Background

We want to tell viewers in Europe and in the rest of the world our own story. Our part of Europe is fantastic but we are struggling with decreasing population and our countryside is literally dying.

Many Swedish film productions utilize our beautiful scenery to make dramatic, cruel and cool movies in order to be successful. This is something that affects us who live here negatively when we are often portrayed as ruthless rednecks.

With the Arctic Life production, we want to change things. We want to tell our own story about who we are. We are just ordinary, descent people who happen to live in some of Europe’s most fabulous places. That is why we want to tell our story to encourage you to learn more about life above the Arctic Circle and hopefully be curious about visiting our wonderful surroundings.

In the long run we want people to be interested in investing in or moving to our region –  building a new future together with us.”

General

The Arctic circle traverses the northernmost part of Scandinavia. The landscape is criss-crossed by some of the mightiest rivers in Europe. The nature is almost untouched and in the rivers, runs the purest of drinking waters.

Some of the world’s most spectacular nature sceneries arises in the west and in the north when the Scandinavian mountains meets the Atlantic Ocean and forms an epic and dramatic coastline.

The vastest forests in Europe are covering the eastern part of the area. The almost endless forests are habitat for the four great carnivores of Europe, brown bear, wolf, lynx, and the wolverine. The massive Scandinavian moose is by the inhabitants crowned the animal king of the forests.

One Europe’s few indigenous populations, the Sami people, herds the reindeer and their rich culture and survival skills represents a unique and rich treasure.

Traditional industries such as mining, forestry, oil and gas, and fishing still employ a rather large number of people in the region but new industries, like data centres and tourism are gaining increasing importance.

The Year

The difference between winter and summer is enormous. The indigenous Sami people use to say that there are not four but eight seasons.

The warm part of the summer is only around a couple of months long, from midsummer in the end of June until mid of August. From about end of May, depending on which latitude, the famous factual midnight sun or the so called white nights arrive, the sun is staying over the horizon 24h per day and creates a many weeks long continuous period of daylight. The plants and grass grows tremendously during this period.

Already in late August and September, the leaves of the trees turn yellow, orange and red due to the first frost nights and transform the colours of the landscape into the those of a colourful and spectacular painting. In October, the leaves fall from the trees and nature starts again preparing for a new winter while the first snow already arrives.

The winters are long, dark, and harsh. Snow covers the ground more than 6 months per year. Already in November, the unforgivable winter has the region in a firm grip. The days become shorter and shorter and in December the long polar night starts – the sun will stay below the horizon for several weeks. The temperature can fall as low as below -40 ℃.

In January, the daylight returns. And the days are starting to get longer and longer again. This is the real winter period. Long periods of extremely low temperatures are common.

The later part of the winter in March and April is by most local people held to be the most pleasant period of the year with long days, usually stable weather conditions and excellent snow conditions for winter activities.

In May, the snow start to thaw away very rapidly. The length of the days gets longer and longer.

Mid of May and June is when nature wakes up and a lush green is rapidly present.

Seasons

Early Winter

Northern lights season ongoing. Excellent conditions for watching this astonishing natural phenomenon. Winter activities like skiing and skating start for the season.

The orcas follow the massive herring shoal into the Norwegian fiords resulting in substantial chances to observe one of the most amazing scenes the world’s nature can provide.

Local people are still doing small game and moose hunting as well as fishing

Winter

The Gulf of Bothnia is freezing every winter and shipping can continue only with the assistance from giant icebreakers. The ice layer is popular for leisure like skating, skiing, and snowmobiling as well as useful for transportation of goods, even with trucks. Temporary ice roads for cars are arranged every year.

The iconic and world famous Ice Hotel outside Kiruna is one of the major attractions for visitors from all over the world. Sled dog tours and visiting Santa Claus are other key visitor attractions during winter time.

Orca season is ongoing.

The reindeer are feeding at their winter pastures and moose are feeding in the great river valleys where both can be easily observed during winter.

Northern lights season is also ongoing.

