Himos: last day and snowing

Himos. I have not been here enough apparently, because I didn't remember how good it is. They jokingly advertise it as you being able to drive also all the way to Lapland, but why. It really is good. This was a the last or second last day there were open this season, and only the northern slopes were still open. But oh wow, was the skiing still good! Steep red and black slopes, groomed to perfection, and hard after a frozen night. Perfect for cruising all day.

And the frozen night was due to a freak storm after what had been a month of warm spring. It also came with snowing (see photo above) and high winds; I was even worried that I wouldn't be able to take off with my summer tires but the roads were warm enough to melt anything that fell during the night. The mountains and the slopes, however, did have a dusting of snow. Very nice!

On the northern slopes I was mostly skiing the red runs, plus the black run, Päivän Kaarre (The Day's Turn). The black run in particular was quite nice, empty and just right steepness for the strong headwind we had that day. I also escaped slightly out of the open area to the next door closed run, Jussin Jyrkkä (Jussi's steep). One needed to navigate a bit to stay on the snow on it, and of course hike also a bit to get back to the open lifts. But these two runs are wonderful, listed in Finland's most challenging slopes in this article of the Edge magazine. Here are photos from the two slopes (Jussi first, then Kaarre):

The cafeteria the bottom of the northern lifts was open, and was serving warm lunch and cafeteria goods, very nice atmosphere to hang out. I really like the airy glass part.

I stayed at the Break Sokos Hotel Himos, a resort that just opened in November. Fresh, highly luxurious large apartment hotel where every room comes with a separate bed room(s), comfortable and warm balcony, and a sauna! A very, very nice sauna. And in addition to the usual towels they even provided sauna seat covers as part of the linen set. 

The hotel restaurants aren't usually good, but I was really impressed by this one as well.  One example: usually the warm foods at breakfasts are limited to meats and eggs and maybe if you are lucky, porridge. Here they had for instance lentil-vegetable bake and oat-beetroot balls. Tasty. And here's their salmon bread appetizer from the dinner:

 

Did I mention the ski lockers? Which hotel have you visited where you might actually want to hang out in the ski locker basement? It was spotless, perfectly designed, and of course (?) had massage chairs next to the lockers. Not to mention children's playgrounds, grocery delivery points, and so on. Well done!

I will need to return to Himos and this hotel another time. Many times!

Himos ski web page is here, the hotel's web page is here.

Skiing:

Hotel:

Restaurant:

This article has also been published here. Read the full Planetskier series at planetskier.net, or all blog articles from Blogspot. For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! Photos, videos, and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko.

Jokihelmi

It is a small one. The pool is just 16.67 meters long. But there is another pool, the therapy pool. And that pool has a fireplace next to it. Cute!

There's also a small children's pool. On the saunas there's one regular sauna on both sides.

The therapy pool extension (picture above, by Padasjoen kunta) seems a bit like a late addition, but I did not find any information about the history of the swimming hall, except that it was built in 1972.

The swimming hall is in a non-typical swimming hall building, I think it is an apartment building with a swimming hall on the lowest floor. At first I was wondering if I had taken a wrong turn when I arrived here, before I saw the sign. 

Overall a nice experience. A bit of too eager throwing-water-to-the-heater men in the sauna, but that happens :-)

The official web page is here.

This article has also been published here. For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot! The photos and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take photos of swimmers or sauna goers, and take photos when the facility is empty or reserved for me. The pool photo in this article is from the Padasjoki web page; all rights reserved by them.

Pool at the Leppävaara Fressi Gym

So, I'm still out of nearby swimming pools and have looked into gyms with pools and saunas... a few days ago the visit to Forever Töölö was wonderful (link, alt. link). Today I went to the Fressi gym chain's Leppävaara site. They have a pretty extensive gym setup with group exercise rooms, exercise machines, and yes, even a sauna and a small pool. Friendly place and staff!

The pool was maybe 9 or 10 meters long, so not very long. And I didn't realize that the pool closes when the staff leaves, even if the whole facility is open for longer. Oh well, got to swim enough for this evening I think. 

Fressi has various deals for trying out their places and membership. I got a great deal from the friendly staff, got to go for free, got a loaner lock for the locker, guidance, etc. Nice! Thank you.

Entry to the facility above, the inside entry hall in the below picture. The pool is on the left below behind the glass and already covered for the night with :-)

The pool (Fressi's own picture):

The facility is located in south-east Leppävaara, on the Perkkaa area. This part of Leppävaara has a bit of a decaying 1980s empty office building vibes, but definitely easily accessible. Parking is possible for free on the next door parking house, Fressi has QR code to give three hour parking for free.

This article has also been published here. For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot! The photos and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take photos of swimmers or sauna goers, and take photos when the facility is empty or reserved for me. The pool photo in this article is from the Fressi gym chain's home page; all rights reserved by them.

Crowne Plaza and Forever Gym swim in Töölo

By now, it is VERY hard to find swimming places under two hours driving distance from me. But now I found one, in Töölo, in the city center of Helsinki!

There was a a spa in Aulanko, 90 minutes away, but they are being renovated now. There's something in the archipelago near Turku... but over two hours away. 

