Five Generations on the Same Land
Karu Lodge is a family business and also a part of our own family history. This land and the business connected to it have been passed down through our family for five generations. Each era has left its own mark on this place – and now we are building the next chapter of Karu Lodge together with a new generation.
Karu Lodge is a fifth-generation family business. The place was formerly known as Perhe-Luosto, but the name Karu Lodge has been with us for many years.
The first generations worked these lands through forestry, and the first building was constructed here more than 50 years ago. In the 1990s, tourism began to develop at the foot of Yli-Luosto Fell. Roads, a ski lift and downhill slopes were built on the fell, an old logging cabin was moved to the area, and later the traditional smoke sauna Susi and the pond were added.
Over the decades, the business has evolved along with tourism. New activities have grown alongside or replaced earlier ones, but the same fell, forests and surroundings have remained at the heart of everything. Each generation has been able to look at this familiar place from its own perspective and bring in new ideas, skills and ways of doing things.
Now we are once again entering a new chapter, as the fifth generation has joined the family business with its own strengths. It brings fresh energy, courage and new ways of seeing possibilities in a landscape that has been part of our family for generations.
At the heart of it all, however, the same things remain: peace, closeness to nature, the fell, old-growth forests, silence, darkness and the star-filled sky. These are the things we want to preserve as Karu Lodge continues to evolve and grow with the next generation.
The Story Behind the Name
The name Karu Lodge was born on a bright summer night in 2020. I had been searching for the right name for the business for a long time, but nothing felt quite right. After walking on Yli-Luosto Fell beneath the Midnight Sun, I spent the night in the smoke sauna’s fireplace room. When I woke up the next morning, the first word that came to mind was Karu.
When we began exploring the meanings of the word in different languages, we came across light and invitation. At that moment, I knew the name had been found. Although karu means something quite different in Finnish, the name immediately felt right and perfectly suited to this place.
