The mountain Norway tried to give away

In 2015 and 2016, a retired Norwegian geodesist called Bjørn Geirr Harsson, then 76, started a Facebook campaign called "Halti as an anniversary gift". He'd had the idea decades earlier while surveying the mountain.

The proposal: move the border roughly 150 m north and 200 m east, transferring about 0.015 square kilometres of Norway to Finland, which would give Finland a genuine summit at 1,331 m as a present for its 100th anniversary of independence in December 2017.

The campaign got serious traction, thousands of supporters, and international coverage. It was never implemented. Norwegian constitutional rules around ceding territory made it far more complicated than a gesture.

So Finland's highest point remains a slope, by 7 metres and a treaty from 1734.

In Nordic terms this puts Finland fourth: Norway 2,469 m, Iceland 2,110 m, Sweden 2,097 m, Finland 1,324 m, Denmark 171 m.

How to reach Halti

There is no easy way, and that's the point of it. This is one of the most remote national high points in Europe.

On foot from Kilpisjärvi. Around 55 km each way from Kilpisjärvi via Saana, through the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area. A multi-day trek, typically 4 to 7 days return, with wilderness huts along the way. This is the classic approach and the one I originally planned as a seven-day cross-country ski tour.

From Birtavarre, Norway. The shorter option. A summer-only road runs to the car park at Guolasjávri (750 m), and the trail climbs steeply from there. Marking can be hard to follow in places.

By snowmobile in winter, from Kilpisjärvi. 110 km out and back, roughly 6 hours with stops.

Phone coverage is poor to non-existent. Carry a printed map, whichever way you go.

What the snowmobile route is actually like

I'd read that it's the hardest snowmobile track in Finland and assumed that was marketing. It isn't.

The weather decides, not you. Our first attempt was cancelled the day before. Kilpisjärvi itself looked fine; the guide phoned to say wind gusts in the mountains made it unsafe. On a day we did go out on skis we turned back because the mountain we were looking at had simply vanished into white. Build spare days into the trip.

It's far more physical than it looks. You steer with your body weight, not the handlebars, and you lean constantly. After about 15 km on my first attempt my forearms and shoulders were wrecked for the following two or three days.

Sport mode is a lot. It gives the machine full torque, it jerks, and it goes fast. Fine if you know what you're doing. Not what you want under you the first time on a bumpy section.

You will probably fall over. We went down once at around 3 km/h, leaning sideways in slow motion, and it was entirely undramatic. That's normal.

You need a driving licence and no prior snowmobile experience, and a good guide will brief you for about fifteen minutes and then take you through S-turns on a frozen lake before anything harder. Ours was Olli, with Kilpis Safari, and he was excellent.

Stops along the way include the Three-Country Cairn, where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet, and a frozen waterfall off the main track, which means genuine backcountry riding rather than following a groomed line.

Time at the top is short. We had maybe ten minutes before the weather closed in. Sign the book, look around, go.

Does it count if you didn't walk?

A local asked me this directly at the end of the trip: did I count Halti, given I hadn't climbed it on foot?

My honest answer: yes. It was a genuine challenge, I tried something I was frightened of and didn't think I could do, and I drove a section of it myself on the hardest track in the country when every part of me wanted to stay a passenger.

But it doesn't mean I won't come back on foot. Both things are true.

If you're asking the same question about your own trip, the answer is probably whatever makes you keep going outside.

A note

This peak was for my grandfather, who had early onset Alzheimer's and died in a snowmobile accident. As a kid in Canada I'd sit on the skidoo with my hands on the handlebars while he did the actual steering.

Doing this one by snowmobile wasn't the plan. It ended up being the right way to do it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest point in Finland?

A point 1,324 m above sea level on Halti, in the Käsivarsi Wilderness Area in Enontekiö, Lapland. It's marked by a yellow border cairn.

Is Halti the highest mountain in Finland?

Not exactly. The summit of the Halti massif, Ráisduottarháldi at 1,365 m, is in Norway. Finland's highest point is a spur of it. The highest mountain with its summit entirely in Finland is Ridnitšohkka at 1,316 m.

Why isn't the summit in Finland?

The border derives from a 1734 treaty between Sweden and Denmark, which described the boundary only by large natural features. Commissioners placed markers where convenient and the border was drawn as straight lines between them.

Did Norway really try to give Finland a mountain?

Yes. A campaign led by retired geodesist Bjørn Geirr Harsson proposed moving the border about 150 m north and 200 m east, giving Finland a 1,331 m summit for its centenary in 2017. It gained wide support but was never implemented.

How do you get to Halti?

Around 55 km each way on foot from Kilpisjärvi, a multi-day trek. A shorter route runs from Birtavarre in Norway via a summer-only road to Guolasjávri. In winter, by guided snowmobile.

How long does it take to hike to Halti?

Typically 4 to 7 days return from Kilpisjärvi, using wilderness huts.

Can you snowmobile to Halti?

Yes, with a guide from Kilpisjärvi. It's 110 km out and back, around 6 hours, and it's regarded as the hardest snowmobile track in Finland.

Do you need experience to snowmobile to Halti?

No, but you do need a driving licence and a guide. It's physically demanding and you steer by leaning. Expect sore shoulders and forearms.

Do you need a permit?

No permit or fee for access. Guided tours and equipment hire are paid.

When is the best time to go?

Summer for trekking, roughly July to September. Late winter and spring for snowmobiling. Weather can shut either down at short notice.

Is there phone signal at Halti?

Largely no. Take a printed map and don't rely on your phone.

Where does Finland rank in the Nordics?

Fourth. Norway 2,469 m, Iceland 2,110 m, Sweden 2,097 m, Finland 1,324 m, Denmark 171 m.

Peak 23 of The Peak Project: climbing the highest point in every country in Europe.