Family ice fishing in Utsjoki: what to know with children
Illustration photo: a child out in the snow, not on a fishing trip.
The short answer
With children under twelve, book the holiday village, which prints a child fare on each of its fishing trips, or the village company, whose terms take thirty per cent off for under-twelves. Children travel out with the group by sleigh or car, and warm clothing is lent. Choose March or April if you can, when the fishing listing itself recommends travelling with small children.
For a family, ice fishing in Utsjoki is mostly about the journey: a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile out across the fell to a small lake, and then sitting still on the ice.
What children pay
The holiday village prints a child fare for under-twelves on each of its fishing trips, roughly half the adult price.1 The village company works the other way: its terms take thirty per cent off for children under twelve and ask parents of children under six to check that a programme suits them.2 The hotel in Karigasniemi calls its trip suitable for the whole family and prints a price per person with no child fare.3
Keeping them warm
All three lend outdoor clothing: warm clothes at the holiday village, clothes and helmets at the village company, overalls at the hotel. What they do not lend is patience with the cold, and the hotel’s trip is called off below minus 24. Pack an extra layer for each child and something warm to drink.
When to go
The village company’s own advice for small children is March or April, and its listing describes the temperatures then as much more comfortable than in midwinter. The trips themselves are compared on ice fishing in Utsjoki.
Questions people ask
Is there a trip designed for small children?
The village company mentions one. Its full-day fishing listing tells families travelling with small children to come in March or April and book its family ice-fishing tour, and its trip page says family fishing programmes are arranged by email. No price or length for that family tour is published, so write to the company with the children's ages and ask what it would involve.
What if the child gets cold and wants to go back?
Plan for it with the guide before you set off. The trips run for two to three hours at a lake reached only by sleigh or car, so turning back early depends on the guide and on the rest of the group. On a trip with other guests that may not be possible straight away, so ask when you book whether yours will be the only party.
Does our teenager pay the full price?
At the holiday village, a child is under twelve, so a thirteen-year-old pays the adult fare of 125 euros on the shorter trip and 185 on the three-hour one. The village company's thirty per cent discount stops at the same age. The Karigasniemi hotel prints 120 euros a person and no child fare, so ask it what a teenager pays.