Ice Climbing Tajukangas Ice Fall In Pyha-Luosto, Lapland

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Pyha-luosto national park is located in the Sonankylä region of Finnish Lapland. With Luosto fell sitting at an elevation of 510metres, it is home to the Pyhä-Luosto ski resort. Glorious views across the snow-covered forests and frozen lakes as far as the eye can see, this winter wonderland is just a 90-minute drive of Rovaniemi and away from the grips of commercial over-tourism.

Views looking over towards the national park from the fire pit at the bottom of the ice fall | © Travels and Wandering - Nicole
Views looking over towards the national park from the fire pit at the bottom of the ice fall | © Travels and Wandering – Nicole

This activity was booked as part of a multi activity package with Much Better Adventures and local guides from Bliss. We fit so much into a weekend trip that I wanted to share our thoughts on each of the amazing activities because you can book them individually direct with the guides.

The resort itself has a very laid-back feel to it. Guests and staff alike have a smile on their faces and are all happy to be there. Our guides for this adventure are based within the ski resort hotel which makes it an ideal and fun add-on to any adventure here.


Need to Know Details

  • Location of Ice Climbing: Tajukangas Ice fall next to Pyha Luosto Ski-Fields.
  • Ice Climbing Guides: Bliss Adventurers
  • Time of Year: February (but is available from January – March).
  • Activity Cost: €93 for beginners and also available for children (approx. 2 hours) or €159 (approx. 4 hours)
  • How to Book: Click here for the beginner or family option. There is also a link to contact the guides direct and book for the more advanced options listed above.
  • Pick up from Local hotel is included.

They also offer a course for those wanting to develop their skills. This includes belaying, using ice screws, setting up anchors and ropework. This is a full day and costs €219.

Ice Climbing at the Tajukangas Ice Fall in Pyha-Luosto National Park, Lapland
The Tajukangas Ice Fall, Pyha Luosto, Lapland | © Travels and Wandering – Nicole

Our Experience of Ice Climbing at Tajukangas ice fall Pyha-Luosto

Views from the Colorado Bar | © Travels and Wandering - Nicole
Views from the Colorado Bar | © Travels and Wandering – Nicole

We met with our guides at the Colorado bar on Pyha Luosto Ski Resort (after a morning of snow shoeing with them) ready for our afternoon of ice climbing. We all opted for teas and hot chocolates before kittting up and heading out to climb. The Bliss Adventures office is based downstairs from the bar.

Equipment is provided (including everything you need for ice climbing) or you can bring your own. Hot drinks are provided, a sheltered fire pit area at the bottom of the ice fall and close to colorado bar. Clothing wise I would suggest appropriate layers including base layers (top and bottom), a mid layer, A down jacket or insulation and a water proof layer. I used sellopettes or insulated waterproof trousers for my ice climbing. You will need some suitable boots if you want to use your own or you can borrow some on sight (it’s much comfier to wear your own). Don’t forget the extra little bits to keep you warm and dry like gaitors, gloves and a scarf or neck gaitor. I’ve written a help article about this for packing and preparing for an ice climbing trip, click here to give this a read.

We met with our guides at the Colorado bar on Pyha Luosto Ski Resort (after a morning of snow shoeing with them) ready for our afternoon of ice climbing. We all opted for teas and hot chocolates before kittting up and heading out to climb. The Bliss Adventures office is based downstairs from the bar.

The climbing ice fall i about 20 metres high and the routes are set up with top ropes which is pefect for beginners, but with a few different routes set up at once, your guide can decide which route to take for more challenge.

From the ice fall the whole area is just stunning. You get a really great view over the the national park. In winter the daylight hours are short so the icefall has lights to make sure you aren’t having to cut your plans short. Whilst this may not seem like a big deal, having this allows for you to get the full time planned that you may need to otherwise cut short on a more wild icefall.

We had a group of 9 of us on the day as part of our package booking. For this we had 3 guides on the ice fall with use which meant 3 routes were set up side by side and running simultaniously. This gave us all plenty of time to rest between attempts at the fire, enjoy some hot berry juice and a chance to watch others. But this also ensured we weren’t waiting too long and getting cold. We were all given plenty of encouragement and support throughout.

My Climbing on this Trip

I absolutely loved every second and the experience. I thought the location, the options of availability and mostly the guides made this an amazing experience. Both me and my fiance loved it so much that we are currently planning another trip for 2024 and seeing if others want to join us. We will be booking this experience again along with other activities by the same guiding company.

On this trip some of my chronic pain and fatigue (from endometriosis and pelvic congestion syndrome) kicked in and meant I didn’t do great on my climbs. I did two routes but just fatigued very quickly and didn’t quite top out.

The cold didn’t effect me as much as it had on our trip to the Spanish Pyrenees a few years ago or Iceland. I also approached these with a lot more confidence than previous ice climbing trips and after spending more time climbing through winter (still trad climbing but in the cold and damp conditions in England), for the first time my fear seemed to be less at the forefront. I trusted the rope, equipment and the guides. My fear of heights or more falling… Well being brave and trying some harder routes when climbing, having some slips and small falls on the crags back home has finally started to transfer through.

