Do you think you could skate 5 or 6 days straight, traveling
40 to 80 miles per day? That's what members of the Finnish
inline skating club
Katukiitäjät ry do every year, just for fun.
In fact, that is what they consider this 300 mile event - a
fun roll!
Katukiitäjät ry (Street Gliders) is an inline skating
association in Finland that was founded in Helsinki in 1991. The
membership
includes a wide variety of people who are all interested
in inline skating.
FinLine
is an annual event and the main idea
is to skate as a group somewhere in Finland for five days.
FinLine takes place during the first week of July and the
length of the trip has been, in the last few years, around 400 to
500 km (roughly 200 to 300 miles).
There is one support car traveling with the skaters, and it is loaded
with refreshments and the personal baggage of the skaters.
The skaters do not to need carry anything
except
their personal drink bottles while they are skating. Skaters usually
sleep overnight in hotels that are booked beforehand. In 2000
however, two nights are spent in camping area cottages.
FinLine lasts for five to seven
days depending on whether you want to take part in a
so-called "bonus trip". The average FinLine
speed is around 20 km per hour (about 12 mph), but there are always
different groups for skaters of different desires and
abilities. Usually, the distance skated each day varies between 65 and 130 km
(about 40 to 80 miles).
The "bonus trip" is often a bit longer than 130 km, and it
usually ends up in Helsinki.
The number of FinLine skaters per year varies between
20 and 30. A group this size is easiest to manage,
because, especially in small villages, it can be hard
to find accommodation for larger groups. Secondly,
more skaters on public roads means bigger risks, because the
routes are not closed for normal traffic.
FinLine 2000
FinLine 2000 is the ninth annual event. There
will be a very special FinLine in 2001, because that year
will be the 10th anniversary of FinLine
(see the
orange section at the bottom
of this page for more information about 2001).
This year
there will be 30 participants altogether, and for the
first time there will be some foreign participants
as well. The only requirements for participating in FinLine
are that you become a member of
Katukiitäjät ry
(FIM 150/year - about $24 as of June 2000)
and that you are accustomed
to skating more than just around few corners a
week. In Finland, we ”test” newcomers by having them
join one of our earlier trips - usually in May.
The length of that trip is approximately 60 km.
The 2000 Finline will be a skate from
Kuopio to Tampere, and it will be
approximately 430 km (about 270 miles). On the
way to Tampere, it will pass through Rautalampi, Saarijärvi,
Ähtäri, Parkano. FinLine 2000 starts on July 2 (Sunday) and ends
on July 6 (Thursday). The main bonus trip is 190 km (118 miles)
and it is skated July 8 (Saturday) from Tampere to Helsinki.
The cost of participating in Finline is
FIM 150 ($24) for joining Katukiitäjät, FIM 100 ($16)
for the event registration fee, and about FIM 1500-2000 ($240-$320) for
the train trip to Helsinki, accommodations,
support vehicle services, breakfast, and most
of the dinners. This currency conversion is
accurate as of June 2000. For updated currency exchange
rates, see
Converters for International Skaters
FinLine 2001 - 10th Anniversary
Skate Across Finland - 1000 Miles
2001 is the 10th anniversary of FinLine, and
there are preliminary plans for skating all the way through
Finland (approximately 1500 km or 930 miles), from the
northeast city Nuorgam (or Kilpisjarvi) to the southeast one,
Hanko. In 2001 FinLine will be longer than in past years, lasting
approximately two weeks.
If you think you might want to attend this
event or you would like more information
you can contact Katukiitäjät at
info@katukiitajat.fi.
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I would like to thank Janne Eklund of
Katukiitäjät ry for
sending this information, and
I also want to thank
Kati Puhtila, Panu Tuominen, and Johan Korhonen
for providing photos and other assistance.
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Related Links:
FinLine Web site
Katukiitäjät ry Web Site
Katukiitäjät at Brorullet
Inline Skating in Finland
Inline Skating in Scandinavia
Converters for International Skaters
Skating Event Calendar
