Written by Katie Van Dorn
A Long Awaited commemoration of our Nordic Ski Tour Across Finland
Ray and I have enjoyed Nordic skiing for all of our married life (33+ years). For many years, we skate skied, mainly because set track was not always available. But as time has gone on, more Nordic areas were established within a 60 mile radius of Missoula, MT., where we live. Our favorite Nordic ski spot has always been The Rattlesnake Recreation area, which ultimately provides access to the Rattlesnake Wilderness. We love this area, because it is near our home and the trail/set track follows the creek to a bridge 8 miles up, so a person could enjoy a gorgeous 16 mile ski, in and out. For many years, Ray provided grooming service there, setting track from the trailhead up to the 8 mile point and back.
In 2004, fellow ski friends told us about the Rajalta Rajalle Hiihto– a 7 day, guided, 440 km Nordic ski tour in Northern Finland. The tour follows terrain close to the Artic Circle, from the border of Russia to the border of Sweden. Wanting to be fully prepared for this big adventure, we started training for the March 2005 tour in the Fall of 2004, hiking and running long distances, and then working up to be able to Nordic ski 30-40 miles (48-64 km) in a day.
In March, 2005, we flew to Helsinki, and then on to Kuusamo, Finland, to start the tour. Although it was hard work and temperatures were cold (0 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit/-17.7 to -12.22 degrees Celsius), we loved the tour. Every day began at 9 am, with multiple refueling stops, substantial lunch half way, and nice classic Finnish accommodation at the end of the day. Every evening, we had access to a ski waxing room (with great advice from the Finns, Austrians, Swiss, Germans, Italians and more), and of course, fabulous food for dinner. The highest note of every day, for Ray and I, was the Finnish Sauna! In some locations, there was a frozen lake with a hole in it for a cold dip during sauna. We had never known that Sauna could bring such a delicious reward to life… We returned home from that momentous trip (I was 49 and Ray was 56 at the time), vowing to build our own sauna. But then we moved to a new house, and life carried on for 20 years, until 2024 when we finally decided to build the sauna….
Ray and I began by researching all the goes into an ideal Finnish Sauna. One resource we called upon was Lassi A Liikkanen’s book “The Secrets of Finnish Sauna Design.” We soon realized that it was more than building a simple square structure, but rather many small details are critical for ensuring an authentic Finnish sauna experience. “Löyly” is the term the Finn’s use for the magic of the essential Finnish Sauna. Löyly is created by water hitting the hot rocks of the heater. When the water hits the hot stones, if vaporizes instantly, raising the humidity in the sauna. That quick burst of heat and steam is what creates the Löyly experience. The air is more breathable than if it were just hot, dry air. To get this Löyly effect, multiple design features must be taken into account. According to the Sauna design experts, the ideal volume is created using specific dimensions. As recommended, the dimension of our sauna is 8L X 8W X 7.6H.
Bench height is critical also. Because hot air rises toward the ceiling, the bathers must also be elevated to a higher level. The top bench is determined relative to the ceiling. As recommended, we made our top bench within 100 – 120 cm (3.4 – 4 feet) below the ceiling, in order to allow for a person to sit comfortable, yet also have their head high enough that they benefit from the rising heat near the ceiling. The top bench should also be above the top of the heater, so we followed for those specifications also. We decided to have a lower bench that slides in an out, as well as a third bench, with height between the upper and lower benches, for those people who might not want as much heat.
We considered the wood materials also, as we wanted cedar wood throughout, with clear cedar on the benches. Cross ventilation is also a key factor, so we added adjustable vents behind the heater, as well as in the upper corner on the opposite side of the Sauna.
Orientation and location of the outdoor sauna were also of great importance to us. We chose a location to the north of our house, as far into the trees as we could go for privacy, yet not so far away, it was difficult to build. Since our property sits on a significant slope, we had to position the sauna on a deck. We wanted to capture the view to the west, so we opted not to have a dressing room, but rather a semi enclosed space with a huge glass-less picture window. The entrance to the sauna has a large glass door, so the view could be enjoyed while in the sauna.
Although we live in a quiet area, close to hiking and open space, we also have neighbors and many Ponderosa pines surrounding us, so we opted to heat with electricity. Again, we learned about the optimum way to create radiant heat, and purchased the Finnish IKI sauna tower heater, with ample rocks on which to apply water to create the magic of the Löyly.
To create the ambiance we desired, as well as functionality, we selected a mix of interior lights – undermounted lighting on a dimmer, under the benches, and one larger light for cleaning. To allow for natural lighting, we utilized a Japanese Ranma panel (artistic wood cut design in the shape of a rectangular transom) as a window for more lighting, yet still allowing for privacy. The full pane glass door also allows for ample natural light.
Finally when we had all of our design features specified, we engaged a builder friend, Dan Kral, to help us execute the design we had in mind. He helped to draw up architectural plans for the deck, interior lay out and exterior roof lines. We wanted the roof line of the sauna to mirror the roof line of the house, which was originally designed to match the line of the mountains to the north. Our goal was for the sauna to meld into the environment.
Ray started the sauna building process in the Fall of 2024. Since the land is very sloped, and sitting on a glacial lake bed, there were many huge rocks to excavate in the 9 holes he dug by hand, each 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet deep. He managed to dig all the holes over 9 weeks – completing a hole a week.
When winter set in early 2025, progress was halted until the spring. Dan helped Ray with the deck and sauna construction. The construction was slower and more challenging than normal, because both Dan and Ray are in the 70’s, and with the sloped land, they had to build temporary decks for scaffolding. As an example, the gable for the front (west end) of the roof line is 14 feet off the deck, with another 6 feet to the ground. To bring electric power from the source to the sauna, a 225 foot long trench had to be dug. Thankfully, a small backhoe helped with that.
Finally, by the end of September, 2025, the finishing touches were being made – exterior lights installed, including a separate light on a dimmer for the cold plunge out back, safety cage around the IKI heater, installation of timer, temperature and humidity thermometer, and purchase of ladle and bucket for applying the water to the hot rocks.
We are now savoring the benefits of the sauna nearly every day of the week, and are so grateful for that ski trip that inspired us to build our own sauna, even if it did take 20 years!
Katie Van Dorn and Ray Johnson
(406) 370-9200
All photos: Katie Van Dorn
