WAPPULOUNAS – END OF AN ERA

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WAPPULOUNAS MAY 1–3, 2025: The 25th anniversary of legendary Finnish springtime event Wappulounas, taking place in Ruka Ski Resort from May 1 to 3, 2025, will also mark the final time this end-of-season feast is cooked up by the original “chefs”.

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Wappulounas holds a monumental place in Finnish snowboarding culture. It has introduced audiences to emerging riders and bands, while shaping the very fabric of Finnish snowboarding events. It has also fostered friendships, marriages, new bands, tattoos, and thousands of stories.

The seeds for the event were sown already in the previous millennium, and since 2006, it has been held annually in Ruka. The event has been recognized numerous times as Event of the Year in Finland, and seen international guests from around the world – last year including members of Burton Europe team and Ethan Morgan, who btw played a banging dj set!

Traditionally, Wappulounas has been built on a delicate balance of creative, playful, and spectacular daytime sessions paired with intense and sweaty parties with live music—a true yin and yang, sweet and savory recipe. The Wappulounas experience is completed by its people, pre-parties, after-parties, spontaneous sessions, and impromptu spin-offs around the clock and across the mountain.

The 25th anniversary will follow this classic formula, with its own unique twists in venues, competition formats, and performers – specifics to be announced later.

As always, Wappulounas also serves as a stage to determine “who’s who” in the Finnish scene. Once a Wappulounas winner, always a Wappulounas winner.

The coveted overall-title has been won recently by names like Enni RukajärviHenna Ikola and Telma Särkipaju for women and Roope Tonteri, Sami Kallo and Rasmus Rönkä for menLet’s see if 2025 has an international guest winning the overall for the 2nd time ever, after canadian Dominique Vallee in 2011?

“This spring, we’ll wrap up a significant 25-year chapter with style! Details will be revealed gradually, so keep an eye on our social media to stay in the loop,” says Mika Andersson, the event’s head producer and “master chef” of the organizing team.

New historical content honoring Wappulounas’ legacy and this milestone year will be released closer to the event in Wappulounas media channels.

The 2025 Wappulounas marks not only the 25th anniversary but also the final hurrah for the longstanding team behind the event. After this, Andersson, Rauli Kangas, and the rest of the “Sopankeittäjät” (Soupmakers) crew will hang up their aprons, perhaps leaving the kitchen to a new generation of chefs.

Will Wappulounas return in some form in 2026?

“It’s too early to say. What we promise is to deliver the best Wappulounas we’ve ever hosted. We’ll make sure this remarkable era ends with a bang, not a whimper. Of course, I hope the event continues in some shape or form, potentially with new organizers. I’m more than willing to share the recipes and secrets of the trade to keep the legacy alive,” says Andersson.

“I urge every fan of snowboarding and Wappulounas to join us in 2025. One more time!”

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