Hiipinä

Hiipinä (Russ. Хибино, form. Kirovsk) is a Uralican city in southern Sapmi county, a short (22 kilometre) drive up Highway UH-28 from Apatity. Unlike its much larger neighbour to the southwest, Hiipinä is largely residential, and is also something of a resort city, one of few in Uralica. The name itself is derived from the massif on whose foothills it sits, the Khibiny Massif (Finn. Hiipinätunturit).

Founded in 1929 as Khibinogorsk, the city was renamed Kirovsk in 1934 upon attaining city status, then Hiipinä in late 2009 after being annexed by Uralica.

Its original purpose was much the same as that of Apatity - the mining and processing of apatites and nepheline - but it has since become more diverse in its industry, especially with the rise of its status as a ski resort city, which has led to two ski goods factories opening up on the outskirts of town. Furniture-making and food production also have footholds.

Culture
The demographics took a massive shift starting in early 2009 - where before, almost the entire population was Russian, now, the number of Russians and the number of Finns is near equal. There are still slightly fewer Finns, though. There are also some Saami and Karelians in the city.

The city is best known as a ski resort nowadays, with both Alpine and Nordic skiing partaken in at this location. It is perhaps the most anticipated spot on the UNSC rotation for this reason as it is the only location in Uralica that offers both the skiing and the ski-jumping aspects of Nordic skiing.

However, besides skiing, there is also a booming arts sector within the city itself. Souvenirs, trinkets, and wares of all sorts are available, with ethnic handicrafts ranging from Russian to Finnish, to local Saami works. Other sports are also practiced with great enthusiasm during the summer, such as mountain-climbing, paragliding, mountain biking, and such. Hiking is popular in the area year-round. Finally, in the downtown square, there is an ice-sculpting competition on a yearly basis. 2006 was the only year in which it was missed.

Hiipinä has the quirky distinction of having the most northerly botanical garden in the Former Soviet Union area. Other buildings of note include a historical museum and the Christian Sport Ski Factory, which offers tours almost year-round (it closes in July and August in this regard).