Where we stayed

We stayed in Pyha Asteli which has a range of cabins from a standard wood cabin through to luxury aurora cabins perfect for viewing the northern lights. The location isn’t next to or in the ski resort which means it is quiet and secluded, and further away from light pollution. It is also just a short walk from Pyhajarvi lake and the wild hut of Astelin ranta, which is a lovely spot of seclusion and where we learnt to take pictures of the Aurora Borealis.

The Ski resort and some of the lodges next to the resort looked lovely and on further research were really reasonably priced. We are planning to head back at the moment and organising a trip for a group of us. Asteli is perfect but next time I would like to also do some snowboarding, skiing or snow surfing in this area aswell.

There Are So Many More Activities In Pyha Luosto

As I mentioned this area is a ski resort and national park, so there is so much more you can do. We opted for ice climbing as part of a full weekend package, but when we go back we will be trying a number of other activities. These are the other things you can do here.


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Owner of Travels and Wandering | Lecturer by Day, Nomad at Heart Adventure Travel Tester | Outdoor Instructor | Mountaineering and Outdoors Researcher | Strength and Conditioning Coach | Yoga Instructor | Personal Trainer | Fitness Pro | Endo Warrior, Pelvic Congestion Syndrome, Spoonie

16 Responses

  1. Kat
    |

    This is much too cold of an activity for me, but your pictures are gorgeous! I am more of a warm weather vacationer myself. But it really does look amazing and i’m now intrigued 🤩 

  2. Linda (LD Holland)
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    We would love to visit Finland one day. The Pyha-luosto National Park looks like a great spot to visit for a winter wonderland.  The resort would be an awesome base.  I would definitely want to see the ice climbing wall.  Even if I had no intention of trying it myself!  So fun to experience it through your visit.

  3. Renata
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    Although I’m looking very much forward to Winter, this is a magical post. Lapland is high on my list – although I always tend to travel to warm countries. However, your post is truly inspiring to make it to this winter wonderland 🙂

  4. Agnes
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    I haven’t tried ice climbing yet. It looks inspiring. Such a lesson would be helpful to me because I really like glaciers too. Pyha-Luosto National Park, Lapland, seems to be a great place to learn. It’s great that you have shared the prices – they are much more affordable than I thought. The site looks impressive.

  5. Carol Colborn
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    I don’t do climbing but it looks like you had a lot of fun and realy enjoy it. I’d love to watch people climb on ice or just be in this beautiful winter landscape. With the aurora borealus to boot, I might just have to take on the cold!

  6. Lorry
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    I wish I could attempt the ice climbing, but the best place for me would be staying by the fire in the cabin, then venturing out to take a few photos. My son is looking for a challenge, so I am going to forward a link to him.

  7. Puloma Bhattacharya
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    Pyha luosto is such an amazing place to explore as a getaway. The Takukangas icefall is magnificent structure to go for skiing, snowboarding and fat biking. Spending vacation time in such a beautiful resort and chasing the Aurora at night is priceless.

  8. Subhashish Roy
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    Although we have been to Finland we missed on this part. It’s so beautiful to see the formation of ice. Would love to visit Lapland sometime to do the Ice climbing among other natural beauty.

  9. Megs
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    Wow that looks so magical! The landscapes, the sceneries, the sights and seeing that through ice climbing must be an amazing experience. Lapland is one place we hope to visit one day and seeing it through an activity like ice climbing has us even more convinced.

  10. Anna
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    Ice climbing. That sounds and looks really cool. And these photos are so gorgeous, just look at that sky.

  11. Umiko
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    I’ve never done and probably won’t ever do an ice climbing, although I would like to watch people doing it. Sounds like a fun activity, and you and your fiancee enjoyed it much and plan another trip for 2024. I just can’t imagine wearing layers but I believe it’s really essentials.

  12. Jenn
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    Thank you Nicole, we’ve been trying to find another place to go ice climbing. We’ve done the glacier climb in Iceland and fancied doing one on a frozen waterfall. Your pictures look amazing as always. 

  13. Polly
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    I have never tried ice climbing but it sounds like so much fun! I would absolutely love to do something like this. That is definitely a unique experience, especially in this little winter magic fairyland.

  14. Kia
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    This place looks magical! My partner and I are always looking for good travel destinations for skiing and winter sports that are not too crowded. This seems like the perfect place. I’ve never been ice climbing, but after reading this, I’m definitely adding this to my bucket list!

  15. Renee
    |

    Oh what an experience! It looks like the perfect winter wonderland scene. Never ice climbing before, it’s an experience I would definitely want to try at least once, and what a place to do it in.

  16. Ambica Gulati
    |

    The spectacular views are so inviting. However, after reading about the climb, I realised that I should also strengthen my pelvic area and legs for this. But even a hot chocolate amid snowbound environs is a great way to enjoy a holiday.

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