Roosa Mikkola
Big energy drink sponsor? No.
X-games medals, videoparts of the year, podium positions in serious competitions, Nbd tricks or rotations over four digits? -No, no, no, no and no.
It’s not always about the size of the spin, it’s about the soul of the sailor.
When Roosa hits the slopes, seriousness is left at the office and fun gets strapped in on the same board with her.
Roosas relationship with snowboarding was influenced strongly by her two brothers, who contrary to the general big brother rule, were not complete dicks, but rather encouraging and supportive towards lil’sis’ interest for sideways snowsports. Believe it or not, it was her parents that needed the most convincing that snowboarding is actually a suitable recreational hobby for a girl.
Eventually, as good parents always do, they gave in.
If somebody has ever said that snowboard park riding should be done before and until you’re 25 -and then move on to turning and riding big mountains.. Roosa was definitely looking out the window at the time that phrase was spoken. For her the path above went, and goes, the other way around.
She learned the ropes of snowboarding, in a very typical way for many Finns, at a tiny local resort. Hers was in south Karelia, Finland.
Despite this, Roosa has a strong constitution for just riding the slopes.
In her later study years she got involved in arranging snowboarding trips to the Alps. She also took initiative for launching all female riding groups within these trips -just to notice, even well into the 21st century, that there was a high demand for even just a space where ”girls can be girls” within snowboarding.
Even though snowboarding might be the perfect sport, we still have some way to go before everyone can claim it is a true safe and fun place for all personas, and not just a stomping ground for hot shit white males to flex their nuts.
Sadly (as for so many of us) Roosa needed to leave the dream job hosting ride tours for young university adults for a real job. But the joy of sideways action did not leave her.
The everlong slopes of the Alps changed for the 1 minute banzai charge at the legendary Talma resort in Finland, and so our heroess found herself taking on this new environment . Snowboarding in any form, air or steel, takes tons of guts to take on even as a kid so how does starting to practice that front board from scratch when hitting your thirties sound like? -well, let’s just say it takes a whole lot more courage than 15 years before.
As Roosa chases the white rabbit of how far the envelope of late stage awoken park riding can progress, she also has sharpened her nails as an ambassador for female wakeboarding.
It’s also been said that old habits die slow, if at all.
In mid season -26 Roosa revived her spark to host and arrange an girls only “Mimmisessarit” snowboard sessions -just to live and see again that it got fully booked within hours!
So rest assured this can be expected as an regular future event.
Taking just a few laps down the slopes with this joyful snowboarder makes it really easy just forget why everything was so bloody serious to begin with.