The accommodation provided by Holiday Club Salla was really special, we arrived at a mixture of lodges nestled between the trees. The lodges felt very private, even though the slopes were only a short stroll away. Kitted out with flat screen TV, kitchen, sauna and a log burning stove we felt right at home.

That night we experienced a local Lappish evening in the Starry Sky Hut, which is based in the Salla Reindeer Park. Set in an atmospheric modern Lapp hut with open fireplace, we were served local delicacies made from reindeer, fish and vegetables, and were entertained with stories of Lappish culture and local songs. It had been a great evening and the perfect end to our first day in Salla.

Waking up early the next morning we quickly grabbed a hearty breakfast at the hotel before being taken to Ruuhitunturi for a local Snowmobile safari tour by Arctic Circle Safaris. The plan was to take a Guided snowmobile safari to the top of the fell, but the snow fall was so significant that we had to stick to lower ground where a track had been laid down.

As a total beginner at snowmobiling has always been on my bucket list and after a short lesson we were let loose on the mobiles. It took a while to get a handle of the controls, but it slowly came together and our confidence grew as the speed increased and we travelled through a magnificent landscape of snow-capped trees. It was so remote out here that you could book a longer 5 hour guided trek here and never cover the same ground. This is something that every snowboarder should try, we were already hooked!

After lunch we swapped our petrol fuelled transport for a more sedate option and headed to the Salla Reindeer Park. The 3 hour safari is probably on the to-do list of most people who come to Salla. It’s an amazing trip through the snow-capped forests, which attracts a lot of adults as well as children. We were shown our reindeer by the local reindeer farmer who explained the basics. I was handed Mr Dalton a fine specimen with huge antlers.

We walked for a few hundred metres with our reindeers before hopping into the sled and taking the reigns. It was simple enough the reindeer followed the path and we give a little tug on the reigns to speed them up. The reindeers trek along quite slowly so you can really soak up the beauty that surrounds you on this activity. Part way through we stopped to feed some female and baby reindeers, this provided a perfect photo opportunity and the chance to rest and refresh our herd.

The trek continued onwards until the guides reached a hut and cooked for the group. It was here that everyone received a reindeer driving license, which was one of our proudest achievements. With the sun setting we headed back, wrapping the blankets tight around each other to keep the warmth in. The day’s events had made us hungry so we headed to the restaurant Kiela (Sallatunturin Tuvat) an ultra modern restaurant. The food and drink went down well as we talked about the amazing day we had experienced in Salla. 

On the final morning of our trip we met Vladimir a Russian ski instructor at the Salla ski school. He explained how he cad come over from nearby Russia and had settled into the lifestyle of Salla, I admit I was a bit envious of Vladimir ad the lifestyle he had built for his family.

We hopped on the T-Bars and he guided me around the whole area. We both looked to be the first people on the mountain and the snow was just perfect, with a couple of inches of fresh on top we glided down some of the best snow I’ve ever ridden.

We took lunch at the local piste restaurant Sallatunturin Keloravintola which offered a great value lunchtime buffet at just 10 euros. Before heading back up the slopes, where the clouds parted to give an amazing view of Russia.

Apparently the chances of seeing the northern lights were improving, although having woken up to heavy snow in the morning I was doubtful.

For the final evening we me Bart Braafhart the owner of B.Art Collection, a Dutch man who came to Salla for a holiday and has remained here since, living out a life photographing the northern lights.

Through his slideshow we learnt all about the phenomenon and why it occurs. It was a fascinating show and it was amazing looking at the pictures, but our hopes of seeing the real lights seemed to be fading fast.

We raced back to the chalet, both staring out of the car window amazed at the dancing lights, and after a quick change into out snow suits we were racing up Salla fell on Vladimir’s snow mobile. Gripping on tight our eyes darted all around the sky trying to take in the green lights swirling overhead. At the top of Salla fell we stood in awe as we were treated to a display lasting about 30 minutes.

We set up the cameras and tried to get some shots, however the results were shoddy, nothing could compare to the real thing so we put the camera away and soaked it up! As the lights faded we headed into a hut for one last fireside coffee and sausage, brewing up all we could do was smile.

We had done so much during our week in Finland but the chance of seeing the Northern lights seemed to have slipped away only to be brought back from the brink. It was the perfect end to a perfect holiday! All that remained now was one more break neck snow mobile descent down the mountain, one last blast of adrenalin in a week packed with adventures.

Click here to read Week in the Wilderness Part One: Ruka

Crystal Ski Holidays (www.crystalski.co.uk; 020 8939 0726) offers a week's stay at the three-star Salla Cabins from £419 per person (based on four sharing) including flights from Gatwick and transfers departing on 10 January 2016. A week’s half board at the three-star Hotel Revontuli costs from £679 per person (based on two sharing) including flights from Gatwick and transfers. Book early and get 2for1 equipment hire.