Hell on Earth

Finland! Boom! I'd never been, and my trip there was arranged very last minute, due to correspondence from Janne Saario who had been hiding out in the woods with his Missus, kid and dog for a while. Really! Ciaran never stops yappin about Helsinki and the level of radness there, and I can now say I share his sentiments. The advantage of a local hook up makes a trip so much easier, no translating, no misreading signs, just local spots, folk and food, good times!
Helsinki has a tonne of rad spots, local guidance is pretty mandatory, but considering they're a very friendly bunch it shouldn't be too hard to arrange. Janne was fully down for filming, he picked me up from the airport and we got straight into it- this pics from the morning of the second day where he got very tech in the wetness.
This was the first spot we hit, mad slippy/sticky block where Janne proceeded to perform tricks I've never witnessed with my weary peepers.
This was such a fun little park, most obstacles there had a touch of the quirky about them, lots of little wallies, curved benches, and I even got my first taste of ripping a picnic bench without the aid of cheese sandwiches, cadet orange and a flask full of luke warm tea.
That there on the right is a fella called "Matti", an original ripper who also makes a zine complete with a mix tape- how rad is that!
"Karjalan Piirakka" Its a savory pastry thing that I found in me gob on more than wan occasion, beats a half melted double decker any day!

t'was handy not having to work out local tram systems, or language, everyone's English was par-fect and far better than manys the Bray local.
Mean grill yo', this is probably the angriest you'll see a Fin, mellowest people I've ever encountered.
Janne: frontside child balance. His kid Tuure is so rad! He cries when da takes away the board or his wellies. His hobbies include covering himself in apple juice when Ma & Da aren't looking, break dancing (especially head spins) and washing his face in the dog's bowl. Such a fun happy kid!
Janne is studying landscape architecture, this is his most notable creation- "micropolis". Its packed to the brim with madness & radness, but actually doesn't have that synthetic park feeling. You just keeping pushing around and can hit about 20 things in wan line. I almost cried when Da made us leave.
Thanks a million to Janne, Essi, Tuure and Jesper for making me feel so welcome in their home and filling me with fine Finnish food. Janne ripped so so so hard, I've never even thought of some of the tricks he did, let alone seen them, and I was stoked I got the opportunity to film them, can't wait for the results back from the lab!