Finland’s Levi Ski Resort Adds New Heated Six-Pack Chairlift and Massive Wide-Open Slope

The season is less than a month away at Finland’s Levi Ski Resort, and the resort’s employees are preparing for Opening Day with snow gun inspections, snowmaking checks, and other final tests. To make the start of the season even more exciting, a new feature is almost ready.

In a recent update, Levi announced that its new detachable six-seater Sunny Express chairlift is nearing completion. Throughout the summer, crews have been working hard on the lift’s construction, and the project is set to be completed by the end of October. The resort hopes to have skiers on Sunny Express for the first time in November once winter arrives and temperatures are cold enough.

“The lift is progressing well,” CEO of Levi Ski Resort Jouni Palosaari said in the announcement. “At the moment, we’re fitting out the chair storage area so the chairs can be moved inside. Next, the chairs will be installed and the top station completed.”

• Related: Finland’s Levi Ski Resort Preparing Snowmaking System for the Season

The Sunny Express will have a capacity of 3,000 people per hour, carrying skiers up 222 meters of vertical with a ride time of roughly five minutes. Like Levi’s other lifts, Sunny Express maximizes comfort. Each chair features heated seats and wind stabilizers. The lift also helps keep Levi’s guests safe with a safety bar that closes automatically.

“The lift has been designed to be family-friendly,” Palosaari said. “The automatic safety bar adds an extra level of safety, especially when travelling with children. This is also why the lift station is longer than usual.”

• Related: Finland’s Levi Ski Resort Joins the Indy Pass Network

Another exciting aspect of the lift is what it brings to Levi’s terrain. Sunny Express will provide skiers access to a new “exceptionally wide” slope area at the resort. Spanning approximately 100 meters at its widest point, skiers of all levels will have plenty of space for safe and enjoyable skiing, mitigating the risk of colliding with trees or other skiers. The new slope is located directly to the right after exiting Sunny Express.

The top of Sunny Express will also provide a beautiful, panoramic view of the surrounding area. 

“From the top, you have views stretching more than 200 degrees around you, with practically no light pollution in sight. In winter, with the snow-covered trees all around, the scenery will be truly impressive for both Finnish and international guests,” Palossari added.

The addition of Sunny Express gives Levi a total of six detachable chairlifts and two gondola lifts. It most recently added the Levi Six chair in 2024, with a capacity of 3,000 people per hour and a ride time of four-and-a-half minutes.

“We’ve stayed on schedule,” Palosaari said. “In recent years, we’ve built a new large detachable chairlift approximately every two years, so we have a great deal of experience and a highly skilled team. We build the foundations and erect the lift ourselves, and that is something we can be very proud of.”

With Levi’s Opening Date scheduled for October 2, 2026, it joins fellow Finnish resort Ruka as the first non-glacial resort to open in the Northern Hemisphere. Thanks to its farmed snow from last season, Levi opens its slopes before almost everyone else and is typically able to surpass 200 days of skiing each year.

As the 2026-27 season approaches at Levi, skiers at the resort can soon enjoy the new Sunny Express chairlift. The lift’s supreme comfort and family-friendly design add to the resort’s cozy feeling, and a new wide slope gives skiers even more to enjoy when they visit Levi.

Levi season passes are currently on sale at the resort’s website.