WATCH: Adam Rippon goes hiking in Finland with his boyfriend

Adam Rippon and boyfriend JP Kajaala hike in Finland
Adam Rippon and boyfriend JP Kajaala (Photo: YouTube)

One of the attractions of Finland in northern Europe is its abundance of fresh air, forests and stunning scenery. 

Former US Olympic skater Adam Rippon knows all about that. He’s been dating his Finnish boyfriend, Jussi-Pekka (‘JP’) Kajaala, since matching on Tinder in late 2017 and has made several trips to the country.

On a recent visit, JP decided to introduce Adam to the delights of Nordic walking. However, things didn’t go quite as planned. 

Nordic walking is walking with the aid of two walking poles: kind of similar to ski poles. 

However, getting used to walking with two poles can take some adjusting – something that both Adam, and, eventually, JP, decide they don’t have much time for. 

You can watch how they get along in the video below. 

Having given up with the poles, they eventually come across a forest walk in Sipoonkorpi National Park. The park is not far from the city of Helsinki and features spruce trees, swampland, and the Byabäcken river. It is indeed stunning, and Adam admits this sort of landscape is his, “favorite part of Finland.” 

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If you love the great outdoors, Finland provides no end of opportunity for hiking, with much of the northern parts of the country uninhabited. It boasts over 168,000 lakes and around 78% of the country is forested.

Related: Gay Helsinki

Of course, if you prefer city life, head for capital city Helsinki, which offers gay nightlife and plenty of opportunities to indulge in that most Scandinavian of pastimes – the traditional sauna!

If you want to enjoy the long summer days, plan a trip to coincide with Helsinki Pride, when the sun doesn’t set much before 11pm.

Related: Adam Rippon announces retirement from skating in powerful letter

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