Ylläs is the reason Äkäslompolo works as more than a quiet Lapland village. The north-side ski area is a few kilometres from the centre, with downhill slopes on the fell and a large web of cross-country tracks running through the forests.
In summer the same landscape shifts to hiking and mountain biking. The fell is rounded rather than dramatic, but the open top gives the kind of broad Lapland view that makes the distance north feel worth it.