Iisko Heiskanen
Hometown: Joutseno, Finland | Active: 2003-present | Known for: runner-up at the 2006 Orage European Freeski Open halfpipe, RED and Legacy | Disciplines: halfpipe, big air, slopestyle
A 140-metre superpipe rose six metres above the snow at Laax during the Orage European Freeski Open from 22 to 26 March 2006. The course gave skiers at least five hits, and more than 100 riders from 18 countries came to Switzerland for superpipe and slopestyle. Iisko Heiskanen entered both disciplines in a field containing Candide Thovex, Simon Dumont, TJ Schiller, Jacob Wester and Charles Gagnier. The scale of the pipe placed the Finnish skier inside one of the largest European freeski fields of that winter.
Pyhätunturi 2005 brings national big-air silver
At Pyhätunturi on 2 April 2005, Antti-Jussi Kemppainen won the Finnish Championships big air final with 44.7 points. Heiskanen scored 44.5 for second place, with Janne Salonen third on 42.5. The two-tenths gap placed Heiskanen directly behind Kemppainen in the five-man final and documented his position in Finnish big air before his strongest international halfpipe result.
Laax 2006 puts Thovex ahead
The superpipe final ended with Candide Thovex first, Heiskanen second and Simon Dumont third. Corey Vanular, Jacob Wester and Jossi Wells followed them in the ranking. Heiskanen also entered the slopestyle final and finished 18th. The halfpipe runner-up result became the clearest international competition result in his public record, with Thovex and Dumont framing his position on the podium.
Verse Productions links HDP and Flatlight
RED arrived in fall 2006 through Verse Productions. Lasse Nevantausta and Aarni Toiviainen directed the project, Tuukka Tiensuu edited it, and Heiskanen skied alongside Joonas Kuoksa, Jussi Vanninen, Risto Korhonen and Mart Perendi. The film concentrated on Finnish city rails and park kickers rather than big-mountain terrain.
Legacy followed through Verse Productions in November 2007. Heiskanen was again part of the Finnish freeski cast, with Oskari Raitanen among the riders named around the release. The project was distributed free online and continued the production line established by RED one year earlier.
Hello brought Heiskanen into a Flatlight Films project in 2010. Miikka Niemi directed and edited the eight-minute short after five days of filming at Ylläs in April. Antti-Jussi Kemppainen, Pekka Hyysalo and Antti Ollila shared the ski cast, while Iisakki Kennilä and Aarni Toiviainen joined Niemi behind the cameras.
The remaining selected projects are Solid Powder 2.0 (2003, HDP Films) and Solid Powder 3 (2004, HDP Films), both directed by Ari Kananen.
Levi 2011 keeps the pipe active
The Polar Open at Levi in March 2011 used a halfpipe described as being in good condition. Heiskanen won the men's freeski category ahead of Sami Säkkinen and Daniel Antell, while Risto Mattila, Antti Autti and Joel Lahti occupied the snowboard podium. The Levi start came five years after Laax and more than a decade after Finnish coverage had already identified Heiskanen with freeskiing.
Sappee 2012 provides the latest contest trace
A photograph from the Finnish Open at Sappee in 2012 identifies Heiskanen as the skier on the jump, providing the latest dated competition appearance retained here. By then his public record covered HDP Films, Verse Productions and Flatlight Films projects alongside halfpipe, slopestyle and big-air contests from Finland to Laax.
Main competition results
- 2005/06 — Orage European Freeski Open, Laax — Slopestyle — 18th
- 2005/06 — Orage European Freeski Open, Laax — Halfpipe — 2nd
Selection of his strongest results. Not a complete competition record.
Selected filmography
- 2010 — Hello — Flatlight Films — Short segment
- 2007 — Legacy — Verse Productions — Full segment
- 2006 — RED — Verse Productions — Full segment
- 2004 — Solid Powder 3 — HDP Films — Short segment
- 2003 — Solid Powder 2.0 — HDP Films — Short segment
Selection of his main film projects. Not a complete filmography.
