History will be made at Helsinki Olympic Stadium when the stadium opens its doors to skiers! Experience the joy of skiing at Helsinki Ski Weeks, organised for the first time from 29 January to 27 February 2022.
For a month, the Olympic Stadium will be transformed into a new local sports venue that offers easy sports experiences in the centre of Helsinki. The Stadium offers a traditional ski track and guaranteed snow for the whole month. Bring your skis and ski on the track free of charge or rent skis at the Stadium. Pre-registration for the track is required to make sure that everyone can enjoy the 1.1 km tracks at the Stadium and the surrounding area in comfort and with plenty of space. You can now book your ski time at https://helsinkiskiweeks.fi/hiihtamaan/(Link leads to external service). You can book one hour of ski time at a time.
“The Olympic Stadium is a national monument and one of our most internationally renowned buildings. At the same time, it is a place where all Finns can also participate. Now, the Olympic Stadium can be seen and experienced from a new perspective. During this tough pandemic, outdoor exercise has become more important for those living in Helsinki, and this provides yet another new outdoor sports experience. I hope that many residents in Helsinki will seize this unique opportunity,” encourages Paavo Arhinmäki, Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure in Helsinki.
The Stadium offers a wide range of ski-themed events in January and February
Helsinki Ski Weeks kicks off on the National Skiing Day, 29 January. The National Skiing Day aims to inspire people all over Finland to ski and exercise outdoors. The Helsinki Olympic Stadium serves as the centre stage for the National Skiing Day. Throughout the whole Helsinki Ski Weeks month, the Stadium will host plenty of other activities besides skiing, such as an opening concert on 30 January, Snow Days for Children as well as a ski disco. The highlight of Helsinki Ski Weeks is the international 02 Taksi Stadion Sprint competition on 24 February. Ski Weeks is accompanied by an event market, where you can enjoy food and beverages in an after-ski atmosphere.
“Helsinki Ski Weeks has been developed so that as many Helsinki residents as possible would arrive at the renovated Olympic Stadium to experience something new: the joy of skiing at the Olympic Stadium, a shrine to Finnish sport. At the Finnish Ski Association, we hope that the residents of Helsinki seize the opportunity for this experience,” invites Jari-Pekka Jouppi, Commercial Director of the Finnish Ski Association.
Helsinki Ski Weeks focuses on responsibility and health safety
Helsinki Ski Weeks is planned and organised with an emphasis on both social and environmental responsibility. Social responsibility and the public health perspective are realised by the fact that a local sports venue, offered free of charge to the whole population, enables skiing at an exceptionally low threshold, regardless of age or skill level. The Finnish Ski Association has also announced that Helsinki Ski Weeks is committed to making the event carbon neutral.
Helsinki Ski Weeks will be organised with health safety in mind as an outdoor event in accordance with the safety requirements and recommendations in force at the time of the event. Changes to the guidelines and arrangements will be made based on the restrictions and recommendations, if necessary. For up-to-date information on the health and safety measures at the event, visit the Helsinki Ski Weeks website(Link leads to external service) (in Finnish).
The Finnish Ski Association, together with its partners, is responsible for the planning and production of the Helsinki Ski Weeks event. The City of Helsinki is one of the partners of the event. The aim of Helsinki Ski Weeks, as well as its main events, National Skiing Day and Stadion Sprint, is to make these events a recurring tradition that moves people in every sense of the word. Approximately 200,000 participants are expected to attend the one-month event from 29 January to 27 February 2022.
For more information:
Helsinki Ski Weeks website: (Link leads to external service)https://helsinkiskiweeks.fi/en/home/(Link leads to external service)
News photo: The trails at the stadium are ready to welcome all skiers. (Tero Lahti/City of Helsinki)
The news has been published on 28.1. and has been updated on 11.2.