Local Heroes: Janne Lipsanen

From race boards in Mikkeli to building one of Finland’s strongest snowboard communities.

Snowboarding is in a good place right now, and we have many people to thank for that – especially the local heroes who keep the community alive.

Hailing from the streets of Finland, Janne Lipsanen is an ex-competitive rider who pivoted towards filming and street riding, but his story goes beyond that. From learning to ride on a stiff race board at his local hill in Mikkeli to becoming part of a tight-knit DIY scene and co-founding the local snowboard club Helsingin Lumilautailijat, snowboarding has always been at the core of his life.

What started as riding with friends at a small resort eventually led to contests, riding for the Finnish national team, sponsors, and competing internationally. However, Janne’s love for the community brought him back to his roots: filming, street riding, and building something meaningful within the scene.

Today, through his work with the local club and community in Finland, Janne has become one of the people quietly shaping snowboarding from the ground up – creating spaces, opportunities, and a sense of belonging for the next generation.

With a childlike excitement to keep pushing himself and everyone around him, Janne’s approach to snowboarding is pure, genuine, and deeply rooted in what makes the culture thrive.

Hi Janne, and thank you for taking the time to sit down with us. How’s your season been so far?
Thanks for having me. The season has been good so far. You know, the end of last year was really bad because we didn’t have any snow and it was super warm, and the resorts were barely open in the Helsinki area. But after the New Year, we got snow, and it’s been cold and snowy since then. So yeah, now I’ve been enjoying snowboarding and some street riding because it’s possible.

You’re a huge pillar in the local snowboard community in Helsinki. But before we dive into everything you’ve helped build, can you tell us a bit about yourself: how did you get into snowboarding, and what’s your relationship with it like today?
I got my first board from santa at 1995. So I was 6 years old. I used to ski before, and I saw a board at a local resort and wanted to have it.  I think either my dad or I didn’t know much about snowboarding because it was one of those hard race boards with ski boots. haha  I remember we went to a small hill next to my home, and my dad just pushed me down. I think I managed to go straight, and after that, I wanted to go to the local resort to try it.

As you can imagine, it was difficult to turn on that race board on slow speed, but somehow I managed to learn and got hooked. The next Christmas, I got a regular board and snowboard boots, so it felt so easy after struggling with the race board. When I was around ten, I started to ride a lot more and spent all my days on the hill whenever it was possible.

I’m from Mikkeli. It’s a small resort, and park riding back then was more DIY-style. There was a really nice scene, though – a couple of good friends of mine were riding, and some older guys we looked up to. The park wasn’t that good, to be honest, but we didn’t complain because we didn’t know any better.

When I was 15, my friend convinced me to move to Vuokatti for snowboard high school. It was a game-changer for my riding. I got to ride more, the park was much better, and the older riders were really good. There was a great atmosphere for improvement. I wasn’t very good at jumping before I moved there, but in the first half year I improved so much and learned all the basic tricks.

Around that time, everyone at school started doing contests, so I joined them. I did pretty well in a local competition and made the junior national team. I got my first sponsors and started competing internationally. I did that for a few years, but gradually I moved more into filming, which has always been closer to my heart than competing.

For many years, I focused mainly on filming full parts. I really enjoyed that time – I got to ride a lot of backcountry and street, which was super fun. After my first major sponsor dropped me, it was a wake-up call that maybe it would be good to also do something else, haha. I was around 25 at the time, and I decided to apply to school. In the end, it was actually one of the best things that could have happened to me. Without that setback, I don’t think I would have gone back to school – I probably would have just continued on the same path. So I got accepted to school, found a new sponsor to replace the old one, and was able to keep riding while studying. 

Of course, I rode a bit less during school, but I still got to take part in different filming projects. All my internships were connected to snowboarding, and I even created new events so I could work on things I genuinely enjoyed. After graduating, Peetu and I, along with a couple of other guys, started this club, Helsingin Lumilautailijat, and that’s the path we’re still on today. We’ll probably talk more about that later.

So nowadays I work with the club, and I’ve also become a parent, so I don’t have the chance to ride as much for myself as before. But every time I get to the slope or the street, I truly appreciate it and enjoy it even more than I did before.

What makes snowboarding still so special to you, after all these years?
It’s the freedom to do whatever feels good to me and the excitement I get from trying tricks. I love mini shredding nowadays, but every once in a while, it feels necessary and good to push myself a bit more. I still believe I can learn something new – maybe I spin less than I did ten years ago, but I’ve learned other things that keep me stoked.

