Ruka Finland
Client
Year
2002, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023Services Rendered
Médias
Ruka Ski Centre, Finland’s largest ski resort based upon visitation, is located 800km north of Helsinki in Kuusamo, a town in the northeastern part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. An established destination resort, Ruka offers numerous summer and winter activities to its guests.
Ecosign began work in Ruka in 2002, completing a ski area master plan that improved visitor circulation, revitalized the ski resort’s aging infrastructure and densified ski-in/ski-out accommodation. Subsequent to preparation of a detailed resort village design, we assisted the Kuusamo Municipality and ski area operator to adopt a strategy to facilitate development. After several years of planning and construction, the Lansi Ruka Village opened in 2010. In 2011, Ecosign began designing a second village on the east side of the resort, geared toward families with proximity to the main beginner learning area. In the winter season of 2018-2019, Ruka’s slope experience was revolutionized with the introduction of Finland’s most extensive network of express lifts: the Village-2-Valley Pulse Gondola uniquely connects the two villages with a four-minute gondola ride, and the growing network of express lifts enables year-round service for skiers, pedestrians, and cyclists to seamlessly access Ruka’s base and alpine areas.
In 2021, Ecosign was re-engaged by the Kuusamo Municipality to prepare a master plan for the Nordic stadium located adjacent to the Lansi Village, and again in 2022 to prepare a land use plan for a new neighbourhood on the east side of the ski area. Implementation of Ecosign’s numerous master plans at Ruka has contributed to strong growth in this remote arctic ski destination, from 274,000 visits during the 1999/2000 season to over 500,000 visits in the 2023/2024 season.
2002
Ruka Ski Resort is located in the Lapland region of Northern Finland at 66 degrees latitude, over 800km north of Helsinki. With 200m over vertical, Ruka is small but mighty, offering over 200 days of skiing from October to May and world class cross-country trails, snowmobiling and other arctic experiences. Since Ecosign's first Master Plan was completed in 2002, Ruka's has evolved into a mature, four-season destination resort with two villages, a diverse summer recreation offering. Skier visits have doubled in 20 years, drawing 500,000 visits annually.
2003
An established destination resort, Ruka offers numerous summer and winter activities to its guests. Ecosign began work in Ruka in 2002, completing a Ski Area Master Plan that improved visitor circulation, revitalized the ski resort’s aging infrastructure, and densified ski-in/ski-out accommodation. Subsequent to preparation of a detailed resort village design, we assisted the Kuusamo Municipality and ski area operator to adopt a strategy to facilitate development. After several years of planning and construction, the Länsi Ruka Village opened in 2010.
2011
After the original Ski Bistro Restaurant burned to the ground in 2010, Ruka immediately saw the opportunity to rebuild the restaurant in a location that integrates with a village and children's area in the gentle terrain on the east side of the resort.
2016
The vision for the Village to Village (V2V) pulse gondola was inspired by the success of the pedestrian-oriented Länsi Village and the desire to move pedestrians and skiers between the two sides of the mountain in the most efficient way without relying on vehicles. The V2V pulse gondola connects the heart of the commercial center on the Länsi side with the family-oriented village on the Ita side, while also providing a high quality beginner ski slope from the mid station at the apex of the gondola. Ruka Resort has since developed a mountain restaurant with an outdoor sauna at the V2V mid station with views to Valtavaara National Park. The Ita Ruka children's area is a hub of activity at the center of the new Valley Village hotel next to the Ski Bistro.
2021
As the host of the first FIS Nordic competition every year, the Ruka Stadium is a important venue for annual events that bring international athlete's and visitors to the resort. With the exception of these packed .
2022
Ruka opened the new Masto high-speed lift for the 2023-2024 season, Finland's first 8-passenger chairlift. The Masto Chair replaced two T-bars, providing comfortable access to new beginner slopes and tree skiing areas. Ecosign prepared the lift and trail plans for Masto, Pessari and Vuosseli in 2022-2023, continuing Ruka's evolution to Finland's most successful four season destination mountain resorts.
2023
Ecosign prepared a plan for a new neighbourhood on the east side of the resort envisioned with a mix of tourist, second homes and residential neighbourhoods to support the resort's growing permanent population. The East Ruka development is connected to the ski area with a new access T-bar, reducing the impact on traffic and parking demand for other parts of the resort.
Ruka, Finland “I can truly recommend Ecosign as a reliable long time partner, delivering always the newest ideas and opinions of the resort business and changes in the market and working hard to achieve functioning, customers oriented business minded planning and problem solving.”