“I realized I knew nothing about Finland,” says the woman who likes tough challenges.

Now, Alexandra has skied along the entire Finnish coast in three weeks.

“It has gone well,” she says.

In about three weeks, Alexandra Nilsson roller skied from Tornio to Turku.

Watch the video of the journey on YouTube

Here, she tells in her own words about the somewhat unusual trip.

On Roller Ski Through Finland

“Last summer, I was struck by how little I knew about Finland and decided to change that. The original plan was to bike along the Finnish coast, but when the idea of roller skiing the same route hit me, it felt just right, and I decided that was how it would go!”

The Route and Plan

“The start of the journey was in Tornio/Haparanda, and then I followed the coast down to Turku, a distance of just over 1000km. I gave myself three weeks for this, and the basic plan was to follow the Eurovelo 10 cycling route. This turned out to consist of gravel roads here and there, so I used an app to re-route each day to include only asphalt. The total distance was just over 1000km, and over my 21 days, this meant an average of about 50km per day.”

“There were plenty of grocery stores and restaurants along the route. Almost every day, I could ski to a grocery store to buy/eat lunch there, continue skiing, and buy dinner and breakfast near the planned camping spot. Most nights, I camped at a campsite to shower, charge electronics, and get indoors for a while.”

“The highlights of the trip were when people I had never met joined me to ski. Around Vörå/Vasa, I had company from different people for five days in a row, and the last three days, I was joined by a Swedish girl. It was also fun to see new places. I found the Finnish nature very similar to the Swedish, and it was very flat along the coast. Among other things, I visited some of Finland’s most popular beaches.”

Roller Skis as a Vacation Mode of Travel

“I think roller skiing is a fantastically fun way to discover new places, especially a new (flat) country like Finland! Despite a heavy backpack, it felt like good pole training, and I found it possible to maintain decent technique, even though I became back-heavy. Most days, I skied for about 3-3.5 hours (effective time) with an average speed of around 15km/h. This left plenty of time each day to explore the area where I would sleep and ample time for recovery. Nevertheless, I covered a significant distance each day, and for me, this was a very good balance between distance and having time and energy for other things.”

“Previously, I have run between Grövelsjön and Treriksröset (1.300km), but then the days were so long that both the speed and intensity became very low, but my body still broke down quite a bit after a while. The setup I had on roller skis meant that recovery time after the adventure was shorter, and I could return to full training more quickly – something I actually, ironically, longed for towards the end of both these adventures.”

Briefly About the Equipment

“I had a pair of AE Pro Classic roller skis from Rullskidscenter.se and chose summer skate boots for stability. Since the equipment was brand new, I took a chance not to bring spare wheels, a gamble that paid off. I also chose not to ski with a spare pole – another gamble that also paid off. However, I brought two pairs of spare pole tips and a diamond file.”

“I had a regular hiking backpack (Lundhags Tived Light 25L) that worked well, except that I got chafing over the shoulders – a problem easily solved with Leukoplast tape. In the backpack, I had, among other things, a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, a small camping stove, and everything else I would need during the three weeks on the go. The backpack (with food and water) usually weighed around 8-9 kg.”

“Other things I was glad to have with me were an ultralight mosquito net for the head (which I used a lot in the northern parts) and ultralight and waterproof boot covers and helmet covers – perfect when it rained and was wet!”

Recommendations for Similar Adventures

“First and foremost, I just want to say that I highly recommend doing something similar! I thought it was a wonderful way to vacation, experience new places, and at the same time gather many double poling kilometers and training hours. The Finnish coast (especially the northern Finnish coast) was incredibly flat, and the asphalt was mostly good or at least okay (with some exceptions, of course). The communities came regularly, making it easy to find grocery stores, restaurants, campsites, or other accommodations. And above all: I had an incredible amount of fun during my three weeks!”

If (or rather when) I plan a similar setup again, I will do it for a shorter period, perhaps a week, but then I will “treat myself” to have some really long days and some days with a higher pace, or with intervals. That way, it will really be more like a training camp, but with all the benefits of a real adventure! Even though I am glad I completed my trip with a tent and backpack, next time, I will stay indoors to ski with lighter gear and maintain better technique.”

“Next time, I will also bring someone along – all the most fun days were when I had company!”

Facts and Figures

• Route: Tornio – Turku
• Number of days: 21
• Distance: 1076km
• Average per day (excluding one rest day): 54km
• Number of days with skiing companions: 8
• The best: new skiing friends!
• The worst: That almost no one wanted/could speak English with me in the purely Finnish-speaking parts of Finland.

Are you interested in long-distance skiing? Click HERE and read more about it.