Cross Country Skiing in Finland's SECOND Largest National Park! (Urho Kekkonen, Lapland)

We are still well above the Arctic circle in Saariselkä, Lapland, Finland and today we are cross country skiing for the second time in Urho Kekkonen National Park! Thanks so much for watching and we hope you will subscribe for more :)
🟢 Sign up for our newsletter: eepurl.com/ixsyHI
🟡 Do you want to help us make travel videos?! Click the link below to support us! Thank you in advance for your generosity! www.buymeacoffee.com/JandJTravel
🔴 Don't forget to subscribe! / @jacobandjennytravel
🟠 Watch our last video: • FAR ABOVE THE ARCTIC C...
⚪️ Our travel gear: www.amazon.com/shop/jacobwarr...
🔵 WATCH FROM THE BEGINNING:
• WATCH FROM THE BEGINNING!
🟣 Follow us on Instagram:
/ jacobandjennytravel
___________________________________________________________________________________
We are Jacob and Jenny, a husband and wife passionate about traveling the world. We started uploading in May, 2021 with a goal to see as much of the globe as possible. After visiting Costa Rica and French Polynesia, the time was right to quit our full-time jobs, so we left everything to travel and have loved every minute of it. Our goal is to make it to all seven continents and visit as many countries as possible. Follow along and be a part of the journey!
#JacobAndJenny #TravelVlog #Finland #InternationalTravel #TravelCouple

[@McEla82]

Imagine conveying to someone the sensation of contentment that washes over you after a day spent outdoors, a satisfying meal, and the anticipation of the sauna heating up.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

It is so wonderful! Thanks for watching :)

[@inksuliini7830]

I hope that you stay in Finland more than few days, these videos are great to watch 👍

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

We will be posting Finland most of January :) we are so glad you enjoy our videos and hope you will enjoy our videos in other countries as well! Thanks friend!!

[@mantailuaa]

Next time you skii try to hold your poles right way and you get more use out of them when going uphill. Put your hand into the loop from down to up and then grip the pole so that the two strings of the loop stays inside the fisted grip. That way you get more steady push with the poles.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is great information!! Thank you friend :)

[@aako]

I recommend visiting Finland in March-April, when it's brighter and the Finns are also on vacation. It's more enjoyable period of winter when it's not freezing all the time.

[@jattikuukunen]

The timing is critical, though. Once the snow melts, the cities are very dusty and there will be lots of pollen from trees. In Lapland, it's probably a lot better than here in the south way further into the spring.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is good to know!! Thanks so much for the recommendation :)

[@sami19090]

Depends, April (and late March) is very much spring in southern Finland at least, when snow melts. So if you go to Helsinki in late March, there is high possibility that skiing is not possible anymore. In northern Finland though, late march-early april can be the best winter: lots of sun and not that cold. In late winter, trees might not have that snow anymore, as its probably fallen to ground. But late April starts to be springtime in the north too. Northern ski resorts usually close their remaining slopes on beginning to middle of May. But that starts to be very much different experience than on middle of winter. Sometimes on May it can be so warm that its possible to go downhill skiing on very light clothes. But the snow is soft and old.

[@wellthen...1539]

Noooooo way, July is the best. Deep forest cottage in a large island. Thats the 💪

[@TheNetworkGovernment]

Freezing weather is often part of the exotic adventure and experience.

[@kidsdogsandlife]

Y’alllll I’m so sorry but I definitely laughed way too hard 😂 - glad you guys had a blast 😊

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Hahahah that is so fair 😂 thanks for watching! Glad we could bring some laughter into your life haha!!

[@-m-8653]

Awesome couple and i'm so glad to see you here in Finland again:D

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thank you so much friend!! We are so happy to be back in Finland 🇫🇮

[@Joot20]

Watching you ski is the most entertaining thing ever😂

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Hahaha it is pretty hilarious 😂

[@barbarabal8922]

I admire you guys. I tried cross-country once, and it was sooo difficult, I gave up. The most important part is to have a fun. And you definitely got it ❤❤❤

[@mathias61]

It´s not difficult: You just need patience :-) There are teachers at ski resorts, who teach you the basics. Don´t worry, ok :-)?

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thank you!♥️ It is definitely hard at first but thankfully we kind of got the hang of it hahaha! Strong emphasis on kind of 😂

[@ToniHiltunen1980]

That is good hobby skiing, at good weather. There is good restaurant top of the Kaunispää hill, and at good weather you can see very far from top of Kaunispää.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Oh wow that is so cool!! Thanks for watching :)

[@mhyotyni]

You are a brave couple, most Finns do not go skiing when the weather is this cold. Skis with grip bottom do not work anymore, you better not start sweating (the cold would feel even worse when you take a break) and the days are short. You should come again some time in March or April (around Easter holidays), then it is normally sunny, relatively warm and lots of other happy people having their holidays on the ski tracks and downhills. On the other hand, at this time of the year, taking sauna and a drink by the fireplace after the round in the cold forest is heavenly!

