanner from about £420 returnAdGetting there. 50 min from the airport to Rukatunturi.
Accommodation.
Stay in RukaAd
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.
Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).
See all places to stay in Ruka (ad) on Booking.com →Closest towns to stay in
Ruka 1 min by car · rooms from £50 a night · where Rukatunturi stays
Places to stay in Ruka · Booking.com Ad
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.
Hire, lessons and lift passes.
Ski lessons in Ruka · GetYourGuideAdSki and board hire · SkisetAdLift passes · Ski area website
Budget 
Mid-range 
Luxury Where it is
Rukatunturi on Google Maps · Directions
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Lifts closed for the season. They usually open about 25 November.
Forecast
The score, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoor
| Day | Score | Fresh72 h | Depthtop, mid, base | Coldestat top | Windat top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | -4°C | wind, 6 knots |
| Mon 19Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | -1°C | wind, 13 knots |
| Tue 20Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 3°C | wind, 9 knots |
| Wed 21Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | -1°C | wind, 4 knots |
| Thu 22Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 0°C | wind, 6 knots |
| Fri 23Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 5°C | wind, 7 knots |
| Sat 24Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 2°C | wind, 6 knots |
| Sun 25Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 3°C | wind, 4 knots |
| Mon 26Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | –mid –base – | – | – |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to.
Snow by month
| Month | Base320 m | Mid407 m | Top494 m | Coldestat the top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov | 0.1 m | 0.1 m | 0.1 m | -4°C |
| Dec | 0.4 m | 0.4 m | 0.4 m | -8°C |
| Jan | 0.5 m | 0.5 m | 0.5 m | -11°C |
| Feb | 0.6 m | 0.6 m | 0.6 m | -12°C |
| Mar | 0.7 m | 0.7 m | 0.7 m | -8°C |
| Apr | 0.6 m | 0.6 m | 0.6 m | -2°C |
| May | 0.1 m | 0.1 m | 0.1 m | 4°C |
Typical snow on the ground in the village, halfway up and at the top: the middle value over 2016 to 2025, from ERA5-Land reanalysis at the grid cell nearest each height. Not a forecast, and not the groomed pistes: resorts make snow lower down.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to KAO, changing at FRA, then 50 min by road. About 20h 05 door to door
- Tue 20 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Wed 21 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Thu 22 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Fri 23 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Sat 24 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to KAO, changing at FRA, then 50 min by road. About 20h 05 door to door
Rough cost
About £1,270–£2,225 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KAO, estimated from distance and season, changing at FRA, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £420–£875 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Transfer | shared airport transfer, return | £70–£120 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | £135–£220 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £155–£290 |
| Lift pass | 5 days | £325–£435 |
| Ski hire | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £130–£220 |
| Total | £1,270–£2,225 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
Book the trip
Airport to resortAd
Transfers · Hoppa (ad)Lift passes
Lift passes · Ski area websiteLinks marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.