Story
Skábma – the Polar Night – lasts for 35 winter days in Saariselkä. In summer, the Midnight Sun shines for 59 days.
Family business run by two local sisters
Meet your hostesses, Skábma owners Heli and Kaisu: local fisherman’s daughters who know the Saariselkä region like the backs of their hands and see to it that you’ll enjoy your visit as best you see fit.
Kaisu, who lives close to Skábma, is available to you 24/7.
– We want to offer our guests at Skábma an experience we get every day living in Lapland, say the sisters.
Heli and Kaisu have roamed the Inari and Saariselkä nature since they were little. Fishing and hunting, interpreting nature and respecting it, making use of its bounty and appreciating its diversity have been passed on to the sisters in their mother’s milk.
Like their father Jaakko, even their forefathers have fished the great lake Inari.
– A good dinner prepared of your own catch with a nice glass of wine – that is Lapland luxury, Heli and Kaisu ponder.
The sisters have worked as ski instructors in Saariselkä for a good stretch. They also have extensive experience on hiking and trekking, both on foot and on skis.
Travelling around the world has strengthened the sisters’ vision of the uniqueness of their home, Northern Lapland.
– The simple things are the most touching wherever you go in the world. Here, we love crisp and clear frosty mornings, snow crunching underfoot, a calm lake Inari on a summer night, foraging, and of course listening to the silence of nature, Heli and Kaisu muse.
Deep-rooted in the wilderness
Skábma is North Sámi for the Polar Night. For the people of the north, the term stands not for darkness, but for leisure time enjoying the simple things: sitting by the fireplace, lighting candles and pampering yourself and close ones. Just being happy doing nothing in particular.
During the Polar Night, the serene hues of the dark sky and the white cover of snow in nature create a unique atmosphere that calms everything around. The still beauty relaxes the mind and takes the breath away.
Located in Saariselkä, Northern Lapland, Finland, Skábma offers quality time with friends, family and colleagues, both lounging indoors and getting refreshed outdoors. The astonishing scenery of the Urho Kekkonen National Park is present throughout the year wherever you go in Saariselkä.
The same can’t be said of the everyday grind of the city, the hustle and bustle; they are conspicuously absent in Skábma.
The daily rhythm this far north is dictated by the pure and untamed nature that unfolds from the doorstep. In addition to the 35 days of Polar Night and 59 days of the Midnight Sun, the shimmering spring snow and Autumn Leaf Colour create unforgettable moments under the northern sky.