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

I am sure Finland would be so amazing in the spring!! We are hoping to possibly come back in the summer or very early fall! Sauna, a drink by the fireplace in the forest sounds incredible! Thanks for watching friend :)

[@mhyotyni]

@@JacobandJennyTravel Thank you for your delightful travel videos! Summer in Lapland is otherwise nice, but the swarms of mosquitoes and horseflies can make living hard until you get used to them. When it gets cooler in the late summer, they disappear, however. Personally I prefer the autumn for my trips to Lapland, the air is clear, cool and quiet. If you happen to visit just the right week, typically sometime mid-September, the autumn colors are unbelievable.

[@mottee]

You are trying and you are learning, so you are doing all right. Don't compare yourselves to those other guys, they have probably been skiing since they learned to stay on two feet.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thank you so much for your encouraging words :) cheers friend!

[@oh2mp]

It was fun to see that you had really good time. I must confess that I haven't done cross country skiing since I was in the army long time ago :D

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

We did have a great time! Haha! Did you use the skiis to get places faster in the army??

[@oh2mp]

@@JacobandJennyTravel yes of course. If there is a lot of snow in the forest, then the skis are a LOT better and faster way to move than crawling in the snow. I was trained to be a ranger so we used skis in the winter instead of any motorized vehicles etc. that aren't very useful in dense forest.

[@oh2mp]

You know we have that compulsory conscript service for all men in Finland, so basically almost every man here has some kind of military training. Of course they who have eg. medical reasons get free from that. Remember who is our neighbor...

[@WITYTRAVELS]

Always love joining you guys on your ski adventures! So fun!

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Always fun and always a little scary 😂 haha!!

[@nokkamies4988]

In school, we were taugt to ski much steeper hills in second grade, oh and we had to do it off track too

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Wow off the track as a second grader would be so hard haha!! We would definitely fail lol!

[@wellthen...1539]

Maaaan you two are the coolest couple!!!! Im so happy for you, and what you are doing. Left your jobs to explore the world and make other people happy doing so ❤ If you ever come to Tampere, holla at me 😊

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

This comment made us smile so big!! These are the comments that keep us doing what we are doing. Thank you friend for your kind words ♥️ and we for sure will!! :)

[@samhartford8677]

So lovely to see you enjoying the winter fun. Quick note for next time: When you ski (or skate) you have to have your knees bent a bit more (as in use your butt and thigh muscles all the time). That is what gives you the balance and the ability to react to the terrain. And when you engage your core body muscle you don't have to use the arm muscles to pull you up except as a part of the whole muscle function of the body. I love the way you enjoy the sauna. You are honorary Finns at this point.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is great to know! Thank you for the tip :) there is nothing better than a good sauna after a day in the cold 🙌🏼 we are honored to be honorary Finns♥️

[@villesorsamaki9913]

I wish someone had told you how to hold and use poles. Faster overtakes slower.-You don't have to move away.(unless just do it for polite) Saver keep your own track on the downhills. Thanks for happy video!

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is good to know! And we are so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching friend :)

[@vilpuler13]

From the same starting point, you can visit the Aurora day cabin by walking, for free. Its only about 700m. Take some sausages and mustard with you, theres fireplace to bbq. And have some pieces of bread, the friendly birds will eat from your hand, and you’ll get your snow white/cinderella moment. 🤩👌

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Yes we read about that! We were planning to go there but it was so cloudy every night we were there we decided it wasn't worth it unfortunately :( hopefully we will come back and get to go there! The cinderella moment sounds so fun!! Thanks for your comment friend :)

[@Rafu01]

It's a great exercise to keep you generally fit full body exercise with balance training. And a long Sauna after that is PERFECT. BTW, just checked the first time and it is great to see you remembered the tips and used the tracks with classic style skis ;)

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Yes we totally agree, the sauna after was perfect!! And thank you so much :) we are glad we remembered a little bit!

[@tahhah3449]

Nice skiing👍👍

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thank you so much :)

[@dennislindqvist8443]

I skied a lot as a child, but I wasn't used to steep slopes either. I experienced that when my brother and I went to Northern Finland. He was gone in an instant while I had to cancel the ride. Steep slopes are not for beginners but you seemed to have a sensible risk calculation.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Yes the steep slopes were definitely a little scary but thankfully we were able to figure out a way to avoid them or go down them carefully haha!

