Ruka Ski Resort Finland
Client
Year
2002, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023Services Rendered
An established destination resort, Ruka Ski Centre is Finland's largest ski resort based on visitation, offering a breadth of summer and winter activities to its guests. Ecosign has prepared several master plans and concepts for Ruka and it's municipality of Kuusamo, improving the guest experience and increasing revenue generation.
Ecosign has worked on multiple projects at Ruka Ski Center in Finland since 2002, focusing on ski area design, resort village planning, and business consulting. Key developments include the transformation of Ruka’s infrastructure with high-speed lifts and ski-in/ski-out accommodations. They designed Lansi Ruka Village, which opened in 2010, followed by the Ita Ruka Village, connected by a pulse gondola that enhances accessibility. Their plans significantly boosted skier visits, from 274,000 in 2000 to over 500,000 by 2023. Ecosign’s ongoing involvement has played a pivotal role in modernizing the resort and growing its popularity as Finland’s top ski destination.
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.
Additional projects completed in 2016 include:
- FIS Competitive Venue Concept Plan,
- Etutoli D6C, and
- Ita Ruka Village Master Plan
Plans for new mountain facilities and the new Ita village continued, with the new high speed Tutuola 6-passenger chairlift constructed in parallel with detailed planning for the V2V pulse gondola. The Ita Ruka village master plan continued to evolve with the addition of the V2V and the plan was approved to start its first building, the Ruka Valley Hotel and apartments in 2019.
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.
“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.”