Ruka ski area in Finland is expanding its terrain with four new runs served by a new high-speed chairlift on the east side of the fell in the Masto sector.
Work will begin in May to install Finland's first eight-person high-speed chairlift, the Masto Express, and to create four new ski slopes. The lift will also be the fastest in Finland with a speed of 6 m/s and carry up to 4,000 skiers per hour to the top of Masto. It will replace two existing drag lifts.
The four new slopes will improve connections to the slopes of Vuosseli and Kelo, and in addition, a run named Snow Valley (Tykkylaakso in Finnish) and described by the resort as "experiential" will be built in the area.
The area's snowmaking capacity will also be significantly strengthened with the purchase of 40 new snow cannons. Currently Ruka has around 100 snow cannons, so the snowmaking capacity will increase by almost a half due to the investment.
"The Masto area has favourable conditions for the formation of machine made snow that accumulates on the trees, and we wanted to highlight this feature by creating a snow-crowned trees -themed adventure slope. The slope reformations, together with the fast and effortless chairlift, will bring Masto's appeal to a whole new level," said Rukakeskus Ltd operational director Matti Parviainen says.
The developments are the latest in more than 20 years of working to expand Ruka in line with the resort's masterplan created by the Canadian Ecosign resort planners. According to the masterplan the area has been developed into a year-round, internationally attractive mountain resort. Two pedestrian villages and a network of Express chairlifts have already been implemented in Ruka, as well as a comprehensive service offering around the car-free resort. They also tie in with a more recent priority the resort has outlined to: "…develop into the world's best ski resort for families."
"The early season of Ruka has been challenging due to the high price of electricity, the uncertainty of domestic demand and also the snow situation. However, spring looks good and the European union co-funding we received ensured the realization of the investments despite the world situation," said Ruka's Ville Aho.
The work is due to be complete for a December opening and will involve a €14 million investment that is being co-funded by the EU.