[@stanislawkowal4657]

Well done, brave attempt.🎿

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thank you friend :)

[@rikutaskinen5432]

Nice Jenny, march april are best times in country skiing.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is great to know!! And thank you so much :)

[@dennislindqvist1265]

When I was little, I remember we went down a steep hill into a dense forest. Just to see if we survived. It went on until my parents found out. After that we invented the next dangerous sport. But we had a good time. Deaths? Yes.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That sounds like you have some great stories haha!! Thanks for sharing!!

[@sonjahancock5726]

Good job cross country skiing 😊

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thank you Sonja♥️

[@summitwithsophie]

Thanks for posting these videos! I want to try cross country skiing this year and it's helpful to see what it may actually be like 😅

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Of course!! It is a little rough at first but pretty easy to get the hang of! Good luck :)

[@squidcaps4308]

The first times you do that, make it short. It requires muscles you don't normally use the way you use them when skiing, there is way more extension. Those muscles tend to be such that when you feel them getting a bit achy, you are going to experience all of that four times worse the next day. The muscles are around the groin area, from inner thigh to pelvis. A kilometer is already quite a lot if you haven't skated or if you don't walk on ice daily.. So, short distances at first. And i can't overstate the warning that once you feel them muscles getting even a bit achy, you need to stop or you will be in pain the next day. You need them also for walking, so every step is going to be pain and it just gets worse and worse the more you have to walk.. You may even shed a tear, it can get that painful. It does go away in one to two days thou.

[@HannuPulkkinen49]

Why didn't anyone advise you how to make the right grip on the ski pole handles..

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Haha I am not sure 😂 thanks for watching!!

[@szymonzielinski7160]

I can recommend cross-country skiing in the Table Mountains in Poland. It is winter wonderland.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is great to know for the next time we go to Poland! Thanks for the recommendation friend :)

[@nursek931]

Oh how fun guys. You did good! Much better than I would have. Yes I know, I live in the northeast and do not ski. I was never interested in it. I don’t like the cold weather. 😊. You are enjoying new adventures. That’s amazing. Stay safe. 🙏🥰💗

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

It is definitely not for everyone! Downhill skiing scares me a lot more. Thanks Kathryn ♥️ praying for your blog!!

[@nursek931]

@@JacobandJennyTravel thank you so much. I’m getting some positive feedback. 💗

[@atarikatari]

I’m trying cross country skiing this month in Vermont. I hope it’s easy enough for me to have fun but it doesn’t look easy LOL

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Hahaha!! It takes a few minutes to get the hang of it but then it is super fun! Enjoy friend :)

[@smiechuwarte-qt8pn]

Skiing is like riding a bike. Once you learn, you will never forget . Skis must be slippery, otherwise there would be no point in using them. Now they are made of polymers, and when I was younger, cross-country skis were coated with Teflon on the bottom . The disadvantage of cross-country skis compared to downhill skis is the lack of side sharp edges, so you have to turn slowly and avoid hitting an icy surface.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Yes that totally makes sense!! We wouldn't want rough skis haha!! Thanks so much for your comment :)

[@j-p.alanen]

-44.3C recorded yesterday in NW Lapland…

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

So so cold 🥶 thanks for watching!!

[@Perhonen-vy1cv]

This was a great vlog!!😂 If i was there and trying to get up from the snow, i know i would keep on sinking. 😂 Only tractor could pull me up.😂 You should experience whole year in Finland. 😊 You are brave and you did great! 👏 You should check from youtube cross country skiing tutorial. High hills is easier to go up sideways, so you don't need to use so much hand muscles. 😊 At least, that is how i do it. Of course it is slow, but at least you don't start sliding backwards.😁 Skiing is fullbody workout. 💪 You guys make great vlogs and bring joy into my life. Thank you!❤

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

We are so glad you enjoy our vlogs!! Your comment made us smile. We hope to come back to Finland in the summer and maybe early fall 🌞 That is great advice. Thank you friend♥️

[@Pfaltzgraf]

You should learn the technique of skiing on flat ground. Then you can enjoy skiing more. Try skiing without the poles on the flat ground. That developes your balance and technique.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That makes sense! Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@pamelakilponen3682]

The deep freeze is supposed to break next week, still will be cold, but more tolerable!

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

That is great to know! Thanks for the information :)

[@seryjsk]

Oks

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

Thanks for watching :)

[@Gibbetoo]

maybe you should take one lesson before ski'n, it gets way more easier when you know how.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

I am sure taking a lesson would help us a lot! Thanks for watching :)

[@radudumanovschi3387]

You will build strong legs. You'll need then on your travels..

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

We definitely do need strong legs for our travels!! Thanks for watching :)

[@keko4618]

Nice skiing. lot of failure makes expert.

[@JacobandJennyTravel]

You are so right! And thank you very much!