Vajosuo Beer Ride Episode VIII

It was again time for the traditional annual beer ride to Vajosuo, now the eighth time. While the beer never has been the main thing for most people, the focus has still been shifting more towards good food, and starting with last year even a lot more demanding riding.

Tour de Kurjenrahka - Early Winter Edition

Just a few days into November the temperature suddenly dropped. After five days the ice on smaller lakes was just strong enough to open the Nordic skating season (the earliest ever for me). A little later it started to snow, though the amount of snow varied a lot locally. A bit further to the east enough to go skiing in the forest, and in Turku enough to get a wintry feel. Such an early start to the winter naturally had to be taken advantage of, and thus I went to the Vajosuo shelter on Friday evening to meet up with Toni.

A six day Vigu bikepacking course

It was time for the third part of the Vigu mountain biking specialization module. The first one was a four day introduction course in the end of July with me as an instructor, the second one was a downhill course in Åre, where I participated as a student and now the third one was six days of bikepacking in Southwestern Finland again with me as the instructor. The end of October can be a demanding time to be out riding, with shorter days, colder temperatures and a greater possibility of miserable weather. Fortunately, this fall had been exceptionally dry, though that changed a bit during the course. The trails were still mostly dry and hence good to ride on.

The NIL Sea Kayak Guide assessment weekend.

The sea kayak guide course of Vigu, which I've documented in the blog, was a quite extensive course, and I felt I improved a lot in several areas. During the course I got a lot more confident in my own kayaking technique and I feel I've moved my comfort zone a lot. When it comes to ordinary Finnish conditions, I should be able to handle just about anything that it is reasonable to go out in. The common maneuvering techniques also work well and I've been rolling without problems in surfs and breaking waves. We've trained rescues in all kinds of situations and I've done real rescues in fairly difficult waves. I've improved in reading waves and conditions and understand rockhopping conditions a lot better than before. We've trained a lot of leadership aspects and all sorts of theory too, so I'm very satisfied with the course.

The Vigu Sea Kayaking Guide Course Pt. 6/6

In the middle of September it was time for the grande finale of the Vigu sea kayaking guide course, sea kayaking in Cornwall.

Vigu Downhill Mountain Biking Course

The blog has seen a bit of radio silence, not because I haven't done anything, but rather because I've done quite a lot, with Vigu courses and other things as well as work. Now my life is slightly less busy again, so I'll start with the Vigu downhill course.

Seabird Scott MV HDPE First Impressions

So, there I was again, looking for a kayak. This was not my intention. I would have been more than satisfied with the Zegul Arrow Play HV, had it been of a good enough construction. Now I returned it to the shop and will get a replacement kayak of another brand sometime next year.