65 Degrees North – Heading Even Further North!

In mid-February 2026, 65 Degrees North will take a group of wounded, injured andsick serving and veteran military personnel to the Ylläsjärvi region of Northern Finland to conduct Exercise ‘Aurora Adventure’ This one week cross country ski touring adventure will be based out of the village of Ylläs, situated deep inside the Arctic Circle at 67.56 degrees of latitude!

Ylläs is renowned for its excellent snow record with over 320 kilometres of prepared trails that criss-cross the area through deep forests and across exposed fells. Over the course of the week, the group will progress from basic cross country ski instruction and winter survival skills to incrementally long ski tours before culminating in a long and challenging 30km traverse of the exposed fells between the villages of Ylläs and Äkäslompolo.

The area offers fantastic snow conditions, well established ski trails and a better than average opportunity to experience the ‘northern lights’ to create a tough but ethereal environment conducive to rehabilitation and recovery. The region boasts a wide range of common wildlife such as reindeer, moose, arctic foxes and hares, as well as more elusive species such as bears, wolves, wolverines and lynx.

This is a committing expedition, requiring a good degree of physical and mental resilience to cope with what may be challenging conditions of heavy snowfall and extremely low temperatures. The success of the expedition will also depend on the ability to work together and to look out for each other.

This expedition will see six serving personnel in recovery and three veterans from across the Armed Services participating, supported by a small team of medical and extreme cold weather specialists.

This magical combination of outstanding beauty and true wilderness will create an environment conducive to physical and mental recovery and peaceful reflection.

In a first for 65 Degrees North, we have arranged to meet up with a group from Wounded Veterans Finland, and it is hoped that we will share some activities and experiences for a number of days. We are also planning to enjoy night skiing, winter fat biking and dog sledding as additional activities if fundraising allows. We also hope to be introduced to Sami culture, the indigenous culture of northern Scandinavia and Russia, which is deeply tied to nature and retains a semi-nomadic lifestyle and practices unique activities (reindeer herding and ice fishing) and art forms.

As a self-funding organisation, 65 Degrees North depends on the generosity of our partners, supporters and friends to create these fantastic opportunities.

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our friends and sponsors at Jöttnar, whose exceptional cold-weather clothing we have the privilege of wearing. Their kit has supported us across numerous expeditions and Exercise Aurora is no exception, helping us perform, adapt and thrive in some of the harshest environments we encounter.

If you would like to help, and truly make a difference to the lives of people who have given much for their country, you can donate at this Just Giving page.