FAQ - Everything you wanted to ask.

Add a tour to the cart and check out. You can add several tours to the same booking.

How booking works:
– You book people, not snowmobiles
– One snowmobile seats 2 people
– A Shared snowmobile needs 2 adults booked together
– Driving alone or solo traveler? Book a Single snowmobile
– Odd number in your group? One person books a Single

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Amex) online and on-site, plus cash if you book at our office.

We’re in Sinettä, about 20 km north of Rovaniemi. This isn’t an accident — we’re outside the city on purpose, closer to the kind of terrain that makes a tour worth taking. You won’t be sharing the trails with every other operator in town.

Address: Rinteenlenkki 14, Sinettä

Yes. All drivers must be at least 20 years old and hold a full driver’s license. National and international licenses are accepted — bring it with you, as Finnish police occasionally do checks on the trails.

If you’re traveling with someone younger than 20 or without a license, they can ride along as a passenger.

We provide all the outer layers: thermal overall, winter boots, wool socks, gloves, balaclava, helmet, and goggles.

What you bring underneath matters. A few principles:
– Layers — several thin ones beat one thick one. Traps warm air and lets you adjust
– Wool or synthetic as the base layer — moves sweat away from your skin
– No cotton — it holds moisture and gets cold fast
– Loose fit over tight — tight clothes restrict circulation, and you stay colder

Hat for the breaks, even though we provide a balaclava. And if you have warm wool socks of your own, bring them.

Use of the snowmobile, fuel, guide services in English, all safety gear (thermal overall, helmet, gloves, boots, balaclava, goggles), VAT, and insurance.

Longer tours also include snacks, hot drinks, or a meal. Check each tour’s “What’s included” section for the specifics.

Our main season is December through March. Bookings are open across these months.

We sometimes start earlier in late November or run later into April when conditions allow — snow shows up on its own schedule, not ours. If you’re interested in a date outside the main season, just ask.

Snowmobiling has real risks — you’re outside, on a powered vehicle, in cold weather. We take this seriously without being precious about it.

What that means in practice: proper instruction before every tour, guides who actually know the terrain (not just the route), small groups so we can see what everyone’s doing, and equipment kept in good shape. Our guides carry communication, first aid, and emergency supplies on every ride.

If something does happen, we respond. That’s part of the job.

Yes. Private tours are one of the things we do best — small group, your pace, your route. We tailor them to what you actually want: technical terrain, long days, photography stops, mixed skill levels in the group. Just send us a message and tell us what you’re after.

You have three options:

Drive directly to us. Free parking at our office in Sinettä: Rinteenlenkki 14.

Book our pickup service. €20 per person, departing from central Rovaniemi 30 minutes before your tour starts. Pickup point: Korkalonkatu 23, Rovaniemi. Add this at checkout.

Take a taxi. Trusted taxi companies in Rovaniemi:
– Menevä: +358 800 02120
– Taksi Rovaniemi: +358 600 14000
– Lähitaksi: +358 100 7300
– Santa Line: +358 600 30030

No previous experience needed for most of our tours. Before you ride, your guide gives a proper instruction — how the snowmobile works, how to corner, how to handle different snow conditions. We don’t just point you down a trail and hope for the best. We actually teach you to ride.

If it’s your first time, our shorter tours are a good way to get comfortable before going for something longer.

BRP Lynx Ranger 59, built right here in Rovaniemi. 600cc fuel-injected 4-stroke, long track, stable, modern. Heated grips for both driver and passenger, heated passenger seat, and enough space for a backpack.

Good machines matter — they’re what lets us run longer routes through more demanding terrain without anyone getting cold or tired.

Mostly through forests, across frozen lakes and rivers, and up onto the open fells — terrain that’s hard to reach unless you know where you’re going. We use a mix of established trails and our own private routes through areas that don’t see much traffic.

Which is why our tours rarely feel like “a tour.” You’ll see snow, trees, sky, and very few other people.

We ride in the cold — that’s part of the appeal. The gear keeps you warm, the snowmobiles have heated grips and seats, and your guide knows when to stop and warm up.

A few thresholds:
– Below -20°C — children shouldn’t ride
– Below -30°C — usually a no-go, depending on the group and conditions. If we cancel, you get a full refund or we reschedule

Dress in layers, and don’t underestimate cold. The Arctic doesn’t care about your feelings, but our heated seats do.

All snowmobiles carry mandatory traffic insurance. This covers all participants’ medical expenses and any third-party damages. The driver is responsible for damage to their own snowmobile.

Driver damage liability:
– Up to €980 per incident by default
– Reduce it to €150 by adding the optional €20 insurance before the tour

We also recommend personal travel insurance for additional coverage.

Full terms: polarmax.fi/terms-and-conditions

For our peak weeks (late December through February), book as early as you can — 2-4 months ahead is normal, and high-demand dates (Christmas, New Year, school holidays) often fill earlier. For other dates, a few weeks ahead is usually enough.

Last-minute bookings are sometimes possible. Drop us a message — if we have space, we’ll fit you in.

Yes, free parking right at our office. Plenty of space.

Yes. Snowmobiles are either Shared between two adults or Single for one person driving solo.

If you’re traveling alone, book a Single. If your group has an odd number, one person books a Single. Same machine either way — you just have the seat to yourself.

