Day 2, and we’re back up the mountain. The weather is overcast today which actually makes for some nice soft light. Temperature is around -15°C first thing, and it is COLD!
We spend the morning working through more of the runs — Levi has 43 slopes in total, so there’s enough to keep us busy.
By 11:00am we are absolutely freezing, and head to the bottom and to a ski shop for supplies. We each buy balaclavas, Hestra gloves and inner gloves. After donning our new gear and warming up in the shop for a bit, we’re ready to get back out there.
After a full morning on the slopes, it was time for lunch at the Panoramic Restaurant TUIKKU. We arrived just before 12:00pm to find a buffet restaurant with soup, mushroom stroganoff, pizza and salads. We find a table and we’re almost first in line, again like yesterday it got very busy quickly, so we’re glad we arrived early. There were people queuing at the door when we left.
After lunch we skied over to the north east slopes and tried out the ungroomed piste which was good fun!
After showers back at the hotel it was time for the highlight of the day: dinner at Saamen Kammi, a traditional Lappish kota restaurant right in Levi. It’s a full log building in the traditional style, decorated with reindeer hides, antlers, and a Sámi flag on the wall, with an open fire in the centre.
The meal is in two parts, the first, and the speciality is flame-grilled salmon — large fillets pinned to wooden boards, tilted around the fire and slow-cooked over the flames. It was absolutely delicious: smoky, perfectly cooked, and served with traditional accompaniments.
The second part was reindeer cooked various ways, sautéed, steak and reindeer heart. As can be seen from Alex’s expression, the rest of the family gave this part a miss! I thought it was all very tasty and such a great atmosphere. We all enjoyed watching them cook the salmon around the fire.
After a brisk walk home in the cold, this time we had prepared and were wearing thermals, we had a night cap in the hotel bar before bed.
My watch is playing up and not recording all the runs, so not sure how far we skied today, but another cracking day. This place really is something special.