My partner and I just returned from our first (of what we hope will be many yet-to-come) stays at Ski Tuonela. We did a four-day, three-night booking. The owners and staff were friendly and welcoming, the chalets were clean and warm, and the skiing was fantastic. We are late-beginner/moderately experienced XC skiers in our early thirties, and though we steered clear of some of the steeper black diamond runs, every trail we hit was an exhilarating combination of climbs, winding lazy turns through the forest, and speedy downhill cruising. At the Ski Tuonela parking lot we traded up our boots, packed bags, and cooler of food for two sets of rental skis, then set off on a 4.5km one-way glide through the woods to the village. Our gear was stowed safely in our chalet upon our arrival, having been delivered by snowmobile while we made the roughly 30-45 min. trek. Skiing into the village for the first time was like stepping into a Courier and Ives lithograph, with snow-covered rooftops, oil lamps in the windows of our chalet, and the wood fire already blazing. The village is all off-grid, but a combination of wind and solar power provides electricity for reading and cooking lights as needed. Water is fresh from a mountain spring, and the kitchen had all the pots/pans/utensils needed for us to make breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and clean up afterwards. We did not avail ourselves of the sauna, though other guests (many of whom were on repeat trips to Tuonela) informed us it is fantastic. We played card games and pingpong in the Tanzhaus, napped in our chalet, built a snowperson, read multiple books, skied almost all of the available trails, and met lots of other guests. The chalet was very private, and the entire village felt wonderfully secluded; though there were always people and their canine companions out and about. Overall, we really cannot say enough about this place. It was warm, cozy and comfortable, mixing the simplicity of showerless, make-your-own-meals winter camping, with the comfort of a wood burning stove, the convenience of propane-fired cook stoves, and of course a deluxe two seater brass-hinges-on-the-mahogany-inlaid-toilet-seats outhouse (reading material included). Take a trip to Ski Tuonela; it's worth it!…