Ylläs
The last few days I have been in the north of Finnish to celebrate Easter with the family. I had a great time with good food, good company and lots of training. Early every morning I went out with my cousin, who is a member of Finland’s junior national team, and my uncle for race training. After that I usually took a nap before I enjoyed a couple hours of cross-country skiing before it was time for the gym in the evening.
Imagine going up the mountain with the sunrise and skiing perfect snow (this means rock hard when talking racing) in totally empty slopes – at least in my world that is escapism. But the best thing about this ski area is not the skiing down perfect pistes, but the cross-country skiing. In Finland they have not made cross country tracks just for going around a certain distance – no here they have built huts spread out in the wilderness that will stand as goals in them selves for your little excursion. So a long training day includes passing by plenty of these huts and when you have a sugar low you just make a pit stop for a couple of doughnuts and energy drinks.
Of course I had to meet up with the Finnish ski posse for a night at Bar Kaapi, the no1 ski bar in Ylläs. Beer, pastis, good music and cool sincere people hanging out while the Finnish wilderness is resting outside the windows chasing away the darkness making room for the soon to come midnight sun.
Nathalie "lilli" Brännkärr my cousin
The mountain at 7 o clock
Lilli again
Bar Kaapi's co owner Jari Ikkilä in front of a photo of me on the wall, just next to Seth's and Glen's
Great ambiance at Bar Kaapi
And then Queens...
...and hunks at Taiga
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