Winters in Helsinki can vary considerably. Last winter, 44,593 loads of snow were transported to snow collection points in the city, compared with around 96,000 the previous winter. In peak winters, the number of loads has exceeded 300,000. Stara is once again preparing for snow, ice and rapidly changing weather conditions, while challenging Helsinki residents to guess when the snowploughs will be needed for the first time this winter.
In Stara’s traditional First Snow Contest, participants guess the date on which Stara’s snowploughs will set out to clear the snow in the areas south of Ring 1 where Stara operates. A set of cross-country skis of the winner’s choice will be raffled off amongst those who guessed the correct date.
Winter challenges cannot be predicted by the amount of snow
In Helsinki, it is essential for winter maintenance to be prepared for rapid changes in the weather. A consistently cold, frosty winter requires a different approach to a mild winter, when the snow alternately melts and freezes again.
“The overall difficulty of winter maintenance is not determined solely by the amount of snow. Even a winter with little snow can be a challenge if temperatures fluctuate around zero and the streets repeatedly freeze over,” says Pyry Pennanen, director of the urban infrastructure maintenance unit.
“We need to be prepared for very different kinds of winters. In a winter with heavy snowfall, the focus is on snow ploughing and snow removal; in a milder winter, the focus is on preventing slippery conditions.”
During heavy snowfall, residential streets are ploughed only after the main roads and public transport routes have been cleared. As fresh snow continues to fall, snow removal on residential streets further away from busy streets will inevitably be delayed.
Stara maintains around half of Helsinki’s streets and green spaces, while private contractors maintain the other half. Stara is responsible for the most challenging snow removal work in the city centre, where the streets are narrow and packed with parked cars.
First snowflakes do not make first snow
In the Stara contest, first snow does not refer to the first few snowflakes or sleet that settles briefly on the ground. The actual first snow day is when all of Stara’s maintenance districts have to start snow removal. Snow needs to be ploughed when a layer of unmelted snow about five centimetres thick has accumulated on the ground.
How to participate:
- Guess the date by 20 November 2026.
- A set of cross-country skis of the winner’s choice will be raffled off amongst those who guessed the correct date.
- If the first snow falls before the deadline for responses, responses received no later than the day before the snowfall will be accepted.
- If you submit more than one guess, only the first one will be taken into account.