When we traveled to the Helsinki HELride a few weeks ago, we certainly were not expecting to find the kind of skate community that we did. We were anticipating a few classic Euro plazas and a handful of random crews of kids still trying to figure it out. As soon as we got to the capital city we found out we were completely wrong. Finland’s skaters can hold their own against the rest of Europe and definitely could give any other city in the continent a run for its money.
Just to give you a taste of what kinds of skaters Finland has to offer, both Jaakko Ojanen and Eetu Toropainen were born and raised there. Over the past few years, they both managed to get the attention of big sponsors: Jaakko turned pro, and the Finnish duo dropped a split video part. All of their efforts, along with the rest of the Finland skate scene, have made Helsinki a bit of a destination for Euro skate trips.
During our downtime from the contest, the boys gave us an impromptu tour and demo at spots all across the city that would shit on every guided tour your grandparents went on after retirement.
Related Posts
-
JENKEM LABS EP. 1 – WHAT’S THE FASTEST SKATEBOARD BEARING?
Welcome to our newest video segment where we investigate skateboarding's biggest mysteries and do other fucked up shit, too.
-
WATCH JOSH KALIS REFILM HIS ICONIC 360 FLIP AT LOVE 20 YEARS LATER
Brian Panebianco documented Josh Kalis as he redid his 360 flip over a trash can.
-
A QUICK CHAT WITH GRANT AND TREVOR ABOUT WKND’S NEWEST VIDEO “STREET FIGHTERS 2”
The team manages to grow but still maintains that authentic family vibe.
-
VICE’S TAJI AMEEN REVISITS HIS SKATE PAST
We met up with Taji and his old friend Billy to skate, catch up, and reminisce on Taji's skate past.
-
WATCH NEW YORKERS TRY THE NEW JENKEM SAUCE™
To see just how authentic the flavors are in our new Popeyes sauce, we hit the streets of Manhattan to give real New Yorkers a taste.
-
SKATING AROUND NEW YORK’S FINANCIAL DISTRICT WITH CLIVE DIXON
It's rare to have a handrail skater in NYC.
-
CHECKING OUT THE HISTORIC SPOTS OF VIENNA, AUSTRIA
Remember, just because it isn't tagged every other day on IG doesn't mean it isn't worth checking out!
-
“PARTS” WITH ARIN
Since Arin is a new face in the larger skate world, we wanted to pick her brain to see what parts she's watching.
Comments
Popular
-
MY EXPERIENCES IN SKATEBOARDING
"I've been terrified of garnering the reputation of 'ramp-tramp' or 'pro-ho' just from spending time with skaters."
-
WHAT WOULD MAKE SKATERS DITCH THE BIG SHOE BRANDS?
We asked younger skaters how small shoe brands could win back their business from the big budget behemoths.
-
A SERIOUS REVIEW OF MARK SUCIU’S SERIOUS “VERSO”
Verso asks that we pay it a kind of attention many of us automatically do not. Knowing this, we choose to either look more closely or let it pass before our eyes the way the rest of skating does.
-
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH ILLEGAL CIV?
The Illegal Civ stuff feels like an ongoing soap opera, so to air out any confusion we talked to a few key characters.
-
UNDERSTANDING THE NEAL HENDRIX ALLEGATIONS & POWER DYNAMICS IN SKATEBOARDING
How can skateboarders within the industry do a better job of keeping each other in check?
August 3, 2022 2:51 pm
YES!!!!
August 3, 2022 10:38 pm
Love this crew!