During an ordinary winter day in Finland, people go to saunas, wear woolen stockings and cuddle up next to the fire. Skateboarding is also proving a great way to warm up, and not as kindling. For the past few years, one of the raddest and baddest skate crews, Keep Rolling Movement, has been organising skate events like nobody else in Finland. Here are some highlights from the recent tours.
During the Summer ’17, the first extensive girl and LGBTQ+ skate tour in the history of Finland happened, with a bang! With a crew of 18 skaters, they went off-the-beaten-path, in search of a true skate adventure. Throughout the 10-day tour, the charming crew carved and cruised through Finnish farmlands, around lakes, all the while squeezed into (let’s be honest) a fairly luxurious bus! Leather seats, bunk beds and the tiniest master suite in the world. When not ripping up the hidden gems of Finland, they were downing beers and filling up on tofu. As is the case with so many diversity-driven crews these days, the environment was welcoming and the whole trip was nothing but good, solid support. The trip was an introduction to the tour life for these skaters, the same life so many male athletes have been experiencing for years.
In 2018, the second rolled around. Now an annual thing, this was even bigger than expected. Not only there were premieres and exhibitions to organise along the way, but also a totally new country to navigate and discover. A considerable amount of passion fuelled the organisers to push forward and finally, in July, more than 30 skaters from all over Europe arrived in Copenhagen. The spots were dope and the crew was big, and in classic Keep Rolling style, daily swimming and nature trips helped everyone unwind after a major session. Naturally, most of the nights ended in Christiania, especially since the majority of the crew stayed behind the area in a rented football club. A documentary premiere from the previous year’s tour, What a Waste of Time, was held in Wonderland while pineapple and watermelon beers were being chugged. A big thanks goes out to the locals, who helped out. You’ve gotta’ love people in Copenhagen.
LGBTQ+ and women skaters are killing it all over the globe, and the situation way up North is no different. It doesn’t matter whether it’s hot or cold, rainy or sunny. Skating happens, everywhere. And it couldn’t happen without us.
