A Seven-Month Ski Season Draws Olympic Athletes to Levi

Early-opening slopes attract world stars to Levi – Jani and his team make sure the conditions are ready for them. Jani Hämäläinen’s slope team ensures Levi’s Olympic-level slope conditions, and they don’t flinch even at the wildest requests from a British car show.

As slope manager, Hämäläinen and his crew keep the slopes in top shape for both stars and those aspiring to become stars throughout the entire seven-month ski season.

Tireless slope machines rumble on Levi’s Front Slopes, while excavators eagerly chip away at the massive stockpile of preserved snow, slowly spreading it across the runs. It’s only late September, but thanks to last winter’s snow, Levi’s first slopes will already open on October 3.

“Tough but fun work! Soon the world stars and all skiers alike will be able to hit the slopes,” Hämäläinen says.

Levi’s slope manager Jani Hämäläinen and his team are the key players behind Finland’s longest ski season. Their task is to keep the slopes in the best possible shape from early October all the way until May.

The Stars Arrive Right Away

With preserved snow, Levi can open the Levi Glacier training area, the mogul slope, the public run, and a small-scale park area.

“This way we’ve been able to bring the start of the ski season forward by several weeks for five years now. And that’s a good thing, because the first national team skiers arrive immediately when Levi Glacier is open,” Hämäläinen grins.

The early-opening slopes maintained by Hämäläinen’s team attract world-class athletes to train in Levi year after year, and the coming Olympic winter is no exception. He emphasizes that the draw isn’t only the slopes but also the important side activities for athletes: gyms, fantastic running trails, and the spa’s recovery facilities.

“Multiple Olympic champion and World Champion Mikaela Shiffrin, for example, comes here every year before the Levi World Cup. There are visitors from all over the world, and of course Finland’s national team trains here a lot.”

Last winter’s snow stored in a snow depot. Thanks to preserved snow, the ski season can begin as early as October.

Last winter, Levi was awarded the official Olympic Training Center title for its long-term work in developing top conditions, competition opportunities, and training for winter sports. Hämäläinen’s group has played a significant part in this achievement, but the slope manager accepts the recognition modestly.

“We’ve just aimed to do good work for skiers. The fact that both stars and holidaymakers keep returning is the most valuable feedback for us,” Hämäläinen says humbly.

A Strong Crew Creating Top Conditions

Many of slope manager Hämäläinen’s workdays are spent in the office or in the machine hall doing maintenance work. He heads to the slopes when needed; otherwise, a strong crew takes care of slope duties.

“Rarely do I need to say more than ‘let’s start working.’ An incredibly skilled team that knows exactly how to keep the slopes in top shape,” Hämäläinen praises.

It’s common for top skiers to request adjustments, making the slope more challenging or tailored for specific training. If an athlete asks for a bump to catch some air under their skis, it’s done. But sometimes, the team has faced stranger requests.

One came from the well-known trio Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond from Top Gear. They were filming an episode of The Grand Tour, intending to drive down a slope with caravans attached to cars.

“I wasn’t there myself, but my supervisor scratched his head for a moment. Then it was straight to smoothing the slope and building snow barriers so the TV stars wouldn’t accidentally end up on the golf course. In the end, it all went very smoothly,” Hämäläinen laughs.

The first competitive skiers arrive in Levi to train as soon as the Levi Glacier area opens.

A Professional All Year Round

The effort to kick off the new season – preparing snow piles – is already well underway. October’s opening is usually followed by the first frosts of autumn, at which point snowmaking begins. Then it’s around-the-clock work.

“One team drives and makes snow for three days straight, 12 hours at a time. Then they rest for three days while another team continues in the same pattern.”

This cycle is repeated through weekends until the slopes are fully snow-covered or natural winter snow arrives. Long-term forecasts predict a warm autumn, but Hämäläinen shows no signs of concern.

When preparing Olympic-level conditions, solid snow expertise is crucial: “Like knowing down to the centimeter how thick the snow needs to be on each slope,” Hämäläinen explains.

“We’ve had warm autumns before, but the slopes have still been kept open. Artificial snow withstands mild weather and even light rain better than natural snow,” Hämäläinen says with the voice of experience.

In winter, Hämäläinen’s team heads to the slopes after skiers have gone to rest, preparing them for a new day of skiing during a nine-hour night shift. Although Hämäläinen and his colleagues’ most visible work is done in winter, they don’t rest during summer either – that’s when the foundation is laid for even better skiing conditions.

“Two summers ago we built a new lift, and this time we prepared a new slope on the South Slopes for the upcoming season. There’s always something to build and improve so we can meet skiers’ wishes even better,” Hämäläinen nods.

Levi’s Winter Season Opening

At this opening, everything but the mood goes downhill! The first slopes and the preserved-snow ski track will open on October 3. A lift pass covering the entire opening weekend is only 30 euros!
See the full program for the opening weekend: levi.fi/en/season-opening