What makes bouldering in Finland so unique?

Insights from Niky Ceria, written by Jessica Birchall

In recent years, Finnish bouldering has had a spotlight shone upon it, with the 2nd and 3rd ascent of the famous boulder problem, Burden of Dreams (9A) by Scottish climber Will Bosi and Belgian climber Simon Lorenzi in 2023.

A destination that’s climbing history began as training for the bigger alpine ascents in neighboring countries.  In the last two decades bouldering in Finland has grown in popularity, with many climbers heading to the forests to seek out new boulders and repeat previous lines. Seeing the beautiful photos and videos of this lesser-traveled destination, it’s no wonder climbers from all over the world wait out the winter and head to Finland for their climbing trips.

One climber who has a clear passion for the sport and shares his unique perspective on climbing, is continually drawn back to Finland again and again, Niky Ceria.  Originally from Italy but now spends most of his time traveling the world and finding solace bouldering in remote locations. Niky knows a thing or two about climbing in Finland, so we asked him a few questions to get an insight into the climbing destination and what draws him back time and time again. 

What makes the bouldering in Finland unique?

More than a factor I’d say. There is a wide variety of granite: from a rough and grey texture to some smooth and dark patterns; from the aggressive rapakivi (the pink granite from the Eastern part of Finland) to some orange and smoother grain alongside the gulf. My favorite feature, as I mentioned in 60° North, regards the cliff bands: most of the time you don’t climb on single boulders, but on long and short cliffs of rock. Wide parts of these conformations have either chossy or blank sections, but, every now and then, a perfect sequence of holds comes out of it and appears in front of you. This interesting contrast makes the line you want to climb coming out of the wall very vividly.

Northern Europe is a fascinating place to be regardless of bouldering. The landscape is gorgeous: beautiful forests, lakes and incredible lights are just some of the features that make Finnish nature so unique. What’s very special to me is the vibe. This point probably doesn’t need a proper definition or description, but I simply enjoy staying in Scandinavia. Since I was a kid, I felt a connection with the Northern part of Europe. 

How accessible is bouldering in Finland?

Every approach in Finland is flat. Most of them don’t require long hikes, but the issue can be the logistics: in fact, most of the sectors only host a bunch of lines and there are always long distances to cover between each crag. I haven’t been there focusing on a single boulder yet, so each trip I took to Finland was more like a traveling experience, including a bit of exploration as well. It is not the most comfortable place to keep this approach, especially after weeks, and it might require hours of driving each day. But, truth must be told, every effort can be really rewarded if you like to chase high quality lines.

Niky Ceria climbing Monumentti, image by Marko Siivinen

I’d not suggest this area for those who want to have a 100% climbing holiday because of the lack of thickness, the tricky weather and the logistics. I guess the mix of difficulties/challenges is well balanced, but you always have to consider the vast ray of the region and the fact that the moss grows back quickly, so some of the easiest lines are sometimes abandoned. The region probably adapts to those who have a good mindset to face setbacks or have a long time to invest in order to manage the efforts in being patient. A bit of experience from other climbing trips can be helpful. Aidan Roberts, Jim Pope and Sam Lawson have recently been there and had a more in-depth trip which was fantastic to watch through their videos.

What are your favourite ways to spend rest days in Finland?

I guess most of the tourists would reply with the sauna. It’s actually a fantastic thing to do up here, especially when the weather is poor and this unfortunately happens quite often. I feel a bit ashamed to have taken only 2 saunas despite almost 80 days spent in this country haha.

My favorite resting days have been spent in Helsinki though. I have memories of a special resting day in Helsinki, walking through its streets and parks, visiting museums or simply sitting in a cafe. Tallinn is a nice town to visit in a day and the ferry “only” takes 2 hours. Having a board session is a lovely thing to do when it rains, a bit like in the UK. The quality of the gym is high and, despite being commercial halls, you have vast spray walls and other good facilities to enjoy. The other activity for a “rest” day is driving and checking crags/boulder for when the weather will be sunny again

Best Finnish crag snack?

Well, Finland isn’t really popular for its food, but Korvapuusti is a great thing to have both on a rest day or out at the crag. It’s a type of cinnamon roll; very tasty!

60 Degrees North is a film capturing Niky’s most recent trip to Finland, as well as delving into what inspires him to climb, watch it here!