Just 70km from the Arctic Circle, the tiny town of Arjeplog in Swedish Lapland harbours a secret - a 750-acre frozen playground, a clandestine millionaire's ice rink that's reserved exclusively for thrill-seekers and speed aficionados. This is ice-driving at its very best.

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JUST 70KM FROM THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, THE TINY TOWN OF ARJEPLOG
IN SWEDISH LAPLAND HARBORS A SECRET – A 750ACRE FROZEN
PLAYGROUND, A CLANDESTINE MILLIONAIRE’S ICE RINK THAT’S RESERVED
EXCLUSIVELY FOR THRILL-SEEKERS AND SPEED AFICIONADOS. THE
ULTIMATE MOTORING EXPERIENCE- THIS IS ICE DRIVING AT IT’S BEST.
Route
66° North
TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
Harrison Kelly
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100 TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
TWO CONCENTRIC CIRCLES,
250M AND 350M IN
DIAMETER, ACT LIKE GIGANTIC
ROUNDABOUTS, ALLOWING
ENDLESS DRIFTING AT
SPEEDS OF UP TO 120KM/H
T
emperatures hover close to minus 30 degrees and
bitterly cold winds cut punishingly across your face,
chilling you to the bone. All around you, immense
while, directly beneath you, Lake Udjaur gleams
menacingly in the winter sun, taunting you with it’s
thick-seticyabyss. Thesoundofsilenceisearsplitting.Nobirds,
heady mix of adrenalin, fear and terrifying excitement gurgle
beneath your thermals, rising to a crescendo as the air is
pierced by the thunderous roar of a Maserati GranTursismo
approaching from behind.
A chirpy-looking lad motions to you to get inside the car. Too
numb to think, you do as you’re instructed, climbing into the
driver’s seat not quite sure if the shakes are from the cold
or the absolute pile of nerves cursing through your body.
Seatbelt on and hands on the wheel, the delicious warmth of
the machine’s heated seats begins to seep into your body and
there’s an astonishing comfort in the throaty supercar gurgle
you can her purring away.
Sensing that you’re loosening up, the dude in the passenger
seat doesn’t waste any time getting on with the instructing.
Focused,calmandrelaxed,hispatientdirectionsandreassuring
excitement will be just a few paces behind. Before long, you’ll
ease those nerves no-end. With immense amounts of power
and very little grip you’ll quickly learn superhuman-like control
200km/h, there’s braking and cornering, skid pads, technical
reproductions of famous F1 tracks.
First established in 1995, whilst training professional drivers
on icy spreads, the idea was born. Ten years later, the dream
in 2009, after some serious dollar investment, a world exclusive
anywhere on earth.
years of dedicated instruction experience, and a fully staffed
technical team of track assistants and mechanical engineers,
ensure drivers are entirely unbridled to concentrate on having
funonwhatiseasilytheslipperiesttracktheywilleverencounter.
Pure drifting pleasure is there for the taking.
Every winter, the circuits are carefully maintained to ensure the
driving is second to none. The deep snow that covers the ice is
ploughed to trace out tracks before the powder snow is blasted
away by powerful blowers. The tracks are then lined on each
side with a bed of fresh snow, creating a soft cushion for any
cars that go careering over the side, not a rare occurrence by
any means. Finally, a snow grader claws the surface of the track
to ensure maximum grip and smoothness.
an area of 32 acres with seven roundabouts inside.
Technical skills are taught in the two 3.6km circuits, each
with various curve sequences that allow speed from 50 to
120 km/h as you master the techniques needed to move
onto the premium tracks.
the impressive Mistral straight where you can push the pedal
to top speeds of up to 210km. The legendary Silverstone
circuit, renowned for its high speeds, is no different on ice.
Every twist, turn and straight is painfully accurate, right
around the replica Chapel S-bends.
Two concentric circles, 250m and 350m in diameter, act like
gigantic roundabouts, allowing endless drifting at speeds of
up to 120km/h. According to Yvan Muller, quadruple WTCC
World Champion and a man more commonly known as the
King of the Ice, Laponie allows you to “enjoy more drifting in
a day than most drivers experience in a lifetime.” Motorsport
fans don’t need to quell their excitement there, as we hear
there’s a brand new circuit on the way for next season - an exact
replica of the notorious German Nürburgring track.
For dedicated petrol heads, premium programmes allow you
to get behind the wheel up to eight times a day, giving you
the chance to cover a whopping 250km in the car of your
choice. With over thirty premium models on offer, this will be
one of the hardest decisions holidaymakers will need to make.
Fancy drifting in a Porsche 997 GTS? No problem. What about
navigating icy corners in a Lamborghini Gallardo? Consider it
done. Every vehicle is specially prepared for extreme driving-
spiked and ready to tackle any weather adversities.
With well-equipped, on-the-ice club houses you can catch
some downtime between sessions, without venturing too far
from the action.
Away form the driving, if you can bear the thought, it won’t take
much effort to enjoy the sheer magic of Swedish Lapland.
Staying in Silverhatten Hotel, a decent four-star joint with epic
views of the Scandinavian Mountains and a place where
reindeer and moose live in total freedom, it’s hard not to
get excited by the sheer power of nature. And what could
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be demonstrate this force better than catching sight of the
There’s plenty of Nordic activities to keep you entertained off
the driving circuits.
Hop aboard super powerful Polaris snow machines and head
out for a night-time hike through the hills of Arjeplog or take
wilderness and seeing the circuits from a new vantage. Nearby,
the Galtis mountains offer great downhill skiing prospects and,
for something a bit quirky, spend the night in the Iglootel – a
can even spend a day on an elk photography safari, where
local Lapp hunters will drive you around on snowmobiles as you
get trigger happy with the elks. When it comes to food, tuck into
local delicacies –grilled reindeer steak or elk burger anyone?
With a decade in the business, the company have
streamlined the trips to a tee. Offering the ultimate big boy’s
playground complete with motoring’s top toys, accompanied
circuit activities, they can even arrange a landing slot for
your private jet at nearby Arvidsjaur airport, if you so desire.
Quite simply a trip - and track experience -like no other.
For more information, check out the website www.lapland-
ice-driving.com
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