In early 2016, winter in Finland began with intense frost, which arrived from Siberia and drove the thermometer to 20 degrees below zero. Normally, the average temperature in January is -4 degrees in the Helsinki metropolitan area and -14 degrees in Lapland.
Dressing for freezing temperatures is an art. One piece of good advice is to wear several loose layers of clothing. Padded clothing helps you walk through the city centre during intense frost.
Do not forget the impact of wind
The thermometer reading does not tell the whole truth, as hard wind increases the impact of frost. For example, wind blowing at 10 metres per second makes frost at 10 degrees feel like -20 degrees.
Therefore, the outermost layer of clothing must be windproof. The hat must protect your ears, and the shoes must be dry and loose. The best sock combination is a sports sock and a wool sock.
Keeping the fingers and toes warm is important because blood circulation to the extremities deteriorates in the cold. Mittens keep your fingers warm better than gloves. You should also make sure that your neck, ankles and wrists are well protected. You can wrap a scarf over your face.
Additional accessories from Helsinki Airport
Helsinki Airport has shops that provide plenty of clothing for freezing days.
ARG Airport Fashion’s shops at gates 13–14 and 29 have warm padded coats for both men and women; the brands are Tommy Hilfiger and Parajumpers. Several other brands offer hats and scarves, as well as gloves and mittens.
Some more traditional items can be found at Kankurin Tupa, at gates 26 and 35. They have cardigans with Lapland motifs for the whole family, and children’s clothes have charming reindeer running in the front. Of course the shops always have traditional Lapland mittens made from pencil roving for sale.
ARG Fashion and Kankurin Tupa serve arriving and departing customers on both foreign and domestic flights.
Wonderfully luxurious Kuna scarves for both men and women can be found at the WDFG Collection store at gate 27, the only sales outlet in the Nordic countries. The scarves, which are made in Peru, are knitted from either 100% alpaca wool or a mixture of alpaca wool and silk. Colours and patterns range from the season’s favourites to classics.
The Collection only serves travellers departing to foreign countries.