Riding in swimming pool...

This is what I'm doing in the evenings!

Visit in Home country

I visited in my home country and home town Nokia.

Belive me, Nokia is really city in Finland. http://www.nokiankaupunki.fi/matkailu/foreign_visitors/

Yes I know Nokia is producing also "some" mobile phones and networks, but everything started from Nokia city by rubber and paper industry and much later with mobile phones.))

If you don't know, where it's situated, maybe you know neighbouring cityTampere. It's little bit bigger and about 200km to north from Helsinki. I was just studying in Tampere University 3 days and hadn't time to do anything else.

Well yes some photo shooting only, my photos are from Tampere.

This nicely situated "cottage" is one landmark, it's old shot tower.

Another land mark of Tampere is Näsinneula the highest building in Finland. (almost 170m)

From the walking bridge of Tammerkoski you can find "Love-locks". Who ever can just fasten their lock to there and the most of them are with engraved names. Nice idea! If you feel so, bring your lock to Tampere.))

Returning back to Russia wasn't so nice! I made it by car.

There was huge queue on the border-crossing and even that I passed really unjust way about 300 cars I still spent altogether 3,5 hours in queue (( ...no Duty free shopping, I just sat in the locked car, I scared that those who I passed will beat me up.)) Queue didn't move at all!!  

Yeah next time by train!!!

Couple snapshots in ZolDol...

What's going on? I ordered already snow and minus degrees, delivery times are delayed or what?
I'm still waiting for big air kickers, half pipe etc...
Jibbing is not so lot of my area, so I was more shooting.

Snowboard season opened

Золотая Долина = Kultainen Laakso = Golden Valley

Золотая Долина has been my home slope already 5 years. Slopes are situated about 100km to north from St. Petersburg.

This weekend I really went there, even that the weather looked so bad in the city, again raining etc...
Well I have already 5 years' experience, that everything is better over there and really raining changed to snowing and landscape was white for snow, something totally different than in the city, where everything is so dirty, dark and depressed.
On the way to slopes I shot this photo, white landscape with Giant Hogweeds (Гигантский Борщевик = Jättiläisputki). Yeah quite strange landscape!

We haven't had so lot of minus degrees and they opened only one slope, not real kickers etc..., but it's great chance to get back a touch of snowboarding.
So I've not yet any great big-air pictures!)) Will be for sure, it was so great again to ride!

Link of my home slopes!
http://www.zoldol.ru/

Double S-bend in swimming pool

Lot of my friends are now somewhere riding, I mean in some warm place, where you don't need even wetsuit (e.g. in Philippines, Thailand etc...).
Yes I would like to go also!!
We are here in the middle of darkness and rain, waiting that we could get little bit snow, at least could ride by snowboard. Actually some slopes already opened, there was enough minus degrees (Celsius) and they made snow by snow blower, but I didn't open my season yet, it was so bad weather at the last weekend. I don't know what is happening to me, earlier I would be there already for sure.
Well because it's not possible at the moment to go anywhere, I must be contended, that I can ride in swimming pool.)))
Yeah I got some results and I made some new tricks, we should have video camera more often with us.))
Check this trick! Space is really limited and tiles are so near, but I believe it will work well on the lake, there I can cut longer, get more speed and air, also there is some space in the landing.
Yes quality is quite poor here in blogger, but it's possible to watch.
Link to my Vimeo profile, there is maybe something more and quality is better: http://vimeo.com/ak1

Amsterdam

I had a chance to go the business trip to Amsterdam for 3 days. My colleagues flew from Helsinki, but I flew from St. Petersburg. In the airport of Amsterdam was so strong fog, that lot of arrival planes were delayed or diverted. My plane landed, thanks to brave Russian pilot, but my colleagues flew to Brussels.)))

                                                                                                                                                                          
Well I had a little bit time to walk around in the city center and photo. There was still some fog in the air also in center.

Amsterdam is the city of bikes! They have solved their traffic jams this way, everybody are driving by bikes. Well they have also some problems e.g. to find parking places for them. Below is the picture how they solved little bit this challenge. There are some canal boats and their meaning is only to be parking platform for bikes, this is just because all space beside of the streets are busy for parked bikes!! This kind of biking culture could solve some traffic problems also in St. Petersburg, but attitude should change totally. I saw stylish mature lady with long and great fur driving by bike and her handbag was in the bright yellow basket at front of the bike....so Bohemian!! Of course in this kind of moment camera is in the backpack.(((
These kind of stylish mature ladies in St. Petersburg are coming out only from Lexus, when their driver opens the door.)))
Okay we have -25C sometimes in the winter and biking wouldn't be so great.))
I rented a bike and tried also. In the beginning driving is even little bit difficult there, because you have own one-way lanes, own traffic lights etc. for bikes, but I used to it very fast.

I met there some strange and great people e.g. this hippie-troubadour, who wanted to tell some philosophies of life to everybody or this small boy, who just pop up from somewhere and wanted to tell me something, when I was shooting photos near of Van Gogh museum.

I think I'll return back to Amsterdam... in December or maybe in summer...

Trampoline session

Earlier I was jumping quite a lot on trampoline... unfortunately now only sometimes. Jumping over there is always fun, but it's also great way to develope body balance and coordination ability.
Couple photos from Bump-Club St.Petersburg...

http://bump-club.ru/

Kirill Shevchenko photo shooting...

Kirill is professional photographer and journalist, who is riding himself also, at least by snowboard and kite. I was proud that he was shooting us and very proud photo's, which he shared to me from our pool sessions.
Here is one nice photo of my s-bend.
Thank you Kirill, link of his photo blog below!
http://mobilizator.blogspot.com/

Still on the lake!!

Like I wrote my open water season is closed, but I know some amazing people who love wakeboarding and wakesurfing so much that they are doing it still on the lake (here in St. Petersburg). I got invitation to join and of course I went. I was only photo shooting, but now afterwards I little bit repent that I didn't ride too.
Here is couple photo's of our session. My fingers were totally frozen for shooting.)))
RESPECT for them who were still riding!!

Pool season

I stopped to ride outside in the end of September. Actually North-West Russia Championships was the last time. I scared injury for cold water and cold conditions, I had already problems with my ankle, which I hurted in Turkey, so I move to ride in Swimming pool.
For me training in swimming pool is great chance to learn new tricks and keep a touch to wakeboarding during winter. Of course weekends I will ride by snowboard, but weekdays as often as I can I'll ride in pool.
Here some pics from the beginning of pool season.

The last summer

Summer is totally over and I think autumn also!
I downloaded here some photos, which I had from summer. Mostly summer was cable wakeboarding .... only that and for that.))

http://www.quiksilver.ru/news/sunpark_30aug11/

During the summer I had great equipments, but I lost them also a lot. Here is one picture of my boards, which I brake during the season. Lot of great memories with them, even that couple of them were in use only two weeks before breakage.

Get started...

Plan to start to keep blog was in my mind already loooong time. Well now it's started.
I needed only one lonely autumnal Saturday morning)).