Lapping Lapland

Risto Mattila, Alley-oop 3. Ounasvaara, Finland. Photo : Huggy

Words: Tuukka Tams

The people of Finland, because of their distinct language and culture, may seem like aliens to most (or possibly robots, because of their intense and serious nature and monotone speech patterns). Many wonder why in international snowboarding competitions, Finnish riders have consistently taken the top spots, as well as filmed remarkable parts season after season. Aside from street rails, Finland’s topography has very little to offer a snowboarder, at least compared to the Alps in central Europe. How do the riders get this good? The hills in Finland are so small, they have their own word in Finnish: tunturi. The word stems from the last Ice Age, when a huge slab of ice ground the mountains of Finland down to flat land, and ever since, 4,396 feet marks the top of the highest peak in this cold country. As Finland averages just one to four feet of snow per year, it’s a miracle that Finnish riders are so good. Could it be something in the water? (Or, the vodka, perhaps?)

The Struggle Continues
Finland, for those who don’t know, is about the size of California. It’s located in northern Europe, crushed between Sweden and Russia—two nations that have never been easy on the Finns. They were conquered by Sweden during the twelfth century, and the Swedes proceeded to turn the Finnish heathens into Christians. Around this same time, Russia became interested in the “green gold” of its forests, and this tiny nation eventually became an autonomous part of the Russian Empire after being conquered by the Russians the nineteenth century.

Shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution ended in Russia in 1917, it became clear to the Finns that their land should be a republic, so Finland declared its independence. This, however, led to civil war, and the country was torn in two. The Finnish Civil War was violent, bloody, and won by the non-socialist valkoiset, otherwise known as the Whites. The hardest part loomed in the near future, though—the beginning of World War II—which forced the Finnish people to forget their differences very quickly. Both Nazi Germany and Communist Russia set out to conquer Finland, and despite much brutality by all sides, the tiny Nordic country was able to defend its sovereignty.

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So the question is, how could this small country of only five million inhabitants who speak their own strange language, have violent drinking habits, and names no one knows how to spell, survive repeated misfortune and struggle and still rise to become a leading nation in several fields? Every Finn knows the answer—sisu.

Hard Working and Hard Winters
Because of its location in the Northern Hemisphere, Finland is as dark as death metal during the winter. But when spring arrives, the sun shines around the clock right through the summer. Come the end of April, you can ride at 10pm like it’s mid-day, and—unlike southern Finland—Lapland is also snowy; it’s no wonder that nearly every Finnish rider gathers there in the spring.

One of the only rails hit on this trip, Humpy,Ounasvaara, Finland. Photo: Huggy

For years now, Lapland snowboarders have been building remarkably big hips and jumps that have become familiar parts of modern-day films and magazines. Riders, filmers, and photographers go there to get their last shots of the season, despite knowing how busy it gets. Just name a Finnish freestyle icon, and they will most likely be there. Still, shaping jumps isn’t a profession in Finland, so whether you’re a pro or a rookie, you have to shovel. In Finland, building kickers can take days of back-breaking labor, and riders get frustrated waking up every morning to see the work that lies ahead of them before they can shred.

A Finn Doesn’t Speak or Kiss
This trip had gotten quite stressful; time was running out to get the best tricks on film from a kicker that has grown every year, and now stands nearly 100 feet high. After four days of shaping, it felt like this could have been the day. The most enthusiastic riders were ready to hit it, but forced to wait, and filmers were hoping to get a night shoot. So again, more waiting.

No wonder it was Antti Autti that came straight from the bushes to test the jump with a huge, smooth backside 360, and then the beast was loose. All of a sudden, dozens of riders were waiting for their turn to hit the jump; the atmosphere was similar to practice before a contest—the subjects looking at each other’s tricks with suspense, thinking about speed, and what could be done on such a giant feature. The riders weren’t taking any risks, though—they knew there was still one day left to shoot, so they were doing simple, smooth tricks for photographers that night, and filmed the stunts later on. Some would call it calculation; others, a good work ethic.