Yes to both. The goggles we provide fit over most regular glasses. Contact lenses also work fine — many of our guides ride with them.

If you have very large frames, you can mention it in advance and we’ll make sure you get goggles that fit comfortably.

Yes. We document every tour with photos and short videos, and you get them after the ride. You’ll be too busy riding to take good pictures of yourself anyway — that’s our job.

In mid-winter, daylight is short — only about 4-5 hours, and around the darkest weeks the sun never fully rises above the horizon. Many of our tours run in twilight or full darkness.

This isn’t a downside. The forests have their own character in the dark, and the snowmobile headlights pick out the trail clearly. Many locals actually prefer riding in the dark — you can read tracks and oncoming lights better than in flat midday light. We also bring extra LED lights for our stops.

Cancellations made at least 24 hours before the tour get a full refund. Cancellations within 24 hours or no-shows are non-refundable.

If your plans change, message us as soon as you can. We’ll always try to reschedule or find a way to make it work.

Rovaniemi has its own airport (RVN) with direct flights from Helsinki and seasonal direct flights from several European cities (London, Frankfurt, Paris, and others — check current routes for your travel dates).

Overnight train from Helsinki is also a great option — you sleep on the train and arrive in Rovaniemi the next morning.

Driving from Helsinki takes about 10 hours.

Average speed is usually 20-50 km/h. The trails wind through forests and over varied terrain — they’re not designed for going flat-out, and going fast on a bumpy trail isn’t actually fun. With a passenger, speed is naturally lower.

Your guide adjusts the pace to the group’s comfort, trail conditions, and weather. The goal is a good ride, not a record.

Of course. Helmet-mounted GoPros are no problem — bring your own mount. Phones and small cameras fit in jacket pockets for stops.

A tip: cold drains batteries fast. Keep spares in an inner pocket close to your body, and put your phone there too between shots.

Also: we photograph and film every tour ourselves, and you’ll get those afterwards. So if you’d rather just ride and let us do the documenting, that’s also covered.

Most of our tours welcome children, though some longer or more technical tours don’t — check each tour description.

How it works:
– Children 4-12 ride in a covered, suspended sledge pulled by the guide’s snowmobile, with thermal clothing in their size and blankets
– Children at least 140 cm tall can ride as a passenger on a snowmobile, at adult prices
– We recommend a parent rides with younger children for comfort

If temperatures drop below -20°C, children shouldn’t join — at that point it’s not fun for anyone small.

We can’t promise. Northern Lights need clear skies and solar activity, and both are out of anyone’s control. Some nights they put on a show, some nights nothing.

What we can say: riding out of the city, away from light pollution, gives you a much better chance than standing in central Rovaniemi. And even on quiet nights, a winter ride through dark forests is worth doing on its own.

No refunds if the aurora doesn’t show — but the tour itself happens regardless.

When you book — online or at our office — you agree to our full terms: polarmax.fi/terms-and-conditions

Small. Usually around 4-5 snowmobiles on a guided tour, sometimes fewer. We deliberately keep groups small — it’s the only way to ride at a real pace, stop where the views are worth stopping, and actually get to know the people you’re riding with.

If you see twenty snowmobiles in a line, that’s not us.

On longer tours we stop at warm cabins where there are proper facilities. On shorter rides you can ask the guide to stop — the forest is always nearby.

Statistically, late August to early April is aurora season in Lapland — that’s when nights are dark enough. The peak chances are usually around the equinoxes (late September and late March) when geomagnetic activity tends to be higher.

For our snowmobile season specifically: any clear night from December through March can deliver. There’s no “guaranteed” week.

Genuine no-snow days are rare in our season, but they happen at the edges — very early December or late March in odd years. If conditions stop a tour from running safely, we either modify or cancel and give you a full refund. We don’t try to push through something that isn’t going to work.

Summer in Lapland is the season fewer people see — and it’s a different kind of trip entirely. Endless light, quiet forests, clear rivers, roads that curve up through the fells toward Norway and Sweden.

Our summer programs are taking shape: motorcycle tours through Lapland and the Nordkapp region, motorcycle and motorhome rental, and fishing and outdoor activities. Some of this is already running in small scale, the rest is being built for 2026 onwards.

Want a heads-up when summer bookings open? Get in touch and we’ll let you know.

Summer here is short and intense. June to August is the core — long days, no real night, temperatures often 15-25°C. May and September are shoulder seasons with their own character: spring melt, autumn colors (“ruska”) in September.

The “midnight sun” — when the sun doesn’t set at all — runs from roughly early June to early July at our latitude.

Honest answer: yes, if you want something different. Most people picture Lapland as a winter destination, which means summer is genuinely quiet — empty trails, no queues, low prices, and a landscape that locals know is at its best in June.

Midnight sun, fishable rivers, ridable roads, and the kind of silence you only get when there’s nobody else around.

If you’re choosing between winter and summer, they’re different trips. Winter for snow, aurora, dark-season atmosphere. Summer for light, space, and being alone with the landscape.

Yes. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

The worst stretch is roughly mid-June to mid-July, especially in still weather near water. By August they ease off. Wind, sun, and movement help.

What to do: bring repellent, wear long sleeves at dusk, and consider a head net for fishing trips near rivers. It’s part of the deal — but it doesn’t ruin a trip if you’re prepared.