Almost Around Estonia on Roller Skis
Text Timo Raussi Photos Johanna Pelttari and Kadri Talivätsing
Two-time Guinness World Record holder, Finnish endurance athlete and TV journalist Teemu Virtanen, 57 set another world record in Estonia at the beginning of August. He skied continuously on roller skis for 40 hours without sleep, covering a 601-kilometre route along the country’s public roads. Teemu travelled from Tallinn via Rakvere and Mustvee to the landscapes around Lake Peipus, and from there via Tartu, Viljandi, Pärnu and Haapsalu back to Tallinn. He made only brief stops at essential energy refuelling, equipment maintenance, and safety points—for example, to switch to slightly slower-rolling roller skis before the steepest descents.
During the journey, the weather gods did not pamper the ultraskier. It rained heavily at night, and strong headwinds made the kilometres of the second day arduous. During the final 50 kilometres, the darkness surrounding Teemu on the unlit road from Haapsalu also tested his mental resilience.
On the other hand, Virtanen praised the quality of Estonia’s roads. “I was surprised by how good the roads were for roller skiing. A few individual sections were certainly more challenging, but the overall picture was very positive,” he said after completing the challenge. The same has often been noted by Finnish motorists and touring cyclists who have travelled beyond Tallinn.
The encounters with local Estonians also stayed in Virtanen’s mind. “There were a lot of people waiting for me in Mustvee who had come to cheer me on and wish me luck. It was a very warm welcome and a lovely surprise. Elsewhere along the road, too, people waved and cheered.”
For understandable reasons, the skier himself did not have much time to look at the sights during his journey. This was taken care of by Teemu’s son, Neo-Vilmeri Virtanen, who took part in the challenge, and captured Estonia’s nature, cities, and local communities on camera for the documentary film “Across the Finnish Line: The Iron Finn”, currently in production about his father’s story.
Southern Estonia, with its hillier landscapes south of Tartu, would presumably have added an unreasonable amount of time to the roller-skiing journey. Tourism promoters in the region have just published a promotional video and an informational website encouraging Estonians to travel in the area outside the summer season. Instead of Ibiza’s celebrity parties, their theme is an odyssey-like accidental arrival in Obinitsa and elsewhere in Setomaa and the Onion Route region.
According to the campaign, even the most hardened partygoers and jet-setters in the grip of energy-drink and screentime addictions can find inner peace in southern Estonia. All it takes is a few days of smoke-sauna sessions, plenty of samovar tea and onion pies, and an open-minded embrace of the Seto joie de vivre. “Namaste, brother,” says one of the two larger-than-life characters in the campaign on the shores of Lake Peipus. In Finnish, you can learn more about the region and the Setos here and here.
To learn more about this and similar topicsObinitsa Setomaa Skiing Southern Estonia Sports Teemu Virtanen Tourism
