Arctic Lines Episode 6: Pyhä Chute

This season, the whole Arctic Region has been suffering from a weak snowpack and lots of avalanche activity. Southern Lapland is no expection on this. Combining these challenging conditions with global pandemic led me to spend the first 3 months of the year very close to home since I knew the snowpack would heal the fastest here when spring arrives.

The lines in southern lapland aren’t the biggest. In many ways you could call them minigolf so waiting the right conditions for a rather short descents definitely test your mental game. But in the end it doesn’t matter if the line is big or small, you need stable snow and good weather window for the attempt. On top of this you must be ready to work the problem and not underestimate the dangers. This is exactly what new episode from Pyhä,Finland is all about.

Enjoy!

ABOUT PYHÄ

Pyhä is located just 90 minutes from my home. When it comes to freeriding, the ski resort and national park offer many unique opportunities.
This area is the most diverse natural playground in Southern Lapland. You can choose from fun tree riding to pillow lines and even for more challenging descent near the steep gorges. . However, there is some restrictions made by Metsahallitus, The Finnish Forest Administration, that anyone practicing freeriding must take in consideration.

Find out all the information about freeriding possibilities on Pyhä Ski Resort website

EPISODE 6 MISSION
PYHÄ CHUTE

Pyhä Chute is located in Pikkukuru. A gorge that holds some of the most interesting and also rather exposed terrain in Pyhä-Luosto national park.

This is an expert minigolf line. It can work as a great training for anyone wanting to develop skills for human powered freeriding in big mountains but this line can not be underestimated. Good snowboarding or skiing ability is not enough when attempting it. The lin can be very dangerous because of the exposure and you must have a good knowledge about snow and terrain.

You can access the line by riding and touring from the ski area – or just touring through the national park, which brings you to the bottom of the line.

The line starts from Noitatunturi, the highest fell in the area, and goes all the way down the southeast face of Pikkukuru. For a rather short line, it has a few sections that must be treated with care.

The top is the most mellow but it usually has wind-affected snow. This is also important to keep in mind when entering the second section, which is the most dangerous because of the exposure above a big cliff and rocks.

This is a spot where the wind deposits snow and creates a risk of slab avalanches. If you trigger a slide here, you might be in a lot of trouble.

The final section, the chute, is the steepest and the only way to reach the bottom safely. It can hold very good snow, but if the winter has been low tide checking the snow depth in the bottom can be a good idea.

Pyhä Mission tour data from Suunto baro 9 integrated to Fatmap.

Note:

Freeriding is growing a lot in Finland but the culture is still very young comparing to many other countries in the world.
Even though our fells are not the biggest, the dangers are still very real. If you plan to practice freeriding in Finland or anywhere else in the world, I strongly suggest creating a sense of understanding what risk taking in the backcountry means.

When you take a risk you will always carry a responsibility that can affect the culture and most importantly the people around you.
This is very important matter to understand when you go outside and play because if something were to go wrong you must know what to do.

Train the safety, be humble and surround yourself with people you can trust.
Always listen to your own feelings when you are in the backcountry.