Dinner on Ice
An experience for all the senses. Snow white landscape in the midwinter darkness. Candelabra, linen tablecloths, a crackling fire and a three-course gourmet meal. All on ice. Literally. Because we are out on the Gulf of Bothnia. Knowing the sea is below us gives the dinner a new dimension.
The snow crunches under your shoes when you walk out onto the ice. In the distance you hear the evocative sound of Sámi juoiggos song. Follow the 300-metre avenue of flares, but take the time to stop to gaze at the star-studded sky, and with luck, the Northern Lights. Once at the lávvu tent, you will be received with a warm welcoming drink and information about the evening’s experience.
To sit on, there are benches clad in reindeer skins along the beautifully set tables. Drinks are being chilled in a hole in the ice – which is the floor. It is below zero in the tent. Your breath steams, but in the purpose-made winter clothing you have borrowed from us, you can positively enjoy the exotic cold. The only sources of light in the dark winter evening are fire and paraffin lamps, and the floor is glistening ice. On the menu, Northern ingredients such as salmon, reindeer meat and bilberries. This will be a dinner to talk about… over and over.
Facts
ADVANCE BOOKINGS
We cater for groups of 20-200
Season: Nature has the last word, but from around 10 January to the beginning of April.
Duration: The dinner event is for three hours.
Location: Brändön, 20 km north of Luleå.
Transfer: Car, charter coach or taxi. May be booked separately or when booking Dinner on Ice.
PACKAGE
Price includes: Winter gear (clothing, footwear), avenue of flares, welcoming ceremony with warm drink, tent with natural lighting without visible electricity, beautiful table settings and exotic setting, three course dinner, WC shuttle.
Options: Drinks package adapted to the menu. Other options include Sámi juoiggos song on arrival, entertainment during the dinner, your logo sculpted in ice. We will be pleased to customise options according to your wishes.
CLOTHING
We lend you all necessary winter gear and deliver it in advance to your hotel or other location at extra cost.
WC
Our guide drives the WC shuttle – a snowmobile with sled – to the main building on land whenever somebody rings the brass bell outside the tent.
More activities
Packice adventure on snowmobile
In the outermost Archipelago, where open sea begins, the ice is compressed and forms fantastic big works of art. A whole-day safari allows you to experience the thrills of the ice landscape.
The adventure begins in the morning with an information meeting and safety run-through. Equipment is shared out and the group climb into snowmobile zip suits, boots, helmets and other equipment needed to enjoy the winter weather. After instructions in snowmobile driving, we set off on the ice in convoy. On the way we stop for refreshments, a cup of coffee or warm squash, before we move on. We pass the open channel made by icebreakers for shipping; we see lighthouses, fishing villages and an old shipwreck jutting up through the ice. Our destination is the big pack ice formations furthest out, at Brändöskär Island. Once there, we make a fire, cook a wilderness lunch and brew cowboy coffee over the fire. We take a walk on the ice, admiring the Nature’s art – the pack ice – and visit the fishing village on Brändöskär Island, where we can look inside a cabin and the chapel.
Nordic winter school
The day begins at Camp Brändön with an information meeting at which the group can learn how to dress and protect themselves from the cold. When everyone has their equipment and has changed into warm winter clothing, we set off on our snow shoes, out into the forest around Brändön. The experienced guide tells us colourful but true stories along the way, leading the group through adventures and instructive observations.
The group can learn to make a fire in the snow and boil coffee and tea over an open fire. The guide tells us about life in the wild in this northerly landscape. At lunchtime, we arrive at the site where we will cook lunch together – a typical outdoor lunch. The group sits on reindeer skins on the snow, enjoying the warm food, the fire and the beautiful winter landscape. Then we set off back to Camp Brändön.
Winter equipment is supplied.
Dogsledding
The group is equipped with warm winter clothing which we supply, then it is time for a stunning, unforgettable adrenalin rush. The dogs are eager to get started, they love running. When the dog team get the order to head onto the ice, they really move. The strength of the dogs and their enthusiasm are impressive. All that can be heard is the dogs’ paws on the snow and the hiss of the sled runners. The silence around us is part of the nature experience.
SOME EXAMPLES FROM OUR RANGE:
Short try-out tour: suitable for large groups as part of an entire event. One or more dog sleds drive a short stretch so that everybody in the group can try this exotic means of transport during the day or the evening.
Snowmobile/dogsledding combination: half day activity. One half of the group begins with a snowmobile safari to our destination, while the other half takes a dogsled on another route to the same destination. There, we prepare wilderness lunch together, and boil coffee over an open fire. To travel home, we swap the means of transport so that everybody gets to try both snowmobile and dogsled.
