Family ice fishing in Kilpisjärvi: who can come and where they sit
Illustration photo: a group fishing on the ice seen from above, not in Kilpisjärvi.
The short answer
With children of eight or older, book the shared afternoon in the towed sleigh: the whole family travels together behind the guide's snowmobile and the thermal outfit is lent to everyone. Expect to pay the adult price for each child. With younger children the shared trip is not an option, and the private fishing guide is the one to ask, since his page sets no age.
For a family, ice fishing in Kilpisjärvi comes with its rules already written down.
Age and seats
The safari company takes children from eight on its winter tours, and any child under 140 centimetres travels in the sleigh towed by the guide’s snowmobile.1 A family with younger children can therefore ride out together in the sleigh, with nobody needing to drive.
What children pay
The same page is explicit that its prices follow seats and equipment, so a child pays what an adult pays. The private fishing guide prices by head count, which amounts to the same thing.
Permits and fees
Children never pay the national fishing fee, which starts at eighteen. The fishing area around the lake has its own permit with a lower price for under-eighteens.2
The trips themselves are compared on ice fishing in Kilpisjärvi.
Questions people ask
Can a teenager drive the snowmobile?
Not on the safari company's trips, where the driver must be eighteen. A passenger on a shared snowmobile must be at least 140 centimetres tall, so a tall twelve-year-old can ride behind a parent while a shorter child goes in the sleigh. The company adds that no driving licence is needed for its own tours, which is worth knowing for an eighteen-year-old who has not yet passed a test.
What if a child falls ill and we have to cancel?
It depends where you booked. The safari company's own terms refund the whole payment only when you cancel at least seven days before the start, and nothing after that, although it refunds in full if it cancels for dangerous weather. The same trip on the booking platform allowed free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead when this site read it, which is the safer channel for a family.
What should the children bring?
The safari company lends thermal overalls, winter boots, wool socks, mittens, a balaclava and a helmet on all its winter tours, and asks guests to bring their own beanie and thin liner gloves to wear under the thick mittens. Everything else is the company's, so children need only arrive in warm layers underneath for three hours sitting still on the ice.