Keskinenlaki Summit Cairn

Minus 24 when we woke up but sunny. It warmed up to about minus 16 and we decided to try and go snowshoeing higher up to find some warmer temperatures. It sounds strange but here in Northern Finland you get temperature inversions where the cold air becomes trapped low down by the lake and in the valley but the sun heats the higher slopes. There can be 5 - 10 degree differences in temperature.

When we looked at Keskinelaki from a distance it looked like it had a layer of mist or fog covering it. When we got out of the trees on the slopes we found it was actually wind blown snow! We went straight up the west/ north-west side, which is an easy angled (30-35%) plod up a snow slope. We were glad of the crampons on the snowshoes as the snow that wasn't blowing around was very hard.

On the summit there are a number of bumps in the snow, this one shows it is actually a cairn. One thing we loved in the summer here was the beautiful lichen on the rocks which you can just see where the wind has scoured the snow off the rock.

works well in LARGE