Russian inline skaters in Finland
(September 2002)

In September 2002, two inline skaters from St.Petersburg visited Finland for short skate touring. See below our photo report.

Introduction

It was my first inline experience in Finland. And for my friend (Misha Koshelev) too. Some years ago I became acquainted with Alex Puolokainen who lives in Finland last 10 years, but was born in Russia. One of his main hobbies is inline skating. Alex is an active member of Finnish Katukiitajat (www.katukiitajat.fi ) Inline Club which is located in Helsinki (capital of Finland).

Alex regularly invited me to Finland for inline skating. And finally I made a right decision.

September 27, 2002 - Arrival day (Helsinki)

We arrived to Helsinki in the morning.

Rocks on roads. They are so frequent in Finland. And very scenic. While constructing roads and buildings, in many cases blasting operations are needed.

Hotel Finnapartments Fenno where Alex works as a manager. We had a perfect lunch here and skated to the city.

In the local port. Behind Misha there is a huge ferry which can transport you to Sweden and back.

Small bathyscaphe?

Helsinki specific building. By the way, you can find many similar designs in St.Petersburg as well.

A swan family. Parents are white, and their children are grey.

Boat frames. In Helsinki, there are many famous shipyards.

Post industrial cows.

September 28, 2002 - Espoo skating

Espoo is the 2nd city in Finland by its population. And very distributed one. Its districts are spread as a set of small villages.

Specialized shop of tractors, bulldozers and excavators.

Misha and Helen Savolainen, just before skating. Helen is born in St.Petersburg, but now she lives in Finland and works as a teacher. She loves to skate, and frequently takes part in inline trips organized by Katukiitajat.

I follow Helen's explanations of our further skate routes. This day she is our marshal.

Skating bike paths. They are almost everywhere in Finland. From time to time, we met some skaters and cyclists (even in horizontal position).

No-skates sign. You can often find these in Finland.

Skating around Espoo. Very unusual scooters.

Helipad in front of Nokia Headquarters. Perfect place to workout (especially, crossover).

Skating a rock near Baltic sea. A little bit aggressive manner.

Skating back - as usual by bike paths. Finland is a hilly country, so we were downhilling too.

September 29, 2002 -Skating from Espoo to Helsinki

This day we decided to skate without local guides from Espoo to Helsinki (about 20 km). Misha looks to his map and analyses our route. I also tried to participate in decision-making procedure, but hopefully Misha did not pay a serious attention to my ideas. As a result, we never were lost!

Skating near railway station. We do not need it. Weather is excellent, and we skate to the capital.

We reached Helsinki and found a small lap with interesting downhill features. Look to these autumn colors!

Olympic Stadium.

Skating down a hill - no asphalt!

Helsinki News House

Unusual hedge

Lutheran Cathedral and Alexander II monument.

Great car! This is so called Volga (old Soviet car) used by a local tour agency to advertise different tours to Russia.

Soldier near one of Government Offices.

September 30, 2002 - Skating to Serena Aquapark

Serena is one of biggest aquaparks in Europe. We decided to skate there (about 25 km from Espoo).

Skating age telamon.

As usual, we skated through bike paths. If necessary, crossed roads via dedicated tunnels.

In the background, you can see the Serena aquapark. In the foreground there is a big hill with a special trail. Not for skating!

Internal view of aquapark. There are many water hills and pools. Plus, different saunas. After skating, we had a very good rest.

Small animal. Very mobile! Outside aquapark : )).

Conclusion

We spent 4 full skating days in Finland. Strictly speaking, in Helsinki, Espoo and their suburbs. Perfect area for skating. Various bike paths and very good sidewalks in both cities. Beatiful scenery. We were lucky with a weather. Our skates were never interrupted by rain.

Unfortunately, this time we did not skate together with other local inline club members, who took part in Berlin skate maraphon. I hope we join them next time. Both for city skating and long distance touring.

Sasha and Helen, thank you very much for all your support and hospitality!

Oleg Vigodsky