But, there are several hotels with swimming pools or even spas in the Helsinki area. Typically they require staying at the hotel, but I found Crowne Plaza in Helsinki. They have a commercial gym, saunas, and a nice pool in Töölö, right in the city center of Helsinki. Open for hotel guests, gym members, and visitors!

As a first time visitor I even got a great first timer deal, 3€ in! Later I could choose a 15€ per time visit, 20€ weekly card, or a full membership. Nice. 

The pool had a very nice feel to it, really liked the looks. Dressing rooms were ok, sauna (one per side) was good, showers were good, but the pool was indeed spectacular. Not your usual white, depressing tiles. It was a bit hard to determine the length of the pool, it felt like fifteen meters, reception wasn't sure but said 13.5 meters, and the Internet did not have an answer. Still did more than 500 meters on it, with very little other guests this was quite easy. The other end of the pool was 1.8 meters, the shallower end just 1.0 meters. The latter was not great but was still ok.

Overall the gym also looked nice, though I only peeked at it briefly.

Links: Crown Plaza hotel and Forever gym chain.

The hotel building:

Sign outside the house:

Reception:

Stairs to the gym:

Entrance:

For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot and TGR! The photos and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take photos of swimmers or sauna goers, and take photos when the facility is empty or reserved for me. The pool photo in this article is from the Forever gym chain's home page; all rights reserved by them.

Lehtisaari swim

 

Never before have I felt warm in a sea swim in Finland. Now I did. With skyscrapers of Keilaniemi as a background, Lehtisaari offers a secluded and uncrowded small swimming place. 

But bring some shoe-wear. You need them on the rocky entrance to the water.

Location: N 60.174671 E 24.850527. More information here, from Tony Hagerlund's excellent blog post series.

For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot and TGR! The photos and text (c) 2021 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take photos of other swimmers on a beach, and try to visit at times where there is simply no one else around.

Dirty end of Gallträsk

 

I had never swam here, at the far end of the Gallträsk lake. But the entrance has looked somewhat decent, even some gravel at the beginning. But ... it was muddy as hell.

And the first meter was full of gooey pieces of broken up water plants.

This place is at the east end of Gallträsk. Coordinates: N 60.220905 E 24.735252.

For more sauna and swimming stories, check out planetswimmer.com and saunablogger.cool websites! And of course the Planetcaver, and Planetskier blogs for other stories in Blogspot and TGR! The photos and text (c) 2021 by Jari and Olli Arkko. All rights reserved. I never take photos of other swimmers on a beach, and try to visit at times where there is simply no one else around.

BiBi BAZENI

 

BiBi BAZENI is a small swimming hall in Belgrade, Serbia. No fancy things, just swimming. Can be rented for your group of four, for private use. The main pool is a bit shallow, however.

There's two pools, bigger 16-meter one and one children's pool. The bigger pool has four tracks.

And there is no sauna, just dressing rooms and a non-closed shower room.

Homepage is here.

This article has also appeared here. Read all swimming stories at planetswimmer.com and sauna articles at saunablogger.cool. Or all blog articles from Blogspot. Photos and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko. Sauna and pool photos have been taken when the facility was empty or closed.

Chased by a snow cat in Sappee

 

My first visit to the Sappee ski resort east of Tampere. It looks like a great ski hill, and had a nice run. Or maybe a half of a run. May have to return when they are open, I was told to leave the closed ski hill. This is understandable of course. But I wasn't so happy about being chased by the snow cat. 

It wasn't that I was trying to run away. I understood they wanted to come and tell me to get out :-) but the driver seemed to want to make a point by coming very close with the cat, with some speed. At first I though he didn't see me, and I waved my arms, expecting him to stop. But he didn't, and when I moved a few meters to the side, he turned towards me. 

Fortunately, he did stop in the end.

Great snow, great weather, great lights, great ski resort though...

This article has also been published here. Read the full Planetskier series at planetskier.net, or all blog articles from Blogspot or TGR. Photos, videos, and text (c) 2021 by Jari Arkko.

Kruunusillat (Crown Bridges)

I joined the grand opening of the Kruunuvuoren silta (the bridge of the Kruunuvuori, or Crown Mountain). It was opened on April 18, 2026, after years of construction and decades of planning. A stunning bridge!

A big crowd, as well, I thought there might have been five thousand people on the bridge at one time, maybe at least ten thousand overall that day. At some point after the opening (when I was coming back to the starting side) traffic on the bridge slowed to an almost standstill. But the bridge held, despite all those people :-) 

The bridge is almost 1200 meters long, longest and highest in Finland. The construction is a curved one, and it is cable-stayed bridge. It only carries pedestrians, bicyclists, and tram traffic. It connects the Kruunuvuorenranta city part to the Korkeasaari (zoo island) and additional new bridges connect all the way to the Helsinki city center. The center is visible from the bridge over the sea. Travel time with a bike or tram to the center will be 20-30 minutes.

More information the bridges on the project home page and Wikipedia.

The opening by the vice mayor Johanna Laisaari (lady in the middle with a crown) of Helsinki:

This article has also been published at TheUrbanExplorer.net here. Read more urban exploration stories from theurbanexplorer.net, the full Planetskier series at planetskier.net, or all blog articles from Blogspot. Photos and text (c) 2026 by Jari Arkko. All rights reserved.