Ski Season Opens in Southern Finland – Enthusiast: "Nowhere Else Are Conditions Like This"

The ski season in Uusimaa kicked off last week with the opening of the first ski track in Vihdin Ojakkala using preserved snow.

The first track of the Uusimaa ski season is a one-kilometer stretch in Vihti. On Monday morning, a handful of skiing enthusiasts were gliding on the tracks.

Esko Vähäsöyrinki from Vantaa traveled 47 kilometers from Martinlaakso to Vihti. \n"It glides extremely well. I’d rate it a top score, like an A+ in middle school Swedish exams," he commented.

Vähäsöyrinki is an avid skier, racking up around 6,000 kilometers annually. "It's a kind of skiing addiction. Once the season begins, there’s no way to skip the mornings," he added.

Also, Tomi Kuoppala had already skied several laps on that Monday morning. Last season, he registered an impressive 7,255 skiing kilometers.

"It’s a lifestyle. The summer is spent cycling and being outdoors. As soon as the first snow arrives, we ski until the snow runs out," Kuoppala noted.

Kuoppala believes that the skiing opportunities in Southern Finland are the best in the entire country. He skis six months a year. "Nowhere else are conditions like this. I have skied my whole life here in Southern Finland. We have incredibly well-maintained trails and hundreds of kilometers of groomed trails available."

The skiing enthusiast shared his favorite spots include the natural trails in Vantaa’s Petikko, and those in Keimola and Serena, as well as Oittaa in Espoo.

"In Espoo, they are preparing to build a snow track for Father's Day. Vantaa now boasts Finland's first Snow Factory, which is currently producing snow, and promises to have at least a small track ready for Father’s Day," he emphasized.

The ski season in Vihti opened with snow from last year that had been preserved. The main slope of the ski center was opened on Saturday with the help of the preserved snow.