Our Outdoor Guides & Team - Adventure By Design

Meet our Outdoor Guides & Team

Adventure by Design provides custom tours and adventure packages throughout the northern regions in Finland, Norway and Sweden. Whether you are in search of outdoor adventure, a taste of Lapland winter magic or a road trip for your family, we can create a unique and memorable holiday tailored specifically for you. All tours encourage human powered movement and foster reconnection with the natural environment and your own mind and wellbeing. We work with a network or locally owned companies where possible and believe in providing a high level of service and professionalism.

Your Guide - Gareth Hutton

I am originally from the South Island of New Zealand and am a professionally trained outdoor instructor and guide, working with groups in the outdoors for almost 10 years. I initially came to Finland in search of adventure at the beginning of 2011, fell in love with the country, the winter, and met a wonderful woman who is now my wife.

I have worked as a guide leading both husky and snowmobile safaris, provided overnight snowshoe trips, been contracted by a number of companies, including Canon Japan, to provide tailored guide services, as well as helped a hundred or so people photograph the elusive northern lights. I am also a passionate photographer with a love for black and white photography, landscapes and of course the northern lights.

I love being in the great outdoors and since starting Adventure by Design in 2012, I have been fortunate enough to have met some wonderful people and have had the pleasure of showing them this wonderful country I now call home. I look forward to meeting you on one of my tours or designing something special just for you.

I am certified as Wilderness First Responder, an official guide for the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park and am also a certificated wellness coach and personal trainer.

Your guide - Elina Hutton

Finland is my home country, and despite I wasn’t born in Kilpisjärvi, it’s the place where I have always felt at home. It’s also the place where I found the love of my life, but that is a story that you’ll hear once you visit us, so I wont tell it now.

As a little girl, I watched David Attenborough documentaries and read biographies and stories about Polar Explorers. I skied on the frozen river behind my grandparent’s house, pulling my toboggan, pretending to go to the North Pole. Later I traveled around the world, studied a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences and got myself a nice career in an office. For a large part of my career, I have been working in tourism development, pretty much at all the possible levels from hotel cleaner and snowmobile guide to management and regional development. Currently, I’m studying a PhD in nature tourism at the University of Lapland.

My favourite way of spending time off from the office is go skiing on the fells around our home village, still often (secretly) pretending to ski to the North Pole. Hiking, cycling, kayaking, their all fun too, but skiing is my thing.

My role in the company is that of so many spouses of solo entrepreneurs – I do anything what is needed, when needed. Life through us a little surprise in a shape of a cancer, which was diagnosed in 2014. At the aftermaths of that, I studied to become a mindfulness instructor. Mindfulness helped me a lot along the way, so I wanted to be able to pass on the joy. In the future, I will arrange mindfulness retreats in Kilpisjärvi.

Your guide - Amanda Bernhardsson

“My name is Amanda, and I’m from the middle of Sweden, around 1000 km south of where I’m living at the moment. But even if it’s a little more south, I’m still used to the fells, open areas of wilderness and the not so warm weather (both in summer and winter). I have always enjoyed being outdoors, especially with a nice company and “Fika”. (Fika = food you take with you and eat outdoors, or coffee and something sweet).

I have been working in the tourist-section since I graduated “High school”, especially in restaurants. I thought it was time to spend more time to be outdoor, so I study to become a Wilderness guide in Åre, Sweden. It was a good decision, and I enjoy bringing people outdoors. Especially who are not used to being in these conditions, and give them a fun and memorable time in the north of Scandinavia.

Otherwise, I enjoy spending time bouldering, photographing, yoga, going downhill with my backcountry skis, see and try new things, and the best, sleeping outdoors in a good sleeping bag.

Fun fact, I’m trying to learn the animal “turtle” in every language in the world. So if you speak another language than English, please teach me. At the moment I know it in 20 different languages, but it’s still plenty more to go!”

Do you want to become an Adventure by Design guide?

We are recruiting interns for the summer 2020 and winter 2021 seasons. We offer free accommodation in our cozy caravan, training with Gareth and a great variety of tasks. Send us an email and tell us about yourself and your objects for the internship and why you’d like to do your internship with us and in Kilpisjärvi. A photography portfolio would be great too, for example Flicker or Instagram link.

This is a great opportunity for students in the outdoor field. You will need to have at least basic outdoor skills, speak fluent English (Finnish and German are great bonuses), have a driving license – and if you want to do your internship in wintertime, you need to have some experience on winter conditions already.

You must be enrolled in an outdoor education, wilderness guide or similar course. If you are not Finnish, you need to have study and / or work visa in Finland.

Minimum stay is 4 weeks, internship is unpaid. There’s always the possibility we’ll hire you afterwards! We’re also open to discuss the possibility of a long-term apprentice programme (oppisopimuskoulutus).