Local people make sure their houses are kept warm and prepare themselves for shoveling snow which in total can be two meters per year. Small game and bird hunting still ongoing. The historically important cod (skrei) fishing season starts in Lofoten and other parts of northern Norway.

Late Winter

March to April is an excellent period for winter activities with long days and usually stable and mild weather conditions. Best season for skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing.

Reindeer is migrating to the mountain areas for calving. The brown bear wakes up from its long hibernation.

Brilliant conditions for observing Northern lights or Aurora Borealis.

Local people are cutting trees for wood, doing activities for game preserve and next hunting season, transportation of material to remote places making use of the excellent snow and ice conditions. Plants are sowed in nurseries. Wood is chopped.

Spring

In May, the unpredictable ice debacle takes place in the great rivers. The melting snow and ice creates huge floods which transport massive amounts of rotten ice and which will destroy everything that comes into its path to the coast, either it is buildings or jetties or anything else.

Migration of huge number of birds from southern Europe and Africa to northern Scandinavia for annual breeding.

Plants are put into green houses. The outdoor cultivating season starts. Potatoes are planted. Buildings are painted and repaired before the mosquito season begins. Boats are fixed up and launched.

Early Summer

Massive amounts of birds are nesting and breeding. The grass turn green and the leaves start growing on trees.

Midsummer

During June and July, hundreds of thousands of salmon swim up the great, wild rivers to spawn.

In celebration of the sun, the great midsummer party takes place all over Scandinavia in the end of June.

The temperatures are normally very pleasant and often above 20℃ during daytime.

The famous cloud berries season starts in mid July and lasts for a couple of weeks.

Late Summer

Bathing temperatures are at their highest. Picking of the wild berries such as blueberries.

Autumn

Massive migration of enormous amounts of birds from Northern Scandinavia to their winter locations in southern Europe and Africa.

Harvesting season -potatoes and vegetables are harvested. Hunting season starts. Moose hunting is for many locals the biggest and most important event of the year. Small game and bird hunting start. Lingonberries are picked. The famous whitefish roe is harvested.

Local people prepare for the winter season. Boats are taken care of and put in safe places. Cars are serviced so they will make it through the winter and tyres are changed to studded winter tyres. Wood is covered so it can dry.

Lofoten

The Lofoten area is world famous for its dramatic and beautiful sceneries as well as for its rich and ancient fishing traditions. Important ancient viking region. Several smaller airports with daily connecting flights to local hub, Bodö. Significant airport at Harstad/Narvik about 170 km from Lofoten, has several daily connecting flights to Oslo.

Kiruna

Mining town in Sweden’s far north, right on the border between the Scandinavians mountains and the eastern forested area. Situated in between two major rivers, Kalix and Tornio river. The coldest places in Scandinavia can be found along the surrounding river valleys. Majestic mountain areas in the west with many peaks around 2000 meters above sea level. Several daily connecting flights with Stockholm. The iconic and world famous Ice Hotel is situated in the nearby village of Jukkasjärvi, on the shores of Tornio river. Rich Sami culture is present. The world’s biggest underground iron ore mine can be visited. The Malmbanan or “Ore Railway” goes from Luleå at the Gulf of Bothnia to Narvik in Norway, at the Atlantic coast and passes through Kiruna. Malmbanan also has passenger traffic and the route between Kiruna and Narvik is one of the most spectacular train journeys in the world.

Pajala

Small community on the shores of Tornio river in the eastern part of the region, in the middle of vast forest and marsh areas. Airport with daily connecting flights with local hub Luleå. Charter flights coming from London to visit Santa Claus. Kolari is a tiny village at the shores of Muonio river and at the very border between Finland and Sweden about 30 km east of Pajala.

Gällivare

Mining town about 110 km south of Kiruna. Airport. Significant hotel capacity. Dundret is an alpine and cross-country ski centre in Gällivare. Malmbanan as well as the epic Inlandsbanan railway connects Gällivare with the domestic railway net.