Salla, Finland’s winter landscape turned into a packed spectator arena this past weekend, drawing about 1,000 people to the Salla Reindeer Cup as temperatures stayed well below freezing. The town sits roughly 264 kilometers (164 miles) northeast of Oulu, close to the Russian border, and the event brought fans from Finland and abroad to watch reindeer race across a snow-covered track.
Spectators watched as the reindeer galloped over the course, pulling their handlers behind them on skis. The races followed a simple rule: “Whoever is fastest wins the race,” according to the event coverage, turning a cold-weather spectacle into a contest of speed over snow.
Lasse Aatsinki, head of the Salla Reindeer Cup, said the event traces back to the 1950s, describing how racing grew out of seasonal life before modern conveniences. Aatsinki said, “Salla has a long history in reindeer racing — it’s been going on here since the 1950s,” adding that “Back then, men spent winters in the forest, there were no snowmobiles.” He said reindeer were in good condition late in the winter, which is when people began racing them.
Over time, reindeer racing in Salla has been formalized into an organized competition, with organizers describing it as regulated and involving trained male reindeer. The coverage said the premier event was the hot series, in which reindeer must qualify by completing the kilometer-long course in 1 minute, 19 seconds or less to reach the race for the fastest animals.
Aatsinki described the skills that matter in the contest, saying it “has to tolerate a lot: the audience, other reindeer, noise, movement.” He added that handlers and owners develop individual approaches, noting, “Everyone has their tricks — and they’re usually kept under the fur hat.” He said, “Every owner has their own way,” as the sport blends training with how animals respond to the track environment.
During the races, crowds cheered with Finnish calls of “hyvä, hyvä” and “mene, mene,” encouraging the reindeer as they pushed toward the final stretch. Between heats, attendees stayed warm with reindeer soup and kampanisu, a traditional local pastry specialty from Salla.
The competition culminated Sunday with final rounds, and the coverage said a reindeer named Pompom won the final race. Hannu Krupula, the owner of the winning animal, said Pompom was “exceptionally fast and smart,” and that “you rarely find one like that,” describing a rare combination of speed and intelligence.
Krupula also cautioned that appearance can be misleading, saying, “If there’s any weakness, it’s that it’s not very good-looking — which can be misleading.” He said that while someone might assume the reindeer is poorly fed, it eats well, and that Pompom is “a rare individual.” After the race, the reindeer were rewarded with lichen—described as a symbiotic organism that grows on trees or rocks and is the animals’ favorite treat.