There are very few people on earth who have flown higher than Lydia Lassila – literally. The five-time Winter Olympian and first woman to perform a quad twisting triple somersault knows a thing or two about altitude, risk and the rewards that follow. But nothing quite prepared her for life in Levi, a ski resort town in Finland’s Lapland, where temperatures plunge to minus forty and the locals walk to school when the cars won’t start.

“It’s just what you do,” she says with a laugh. “You wrap up and you walk.” That kind of matter-of-fact toughness, woven into the fabric of Finnish daily life, is part of what drew Lydia and her family north when COVID-19 hit in 2020. What was meant to be a six-month adventure has become a life – and now, through her two Finnish rental properties, it can become yours too.

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From Melbourne’s surf coast to the Arctic Circle

Lydia’s connection to Finland runs deep. Her husband is Finnish and a former competitive moguls skier and when the family decided to escape Melbourne’s rolling lockdowns, Levi made sense. Their children, Kai and Alec, were enrolled in Finnish school – widely regarded as one of the world’s best education systems – and within weeks were adapting in ways that astonished their parents. “Kai was in grade three. He’d never learned written Finnish before, only spoken. Within three weeks he was progressing well. It was an incredible experience,” Lydia recalled.

Lydia and her family stayed. They bought a property on Lake Immeljärvi, renovated it and carved it into two self-contained apartments. Scandi House Levi was born – and it quickly became the kind of place guests don’t want to leave.

“More people are coming from the Alps to ski in Levi now – the snow quality elsewhere is deteriorating. Here, it just doesn’t melt.”

Scandi House Levi – on the edge of the lake

Set about one kilometre from Levi’s central township, Scandi House sits directly on Lake Immeljärvi. The property is divided into two fully contained three-bedroom apartments, each sleeping six, with its own sauna, full kitchen and private outdoor space. In winter, Lydia’s team cuts a hole in the ice so guests can experience the avanto – the Finnish tradition of plunging into frozen water straight from the sauna.

Levi itself is Finland’s largest ski resort, and Lydia is emphatic about what sets it apart. The resort operates under lights from 9:30am to 7:00pm, meaning the snow never experiences the damaging midday melt that plagues many European resorts. Lift tickets run to around €65 per day (at the time of the interview – March 2026) and cross-country skiing through the wilderness is completely free.

Scandi House Rovaniemi – the riverfront retreat

Lydia’s second Finnish property is in Rovaniemi – the gateway city to Finnish Lapland. Larger than the Levi apartments, this riverfront home sleeps up to eight and sits within easy reach of Santa Claus Village and the city’s airport. For families with younger children, or groups who want the full suite of Lapland experiences, Rovaniemi is a common base.

A word of honest advice from your host: December in Rovaniemi is magical, but it is also very busy. If you can travel in January, you’ll find a quieter, more affordable, and more genuinely wintry version of the same landscape.

Scandi House Lorne, Victoria

Lydia’s custom-designed surf coast home sleeps 12 with sweeping ocean views – for when you want the Australian winter instead.

When to go – a practical guide

For Australians, January and February are the sweet spot: school holidays align, the mountains are fully open and accommodation is more affordable than the pre-Christmas rush. Northern Lights season runs from September through spring and shoulder season in August–October is increasingly popular for foraging, hiking, and aurora chasing with far smaller crowds.

The food, the forest and the Finnish way

One of the things Lydia is most insistent visitors discover is Finnish food. Lapland cuisine is rooted in Sámi tradition – reindeer, smoked and pickled fish, foraged berries and mushrooms gathered from the forest. There’s a local tour operator Lydia personally recommends for travellers who want to go deeper into the wilderness.