You’re one of the founders of Helsingin Lumilautailijat. Can you take us back to how that started? What sparked the idea, and what did you feel was missing in the Helsinki scene at the time?
It was a combination of many coincidences. The previous snowboard club had shut down. I had just graduated from school, and Peetu Piiroinen had ended his competitive career at the PyeongChang Olympics, so we both suddenly had some time.

Earlier that year, Peetu and I had tried coaching together, and we started thinking about whether we should start a new club. At the same time, a small group from the previous club was also planning to found a new one. I think they heard that we had the same idea, and they wanted both me and Peetu to join them. They already had a solid group of people ready to work on the board, and Peetu and I took on the operational side of things.

Starting the new club was actually kind of a dream. We got to build it the way we wanted and focus on the things we felt were important. For both of us, it felt like the right way to give back to the next generation, because we had both been able to experience so much through snowboarding. 

You’ve been actively organising and hosting events around Helsinki, from grassroots jams to things like Hike The Pipe. Why are events so important when it comes to keeping a scene alive?
At events, you get to meet like-minded people. The conditions are usually top-notch. A lot of riders are naturally competitive, and it’s funny how when a contest is coming up, people suddenly start practising new tricks more seriously.

At competitions and events, you really see the level, and that pushes riders to train more in their free time. On the other hand, events bring variety to everyday riding, and they’re usually just really fun days for everyone — the kind that leave you with a good feeling.

You’ve seen the Helsinki scene evolve over the years. What feels different now compared to earlier days – in terms of vibe, participation, and mentality?
I’m not originally from Helsinki, so I can’t really speak about what it was like in the earlier days. But one clear difference now is the sense of community. Having a bigger club has really brought people together.

When we do things as a larger group, different generations mix naturally, and there’s a lot of support and encouragement between riders. I think the club has definitely created more unity and a stronger feeling of belonging within the scene.

Is there anything from the “old days” you’d love to bring back?
When I was younger, there was no snowboarding club at my resort. We were just riding and spending all our days at the hill because it was so much fun. I never saw snowboarding as training. It was just a way to have fun, and learning new tricks was exciting.

Nowadays, some riders come to the hill almost only for training sessions. There’s nothing wrong with that, because coaches are there to help, and your friends are usually there too. But in training, someone else is often telling you what you should be doing.

So I would suggest that everyone spends at least one day a week at the hill without any bigger goals – just riding, doing whatever feels good to you, and simply enjoying it.

There’s often a lot of nostalgia around snowboarding’s past. But if we focus on right now, what do you think is strong about the Helsinki scene today? What makes you excited about where it’s heading?
We have a lot of talented riders, and especially a lot of strong young female riders. The number of girls has been growing, and now over 30% of our riders under 18 are girls. It’s been amazing to see how much the level of female riders has progressed in such a short time, especially with strong role models to look up to, like Henna Ikola, Telma Särkipaju, and Enni Rukajärvi.

Looking at everything you’re involved in, from HL to events to Talma, what role do you feel you play in the local scene today?
We definitely do quite a lot, and I’m super happy with what we’ve accomplished so far. I think it’s fair to say that without our club, many things wouldn’t have happened, and there would probably be a lot fewer active young riders in the Helsinki area right now.

It’s hard to praise myself, but I can definitely praise everyone who has been involved in building the club. So a big thank you to Peetu, all the coaches, all the riders, the whole Melter and United Chaos crew, and everyone who has helped out at events along the way.

From your perspective, what could we, as riders and community members, do more of to help the scene thrive? Whether that’s getting new people into snowboarding or making others feel like they truly belong.
Hmm, first of all, just be nice to people at the hill. Let everyone do what feels right to them. There isn’t one right or wrong way to snowboard.

If someone is organising events at your home resort, take part — whether as a rider, by volunteering, or even just by sharing information about the event with your followers on social media. It really takes the strength of the whole community for the sport to thrive, because there isn’t big money involved. We need people who do things out of love for snowboarding.

If someone moved to Helsinki tomorrow and wanted to become part of the snowboard scene, what would you tell them to do first?
Join our club as a member, and if you’re interested in weekly coaching, sign up for one of our training groups. We have groups for riders of all ages and skill levels, and you’ll definitely find like-minded people to ride with.

And finally, when you look at the Helsinki snowboard scene right now, what stands out to you most?
I think it’s the sense of community we have right now. It feels like almost everyone is pulling in the same direction and willing to help — the riders, their parents, and even the older pro riders. There’s a real spirit of support around the scene.

And once again, thank you to everyone involved. You’re the best.