Multiwavelength lidar measurements carried out in Sodankyl¿ (Finland, 66¿N) during EASOE campaign showed high cirrus clouds growing at the base or within Pinatubo aerosol layer. The temperature was generally below -35¿ C. The mean peak depolarization at 532 nm for all the campaign was 28%, comparable to the values measured in polar cirrus clouds, observed in Dumont d'Urville (Antarctica, 62¿S) during 1989, well before the Pinatubo eruption. Optical depth at 532 nm was smaller than 0.3 (thin cirrus). A wavelength dependency was observed in EASOE cirrus backscattering, suggesting a major presence of submicron and micron-sized particles. Such a presence could explain the low depolarization values. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1994