Lapinvuori hill has long sports traditions: the first ski jumping hill was built here already in the 1920s. The next hill collapsed in a storm in the 1960s, and after Virolahti had been without a ski jumping hill for 30 years, a new K-45 hill was built in the 1990s.

Apart from regional competitions, national competitions were held even twice every year in Lapinvuori, and sometimes even top athletes came to jump here. The first jumper in the first competition of the hill in 1994 was ski jumping legend Matti Nykänen. He did not du well in the competition, but over a thousand people came to see him jump.

The still valid record of the Lapinvuori hill was made by another Finnish legend Toni Nieminen. The record jump was 50 or 52 metres long – so long that no one was prepared to measure it correctly!

The new life of the ski jumping slope

Having ended up in bad shape, the ski jumping hill was deconstructed in 2020. In a project carried out by the village association, wooden workout stairs were built on the slope, and another set of stairs on the Lantviikinvuori hill in Klamila.

As the Lapinvuori workout stairs were being built, it was possible to purchase a step and have your name, motto, the name of your company, or even your dog carved on it. It is fun to read the carvings on the way to the top. At the top of the stairs there is a lean-to, where you can stop for lunch or barbeque. There is firewood at the lean-to for hikers.

Apart from the workout stairs, there are also a lit fitness track, a disc golf course in the forest, and a nature fitness studio in the Lapinvuori sports and recreational area.

Wonderful spot for nature observation

There is a great view to the see from the top of both Lapinvuori and Lantviikinvuori hills workout stairs, and they are wonderful spots for observing the spring and autumn migration of birds, the arktika.

The main route of arktika (the migration of water- and shorebirds nesting in arctic areas from their overwinter areas to nesting areas to the Arctic Ocean and tundra in the northern parts of Europe and Siberia) follows the Gulf of Finland eastward to Ladoga and Onega lakes and the White Sea. The largest masses of migrating birds can be seen along the Virolahti coast. Arktika lasts from late April to June, and it consists of millions of waterbirds, geese, and shorebirds. In autumn, there are usually even more birds, depending on how nesting has succeeded.

Pages Link (Finnish)

Lapinvuoren liikunta- ja virkistysalue.

Lapinvuori Virojoen kyläyhdistyksen sivustolla

Virolahden Arktika-päivien sivusto

Arktisten lintujen muutto, arktika, on yksi näyttävimmistä lintumaailman tapahtumista.

”Purettavan Virojoen hyppyrimäen mäkiennätyksen hyppäsi Toni Nieminen — Katso miltä hylätyllä hyppyrimäkialueella näyttää nyt” Kymen Sanomat 18.10.2019

Kuntoportaat rakentaneen hankkeen Facebook-sivu: Kunto & Maisema

Leaderkehykset Instagram – jaa omia kuviasi aihetunnuksella #leaderkehykset #virolahti

Kuva: Sanna Lönnfors.