Featured Image: Arttu Heikkinen | Skier: Joona Kangas
As many of us in the U.S. are itching to get back on skis, the season is already well underway in Finland. At Ruka, they’ve been open for riding since early October. They’re currently serving up a fantastic offering of features from rails to a small jump line. Located just south of Article Circle, about a four-hour drive from the country’s capital city of Helsinki, Ruka is known for hosting an annual migration of freeskiers in the fall and spring each season.
The resort’s park offerings throughout the winter are world-class, but it’s in these shoulder seasons that the culture here really shines. The operations team at Ruka has been crafting freestyle setups for 30 years, and they’ve been a key part in helping develop the Finnish freeski scene into the robust epicenter that it is today.
Because of cold temps and a clear presence of passionate skiers, Ruka has become known throughout Scandinavia as being a premier spot to hit jumps and rails before and after much of the Northern Hemisphere. But we didn’t want to speculate on what it’s like at this remote destination. No, we wanted to get the information straight from the source. That’s why we hit up one of our favorite skier/filmer duos around; Joona Kangas and Arttu Heikkinen.
Both originally from Finland, Kangas and Heikkinen were out getting clips at Ruka for several days in October. Kangas is one of the most creative and technical riders on the already-stacked K2 roster. Heikkinen is a well-established filmmaker and photographer whose work was even featured on the cover of FREESKIER Volume 25 Issue 4 three years back. We lobbed them a few questions to get a feel for what it’s like right now at this Finnish hotspot.
Thanks for talking, guys. The early-season set up at Ruka always looks fun, and this year is no exception. Is it your home resort?
Joona Kangas: No, it’s not. My home resort is Levi in Finnish Lapland. Ruka is about a four-hour drive south just below the Arctic Circle.
Arttu Heikkinen: I live pretty close to Helsinki so Talma is my home resort. It’s around a 10 hour drive to Ruka.
That’s a trek. What keeps you both coming back each year?
JK: I usually go to Ruka like once a year these days, mostly for the season-opening when there are film premieres happening and all the good homies are around. It’s a great spot early in the season, with so many great skiers gathering there and a great presence of freeski culture.
AH: The early-season park is just the best. And the homies are there. If you have the chance to go during this time of the year, I can’t recommend it enough.
When did Ruka open for skiing this year? Are there any other resorts nearby that offer a comparable experience and are open?
JK: They opened on the 4th of October, at the same time as my home resort Levi. Ruka and Levi are the two resorts in Finland that offer early-season shredding! Both are excellent, with Ruka just being more centrally located in the country.
AH: Yeah, I’d say Levi is the other best option but it’s far away.
Most people know that the Finnish freeski culture is alive and growing. It might be one of the strongest epicenters for the sport in the world. What factors make it so unique and vibrant?
JK: The early generations of Finnish freeskiers paved the way. They left a mark you can still see in the culture today, and it’s incredible to be able to carry that on. Finnish skiers do things properly, and we’re very particular. We use what we have and don’t make too much noise about it. The skiers here are just so true to it, doing it for love and always with a creative approach. Finland doesn’t have the same big mountains as other places in Europe and doesn’t get as much attention. I think this is why the skiers here are so passionate; because they do it for love and not for any other reason.
AH: We have pretty small ski resorts here with super good snowparks. You can get so many laps a day that it allows skiers to get really good in a short amount of time. And the season here at Ruka is almost eight months.
What’s your favorite feature of this early-season setup?
JK: The knuckle of the jump. So many possibilities for fun tricks!
AH: I think the jump line looks so good on video. All the features are fun, but kind of small. Because of that we usually film everything as one line, which can be tough but it’s great practice for the rest of the season.
What’s the best part of riding at Ruka?
JK: For me, the highlights are hitting the snow cannon knuckles, which really build up in November/December, and the slushy park skiing in the spring, normally April and May. The same goes for when I’m riding at Levi. Both of those are cornerstones of Finnish freeskiing. You won’t find the same type of skiing at the beginning and end of the season in many other places.
AH: I love the fact that the chairlift is so fast. One lap is only about five minutes and you can hit eight features in a run. There are not too many people riding on weekdays, so there is no rush and filming is pretty chill. The only bad thing is the weather. It can be so inconsistent this time of the year. It was snowing yesterday, but it will be 10 degrees Celsius [50 degrees Fahrenheit] in a few days.
If someone goes to ski at Ruka, what’s one thing they have to do off the hill?
JK: Bring a headlamp, go for a hike in the darkness, make a fire at a wilderness hut and watch the northern lights. There’s so much room to roam in Finland and near Ruka, you should take advantage of it if you’re out there.
AH: Be sure to hit the sauna after skiing and then head to the Bar Zone karaoke. It’s unbeatable.
Any big plans or projects for 2025 that FREESKIER readers should be paying attention to?
JK: We’re finally releasing Keesh Movie 3! Stay tuned for the premiere and release.
AH: We started the second year of filming for the new Forre project, titled “Forrever”. It’s tiring but so exciting to be working on a film for this long. I’m also working on the new Armada Skis team movie. I can’t say much about either at the moment, but both will drop next fall and are shaping up to be incredible.
We’ll keep an eye out for those! Joona, favorite ski you’ve been riding?
JK: K2 Reckoner 102, all day. It’s just the best for my style of skiing. Soft tips and stable underfoot. I love it so much!
Arttu, best camera that you love for shooting stills on the market right now?
AH: Sony A7 IV. Also love the Fujifilm xt100iv for travel photos when I’m on the move.
Best song to listen to while lapping the early-season park?
JK: [laughs] I just prefer the nature sounds, honestly.
AH: Haaveissa vainko oot mun by Riki Sorsa.
Last but not least, name one skier and one filmer you think people should be paying attention to right now.
JK: Tormod Frostad in skiing and Reid Ferguson in filming. Both are just crushing right now and I love their work.
AH: For a skier, I’ll say Jussi Pallaskivi, and the filmer is Calle Hasselblatt.