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The next day of shooting began, and bets were high but conditions poor, as hard riding during the previous session and slushy snow made the run-in difficult. Still, this may have been the last chance on the jump, and everyone wanted to be the hero. Each year there is a standout rider, and this year would be no exception—Antti Autti and Antti-Juhani “Naku” Piirainen rode smooth with good tweaks, but it was young Peetu Piiroinen who was the king of pop that day. However, in true Finnish form, he didn’t show emotion (the same way he didn’t when he got an enormous speeding ticket and lost his driver’s license on his way up to Lapland). There’s a saying in Finland that “a Finn doesn’t speak or kiss”; I don’t know about Peetu’s kissing, but he couldn’t have been accused of being too chatty.

As one jump was shot, another was being built. It was smaller, but what made it special is that it could be viewed from the gondola, which is rare in Finland. What is even rarer is that the gondola the jump is viewed from is a sauna gondola, generally reserved for VIPs (including the Seinfeld of Finland, Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, who just happened to be taking a ride in it that day). When our work was done, we headed straight to the market to get some après beers, wishing we were in that sauna gondola.

The last day of shooting is often hectic, and the next morning definitely felt that way. Riders were walking around like senior citizens, but after two full days of shredding around the clock, it’s no wonder everyone was exhausted. There were also some wind gusts which weren’t making the conditions any more cooperative, but some riders like Naku still wanted to stay and get more footage. Sometimes, though, the worst happens to the best, and that was what Naku learned that day—he took too much speed into the kicker, a wind gust got him sideways in the air, and he flew straight over the whole jump. As he was checked into the emergency room, he didn’t feel the pain of his snapped collarbone poking through his skin, and he didn’t get himself a driver after he left the hospital. Instead, he drove himself the six hundred miles back home: He’s definitely got sisu. Sisu means courage, buoyancy, strength, and perseverance, and is a Finnish national trait.

Mile high methods, Antti Autti. Ounasvaara, Finland. Photo: Huggy

Santa Claus Kicker
There is an exception to the rule about Finns not showing emotion—they sure do talk if a bottle is open! Drinking isn’t an every-day habit, but when Finns drink, they drink a lot. It doesn’t matter if it’s for joy or sorrow; according to Homer Simpson, in Finland, drinking is truly “the cause and the solution to all the world’s problems.” Yet Finns are hard workers, they leave nothing undone, and they always place work before pleasure. Hip sessions at Rovaniemi were a perfect example: Rovaniemi is the center city of Finnish Lapland that has produced two famous people in the world—Antti Autti and Santa Claus. Yes, Santa Claus lives there, although every part of the world tries to call him theirs; and we have evidence of this—he has a workshop at Rovaniemi where millions of people send their wishes every Christmas, and you can visit him if he’s not too busy making presents. The city also has a small resort where Antti used to learn his tricks. Rovaniemi has more bars per capita than any other city in Europe, so temptations were high for our troops.

The evening continued and phones were ringing with appealing invitations, but when you put Antti and Risto Mattila on a hill, they won’t stop until they’re satisfied. The two of them had already put in weeks of riding from morning ’til night, but still found the energy to ride hard until 11pm. That was when the beer bottles were cracked and night-time began to call. Unfortunately, the heavy Finnish drinking has its downside, too—people get awfully violent with alcohol in their systems, but they’re young and foolish, so we let them have their crazy times.

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Saunas and salmiakki, a salty licorice especially enjoyed in Finland, are the things Finns long for when they’re abroad. In saunas, they have washed away their sins for hundreds of years. Almost every apartment has a sauna; it’s where nights begin and weeks end. After a day of riding in Lapland, the sauna is heated up and enjoyed.

Captain Sisu
For years, there has been an event called Wappulounas, which gathers all Finnish riders to session in a chill environment and (of course) party day and night. It’s a festival of snowboarding not seen anywhere else in the world—pros and amateurs party side-by-side, cheering themselves into better performances and enjoying the sun that never sets. Yet Wappulounas is a celebration of both shredding and sisu. If a person has sisu, anything is possible. I’m afraid, however, that only Finns can have true sisu—it’s part of their national identity. Sisu has carried Finland through some hard times, and with it, huge accomplishments. All that fighting and struggling can become monotonous, but Finns know how to deal with it. Wappulounas is a great antidote after a long, cold winter—a well deserved season-ending party.

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