Nearly 700 kilometres of ski-tracks in Greater Helsinki area

Only around 40 kilometres in use so far, as snow bides its time

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By Santtu Parkkonen
     
      On paper at least, there are hundreds of kilometres of groomed cross-country ski-tracks in the Greater Helsinki area. Depending on the weather conditions, Helsinki looks after around 220 kilometres of tracks open to the public. In Espoo, the figure is a maximum of about 200 kilometres, and Vantaa can boast 250 kilometres.
      However, all these numbers have a weather-advisory: right now, owing to the poor snow conditions along the south coast, only slightly less than 40 kilometres of the nearly 700 km of tracks are open and skiable. Most of these are not even in the immediate vicinity of the capital.
      "There is such a damned thin coating of snow in the woods that it is impossible to run the grooming machines in there", laments Kari Alajääski from the City of Helsinki's Outdoor Recreation & Sports Department.
     
The sprinkling of snow that came over the Christmas weekend did improve matters a little, but new tracks will only be opened up at the earliest this weekend or early in the New Year. Everything naturally depends on the cooperation of the weather-gods.
      "Snow is being taken up to Paloheinä all the time, in order that we can get the 2km and 3km tracks properly sorted out. The first competition is scheduled there on Saturday", explains Arvo Tossavainen, who is responsible for the upkeep of ski-tracks in the city.
      At present the Paloheinä 1.8km and 3km tracks are open, along with a 1-kilometre floodlit track in Herttoniemi and a circuit at the Luukkaa Recreation Centre, which is physically in Northern Espoo.
      At Oittaa in Espoo, close to Lake Bodom, there are two tracks open, of one kilometre and 2.7km. Every effort is being made to get the 2.7km track at the Leppävaara Stadium open as soon as possible.
     
"There is just about enough natural snow there to allow for some skate skiing. Take not-too-good skis and a sense of humour along, and you can get some kind of exercise", says Erkki Jokela from Espoo's outdoor recreation services.
      He adds that this week there is no guarantee that Espoo will be opening up any new tracks. "At least not unless we get some help from upstairs and a decent dump of natural snow."
     
In Vantaa, the only track open at present is a 3-km floodlit circuit in Hakunila.
      By far the best conditions for skiers in the Metropolitan area require a slightly longer trip out to Vihti, where the Salmi Recreational Area, just across the border from Espoo, has 3, 5, 6, and 10km tracks open. These are not lit, so an evening expedition is not recommended.
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 28.12.2005

More on this subject:
 Nearly all skating rinks in operation

Links:
  City of Helsinki Sports and Exercise
  City of Espoo: Recreation
  City of Vantaa: Kuusijärvi Outdoor Center

SANTTU PARKKONEN / Helsingin Sanomat
santtu.parkkonen@hs.fi