He’s got more miles than your dad’s Volvo and twice the style—Jartsi Heikkinen.
The land of Alvar Aalto, From Animal Chin to Cosmic Dreams: The Finnish Skate Ritual
And so the serious trip began.
After two days of heavy heat, lake dips, and forest walks to rinse off the city static, we bid farewell to our dear Jani Mäkelä and picked up Nightwood’s Kuopio connection—the legendary local ripper Jartsi Heikkinen. With Antti Lampinen in tow, the crew rolled toward Muurame.
Antti Lampinen, Slappy.
First stop: Muurame DIY indoor park, Murskaamo DIY Skeittihalli. A collective dreamland packed with pool coping, crusty curbs, and a mischievous spine/mini-ramp hybrid. Two hours flew by in a haze of grinds and gratitude, thanks to the park’s super welcoming locals.
Jartsi Heikkinen—Gray slide. Miss the sound? The roar echoed like a cathedral.
Nico, layback grind.
Antti Lampinen, smith grind.
But Nico? He couldn’t resist the call of the wild DIY.
Next stop: the old Muurame DIY. A decade ago, this place was the rebel nest of concrete-slinging visionaries. The winters haven’t been kind—the wear and tear is real—but the flow’s still magic, and the memories hit hard once again.
Jaagup Mägi, bite me, if you can …
Jartsi Heikkinen—death hole? What death hole?
And guess what? We even spotted the one and only Animal Chin. Yes, really. We were in the right place.
There’s still great fun to be found in those cracked lines and faded dreams.
He appeared in a blur of concrete dust—Animal Chin on a Brent slide grind.
Antti Lampinen—scared? Depends if you’re skating or just watching.
Jaagup Mägi, bs grind.
He was there.
Antti Lampinen—frontside grind, pure poetry on concrete.
Final stop of the day: the infamous Havimäki Ranch—a hidden heaven deep in Finland’s endless forests.
The bowl? Oh, the bowl. It was on the menu for a long, hot twilight session. And as if that wasn’t enough—boom!—Veeti Salmi, the second Finnish Nightwood rider, rolled in with some jaw-dropping wizardry.
Veeti Salmi—bringing the fire to the coping, melting point in sight.
Jaagup Mägi, laying down a Salba-esque BS carve grind, deep end domination.
We camped under the stars, tents pitched in the still forest air. And yeah—venomous snakes were slithering around. No joke.
Still, we slept smooth, filled with mythological skateboarding dreams. Cosmic serpents yesss…
The morning? A mandatory session in the upper park—legs fried, but spirits high.
And just before rolling out, Jaagup Mägi dropped one last mighty sweeper across the hip of the backyard bowl that had nearly defeated him the night before. Victory, baby.
Jaagup Mägi, feeble grind.
Time to drop this on the ‘Gram!
Sweeper on lock—Jaagup Mägi style.
Is this an Olympic breakdance qualifier? Jartsi Heikkinen’s got the moves!
Stay tuned for Part III: Tampere!
It’s only getting weirder from here.
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