Winter wonderland
The vast terrain of northern Finland is the perfect place to try out a
The action near the horizon is shrouded in veils of snow. Every time the
And the light! This is what entices so many fans of far northern latitudes up here beyond the Arctic Circle, to the Finnish part of Lapland. They marvel at the rosy and lavender hues of sunrise, the blazing light of midday, and the golden radiance of early afternoon. At night they hope to witness the aurora borealis in all its spectral glory, as arcs of green light flicker across the cloudless skies.
Here at the
The
By eight in the morning, an array of
These
Bachler spends a lot of one-on-one time with each member of his group, explaining, correcting, and giving pointers. He makes the exercises look like child’s play. What’s his secret? “It’s all about finding the right balance between accelerating, braking, and steering,” he says with a smile. It helps to know your car well, he adds. To really understand, for example, that the front-mounted engine and resulting weight distribution of the
At regular intervals the instructors get a few hours of free time. Bachler often takes the opportunity to do weight and endurance training at a fitness studio in Sirkka. The village’s colorful wooden houses line the road along Levi, Finland’s largest and most famous ski resort. A fan of outdoor activities in his native Austria, Bachler also enjoys cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in Lapland. And the local cuisine? “Reindeer meat is not really my thing,” he admits, “but the salmon is superb.”
We climb into the
By Andrea Weller
Photos by Victor Jon Goico