Pekka Hyysalo
Hometown: Turku, Finland | Active: 2008-2010 | Known for: 2010 Total Fight win, Finnish slopestyle title, film segments in Roots and Hello | Disciplines: slopestyle, big air
A hard gust crossed the Ylläs landing on 28 April 2010 as Pekka Hyysalo approached the jump switch. The session belonged to the final day of filming for Hello, a Flatlight Films short shot in Finnish Lapland. Hyysalo committed to a switch double cork 1080, but the burst of air carried him beyond the intended landing zone. He over-rotated and came down sideways on the flat. The crash ended a filming week that had brought Antti-Jussi Kemppainen, Antti Ollila, director Miikka Niemi and the Flatlight crew together around the resort.
Mayrhofen 2008 brings the first international podium
Hyysalo's first international podium came at the Austrian Freeski Open in Mayrhofen in 2008. Kalle Leinonen won, Russ Henshaw finished second and Hyysalo took third. Vans Penken Park's 2007/08 setup contained four lines alongside rails, boxes, wall rides and a pipe. The result placed Hyysalo in a European slopestyle field outside his Finnish competition base.
Stockholm 2009 tests city big air
Stockholm's King of Style brought a steel city jump and a cold breeze into the 2009 season. In the final, Hyysalo landed a double cork 1260 mute and finished fourth. Andreas Håtveit won ahead of Phil Casabon and Sammy Carlson, while Jon Olsson finished fifth. The 12-rider final followed a qualification round that sent six skiers through to meet six prequalified riders.
Grandvalira 2010 delivers the Total Fight win
Sun lit the Grandvalira-El Tarter snowpark on 27 March 2010, and the course offered multiple routes through the slopestyle. Hyysalo chose the Big Air line and won the Total Fight Masters of Freestyle. Oskari Raitanen finished second and Paco Benguerel third. The Andorran result came less than two weeks before Finland's national slopestyle championship.
Suomu 2010 adds the Finnish slopestyle title
At Suomu on 9 April 2010, limited conditions reduced the size of the jumps and the men's final used a single kicker. Hyysalo landed a fake 900 and won the Finnish slopestyle title for Turun Slalomseura. Antti Ollila took silver and Ville Koskela bronze. The result was followed by an invitation to the Jon Olsson Invitational in Åre.
Verse and Flatlight frame two films
Roots arrived in 2008 through Verse Productions, with Lasse Nevantausta behind the film. Hyysalo joined a cast that included Antti-Jussi Kemppainen, Oskari Raitanen, Matti Räty, Elias Ambühl and Jussi Mononen. Filming locations stretched from Helsinki and Ruka to Laax, Warth, Lech, Les Portes du Soleil, Ylläs and Saariselkä.
Flatlight Films released Hello in 2010 after five days of filming at Ylläs. Miikka Niemi directed the eight-minute short and filmed alongside Iisakki Kennilä and Aarni Toiviainen; Antti-Jussi Kemppainen and Antti Ollila skied with Hyysalo. The project was supported by Salomon and Marker Völkl and entered iF3 Europe in Annecy.
Ylläs recovery leads toward FightBack
The Ylläs accident left Hyysalo in a coma and ended the skiing career he had been building through contests and film shoots. He returned to skis 11 months later. In 2013 he founded FightBack, shifting his public work toward rehabilitation and speaking while continuing to ski recreationally.
In April 2016, Evento Awards named Hyysalo Speaker of the Year. The FightBack rehabilitation space in Turku had opened on 8 March that year, giving the project a physical base. At the time, Hyysalo was also travelling around Finland to give presentations almost weekly.
Main competition results
- 2009/10 — Finnish Championships, Suomu — Slopestyle — 1st
- 2009/10 — Total Fight Masters of Freestyle, Grandvalira — Slopestyle — 1st
- 2009/10 — King of Style, Stockholm — Big air — 4th
- 2007/08 — Austrian Freeski Open, Mayrhofen — Slopestyle — 3rd
Selection of his strongest results. Not a complete competition record.
Selected filmography
- 2010 — Hello — Flatlight Films — Full segment
- 2008 — Roots — Verse Productions — Full segment
Selection of his main film projects. Not a complete filmography.
