Where Kekkonen jumped

Would you like to spare with Finland's legendary president Urho Kekkonen? Then you should come to Seurasaari. 

At the Southern end of the island on the side towards the center you find a flight of stairs. Those used to be the old president's fitness stairs. As part of his regular jog around the island he would always stop here and see how high he could jump. The goal was to reach the highest, the seventh step. One time he succeeded. Only with the help of the railing though. But without support he made it to the second highest one. And that even until the age of 74. Quite impressive, right?

Now it's your turn. Can you equalize Urho's score or even beat him? Give it a try. And remember, the railing doesn't count.

15th World Gymnastrada

You have probably realized that the city center is quite packed this week. Especially for July this is quite extraordinary. The reason for that is of course the 15th World Gymnastrada that is taking place here this week.

Athletes from around the world came to Helsinki to compete in various discipilines and of course to celebrate together. And you should of course not miss out on that either.

Visit the competitions, go to some of the many side events arranged around the Gymnastrada and meet people from all over the world. And be sure not to miss the closing ceremony with a festive show and surprise program accompanied by Finnish musi at the Olympic Station taking place on Saturday at 15.00.

Red Bull Crashed Ice Championship 2015

With speeds of over 60 km/h six guys racing down a winded ice course with turns, banked corners and jumps on skates, that is Ice Cross Downhill. If you'd like to see that live and in action you should come to Serena in Espoo today.

There the Red Bull Crashed Ice Championships are held today. Watch the best ice cross skaters from around the world compete for the trophy. The finals start at 18.00. Doors open already at 15.00 and the entrance to the event is free. You just have to find your way to Serena. To find out how to get their and for more information on the event check out the Serena website.

Run, Lasse, run!

Paavo Nurmi was not the only famous Finnish runner. In the 70s a new talent revived the legend of the Flying Finns: Lasse Virén

The long-distance runner from Myrskylä won four times Olympic Gold for Finland in 1972 and 1976. Today you can find a statue of him right around the corner from Paavo Nurmi at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki. But apart from that also an annual 20 kilometer run in the Sycamore Canyon in California is named after him.

Lasse Virén still a very well well-known figure in Finland and even held a seat in the Finnish Parliament twice in recent years for the Kokoomus.

If you happen to pass by the Olympic Stadium, pay the two Flying Finns Lasse and Paavo a visit.

KHL is here

You might have seen the poster already hanging all around the city. The KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) with teams from around Eastern Europe and Russia has a new member starting from this season: Jokerit.

The team, which is now also partly owned by the Finnish-Russian Rotenberg family, won't compete in the Finnish SM-Liiga anymore but will play international. The KHL is considered the second best league in the world after the NHL and is structured similarly. Starting from this upcoming season Jokerit will play in the Western Conference in the Bobrov Division against SKA St. Petersburg, Dinamo Riga, Slovan Bratislava, Atlant Moscow Oblast, Dinamo Minsk and Medveščak Zagreb.

Hartwall arena will continue to be their home stadium. But derbies with their local rival HIFK, also based in Helsinki, will become more rare.

So now you can follow two different ice hockey leagues here in Helsinki.

Watch the World Cup anywhere

The Football World Cup started. And all the matches are shown live and in HD from Yle.

But even if you are on the go you can still follow all the games from your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Just open Yle Areena. Here you get not only the live stream for the matches but also lots of other videos, highlights and extra information. And of course it is all for free and accessible all over Finland.

Enjoy the World Cup!

Exercise outside for free

The warm weather makes it tempting to forget about this gym subscription that you got during the winter, right? Well, if you don't want to spend your time inside with this great weather then just go ahead and do your exercise outside.

All around Helsinki you can find free outdoor gyms. They are open for everyone and can be used at any time of the day. You can find a list and a map of all outdoor gyms on the Helsinki city website.

Have fun!

Skiing just outside Helsinki

During the next days the temperatures should drop a bit below zero again. This might be one of the last chances to go skiing. And if you are more into downhill then cross country skiing you can visit one of the skiing areas just outside Helsinki.

One destination that is nice and easy to reach from Helsinki is the Vihti skiing area. During the winter there are daily busses getting you there. The ride including one day skiing pass is 39 €. The bus leaves from Rauttatientori every morning at 9:15. During the trip it stops several times picking up more people e.g. in Lauttasaari, Tapiola and Kainianen. You have the whole day in Vihti before arriving back in the center around 17:00.

For more information on the skiing area and the bus timetable check the official website.

Have fun!

Crashed Ice in Serena

Red Bull Crashed Ice is coming to Finland. More specificly to Serena in Espoo. This Saturday some of the skilled cross ice skaters from all over the world come together to compete for the win.

