What to wear in Ruka

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The ground around Ruka is under snow for about 200 days a year, from the end of October to the middle of May, according to the Ruka-Kuusamo Tourist Association. Metsähallitus, which looks after the national parks, puts the coldest spells in January and early February. Readings from the weather station in Ruka village between 2016 and 2024 give an average January low of roughly minus 14 degrees and an average high of about minus 7. Down in the Oulanka river valley it can be more than 10 degrees colder than at the resort, and the lowest reading Metsähallitus quotes for Kiutaköngäs is minus 46.

That sounds like a lot to pack for. In practice the bulky outer layer is often lent on a tour, so the question is which of your tours do that and which do not.

Three layers under the overall

Finnair's advice for the Finnish winter follows the usual order. Next to the skin goes soft wool or a technical fabric that moves moisture away from the body. Over it you wear a warm jumper or a fleece. The outer shell should keep out wind, snow and rain. Merino wool keeps you warm even when it gets damp.

When a tour hands you an overall, it replaces the shell for those hours. Your own jacket then only has to cope with walks through the village, queues at the lift and the wait for a transfer. For your feet, Finnair suggests wool socks and insulated, waterproof boots with a good tread.

Hands, head and face

The tourist association has a few tips that come from the slopes but work on any outing. A thin beanie or hood fits under a ski helmet. A face mask helps on cold chairlifts. Many people find mittens warmer than gloves, and hand and foot warmers are on sale everywhere in the resort. For its snowshoe and ice fishing tour the ski resort lends an overall, wool socks, boots and gloves, yet still asks guests to bring their own beanie.

Which tours lend you clothing

Around Ruka the answer depends on the operator more than on the activity. The guided tours run by the ski resort, from the electric snowmobiles to the evening snowshoe walk and the ice fishing trip, lend a winter overall, wool socks, boots and gloves. The scenic snowmobile safari from Ruka centre adds a helmet and mittens to the overall and boots. On the Lammintupa snowmobile safaris you get an overall, boots, a balaclava and a helmet.

The Rukapalvelu winter adventure park includes winter clothing, and its wilderness camp day lends a thermal suit, wool socks, winter boots and gloves. MyTrail Finland provides outdoor clothing and boots on its night snowshoe walk and on the private 10 km snowshoe trail in Oulanka. The beginners' cross-country skiing tour and the Pyhävaara snowshoe climb include winter clothing as well.

Several popular tours lend nothing. The Lammintupa husky safaris and its reindeer ride with storytime ask you to bring warm clothing. At the Kujala reindeer farm the tour pages say you need your own outdoor clothing for winter conditions. The snowshoe tour to Juuma in Oulanka National Park supplies the snowshoes but not the clothes. If your plans rely on these tours, you can rent winter overalls in Ruka by the day, as the tourist association points out.

The passenger gets cold first

Guests mention the cold most on tours where they sit or stand still. On a husky safari one person drives and the other sits in the sled, and a guest on the 10 km ride found the blankets in the sled a bit thin. On an ice fishing trip you stand or sit on a frozen lake; one guest wrote that it was very cold out there and that fishing needs patience. River floating keeps you in the water in a suit: on a January float at minus 17 degrees, a guest reported water getting into sleeves and gloves, and another found that hands get wet and quite cold despite neoprene gloves.

For any of these, put on the extra mid layer before you leave rather than hoping the overall will be enough. Our page on husky sledding explains who drives and who rides on each safari.

Spring sun and May slush

From February onwards the days lengthen quickly, and on bright spring days on the slopes the tourist association reminds skiers not to forget their sunglasses. Ski trails are groomed until late April, depending on snow and ice.

May is a different season. Metsähallitus warns that melting snow makes the paths wet and slushy and recommends rubber boots or waterproof shoes. Spring usually reaches Kuusamo in the last week of April, but snow can still lie on some paths in June.

Summer clothes and the insect weeks

Summer starts in the first half of June. Station data from Ruka village give an average July high of about 20 degrees and an average low of about 12, so a fleece still belongs in the bag for evenings at the lake or in a bear hide. September is cooler, with average highs of about 11 degrees.

According to Metsähallitus, mosquitoes in Kuusamo usually hatch around the middle or end of June. Blackflies, horseflies and biting midges follow in turn. The same page adds that recent summers have had few mosquitoes, so the insect season varies from year to year. Visit Finland advises long sleeves, clothes that cover your skin and insect repellent. A guest on the overnight bear watch in June 2026 wrote that swarms of mosquitoes were the only drawback of the night.

Metsähallitus also asks hikers to dress in bright colours and for the weather, and to check the forecast before setting out. The summer activities page lists what you can book once the snow has gone.

Packing list

• Base layer of merino wool or a moisture-wicking fabric, top and long trousers
• Fleece or warm jumper
• Windproof and waterproof jacket and trousers, unless all your tours lend overalls
• Wool socks, several pairs
• Insulated waterproof boots with a good grip
• Mittens, a beanie and a face mask or buff
• Hand and foot warmers, available locally
• Sunglasses for spring skiing
• For summer: long sleeves, light trousers, insect repellent and a fleece
• For May: rubber boots or waterproof shoes

Temperatures, daylight and snow change a lot between November and April. See the best time to visit Ruka for the month-by-month picture.