New York, Pallas, Skibotn

The source of happiness and peace is often found between trees and water, the two archetypal Finnish elements. However, sometimes trees on both sides and water underneath just don't do it, but the solution might be found where there is no trees at all.

For a Finn, the Central Park of New York is really an oasis in the middle of busy city life and noise. It seems, however, to find the true peace and quiet, one must travel up North.

In a city one can loose themselves in the action and fury, that signifies nothing. On the other end of the scale, one can also loose themselves in the openness, silence and desolation. that signifies everything.

Nordic Walking

Nordic walking is like skiing without the skis, just using the poles. Compared to traditional walking, the method has many advantages, even though some people might think nordic walkers apparently just have lost their mind.

It is not many years ago when the early adopters started to walk with poles in the summertime, and they were looked at funnily. Quite soon, though, research showed the indisputable benefits of nordic walking, and nowadays there is a bigger risk of being looked at funnily if you're not using poles.

In order for the walking to be effective the pole has to be the right length. The recommended lenght is your own height multiplied by 0.68 and rounded to the nearest 5 cm. For example, if your height is 180 cm the recommended pole height would be 120 cm. (180 x 0.68 = 122.4) When you're standing and holding the poles, your elbow should be at a 90° angle.