It's gonna be quite a show and you can watch it. There are busses taking you to Serena within around 30 minutes. You can also come by car. To find out how exactly to get there check out the FAQ page.

The entrance is for free. Just remember to wrap up in warm clothes. The whole event takes place outside.

If you can't make it to Serena but still would like to watch the competition you can also watch it online. To find the stream or to get more information on Red Bull Crashed Ice check out the event's website.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the show!

Where Paavo Nurmi ran

Next to the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki the Finns honor one of their greatest runners of all times. Here you find the memorial of Paavo Nurmi.

Between 1920 and 1928 the middle and long distance runner won a total of nine gold and three silver medals in Olympic Games. The so called “Flying Finn” set 22 official world records at distances between 1,500 meters and 20 kilometers. During his peak he was unbeaten at several different distances.

No wonder such a prominent spot was dedicated to him later. His statue stands right in front of the stadium where he trained for some of his biggest victories while and also broke a few world records. Come and pay a visit to him if you are in the area. 

Hockey is back

The hockey season started again in Finland. The first few games have been played already in the SM Liiga.

Finns love hockey and in case you haven’t seen any Finnish league games so far it is really time. Unfortunately you can’t watch them on free-TV and the packages are quite expensive. But lots of bars show the games and watching with a crowd is anyway more fun.

The best option is of course to watch the matches live in the stadium. And here the capital area offers several options. See HIFK at Jäähalli, Jokerit at Hartwall Areena or the Espoo Blues at Barona Areena.

Don't miss a single hockey game!

Sadly most hockey games are not shown on free TV. Fortunately with your smart phone you can always stay up-to-date with what happens at the World Championships.

Therefore you just need to download the official IIHF World Championships 2013 smart phone app. It provides you with schedules and scores, background information on teams and players and with everything else that happens at the World Championships. You can also make your own predictions for the games and guess which teams wins.

The app is free. It’s available for WindowsPhone, Android, Blackberry and iPhone.

Kayaking into the spring

Every year in April the white water kayaking club KOHINA organizes the Ice Break at the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids in Helsinki to start the season. This year’s Ice Break takes place today.

When the ice and snow starts melting thousands of liters of water are released and stream down the hills. Small creeks turn into impressive rivers for a few days and weeks. And those are perfect conditions for white water kayaking.

by KOHINA

From 12 till 16:00 the experienced kayakers of KOHINA will ride the waves at the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids in Helsinki. It’s an event you shouldn’t miss. You’ll find more information on Ice Break on the official website. There you also get a detailed description on how to get there.

Have a fun Sunday!

The cliffs of Salmisaari

At the far western end of Helsinki in Salmisaari one of the biggest and most modern sports centers of the capital region can be found. Salmisaaren Liikuntakeskus is especially popular for its huge climbing walls. 

But it has much more to offer. Play beach volleyball, laser tag, bowling or pool, try archery or go to the gym. There is something for everyone.

The sports center is open daily from 9.00 till late in the evening. More information can be found from their website.

Let’s watch hockey!

The Finns national sport is hockey. And their league SM liga is actually one of the best in the world (it was ranked second best in Europe behind Russia). You should definitely watch a game live.

Helsinki has two first league hockey clubs: HIFK, whos history dates back to 1897 and who plays at Helsingin Jäähalli and Jokerit, which was founded in 1967 that plays at Hartwall Areena. There is a huge rivalry between those two. At some point you probably won’t get around picking a side. The city is basically divided into supporters of one or the other club. The capital region also hosts a third SM liga club: the Espoo Blues (home: Barona Areena).

You buy tickets to the games for quite reasonable prices starting from 14€ and up to 40€ per game. Tickets for games of HIFK and the Blues can be bought online from lippupalvelu.fi, tickets to Jokerit games are sold from their own website. 

One of the most exiting games is the derby between the two Helsinki teams. But to get tickets for them you will have to book early. They are sold out pretty fast and one of the most watched games of the season.

Get on your skates

Last week the Jääpuisto, the ice rink in the center of Helsinki opened again. Bring your skates and do your rounds on Rautatientori. And if you don’t own your own pair you can of course rent some there.

And they also have special programs every week. There is e.g. a skating school on Mondays and Metro wkd party skating accompanied by a DJ on Fridays.

Should you get tired for skating, you can enjoy a cup of hot chocolate or a coffee at the café next to the rink.

Skating tickets are valid all day and are just 6€ for adults. For children, students, senior citizens and unemployed there is a discount of 2 €. Jääpuisto is open daily till the end of March.