Growing up in the north of Finland, the weather was never something to complain about. If it was -20°C, Henna Palosaari simply put on more layers. A remarkable relationship with the outdoors that has continued into adulthood. Whether snowboarding in winter, bike packing through warmer months or surfing in between; Henna is a life adventurer happiest when outside.

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Henna has just messaged to say she’ll be a little late for our call. Swapping her native Finnish slopes for a four-week snowboarding holiday on Japanese powder, when her video feed pings into life she explains how her evening meal was truly wonderful but took far longer than expected.

“We found this traditional Japanese restaurant run by a couple in their eighties. All very lovely but it took us over two hours to eat our dinner. And then I felt a little guilty that they were still working into their old age.”

After honing their craft over all that time, I suggest that maybe it’s more passion than profession. And then continue our food theme by admitting how the name of Henna’s cold weather clothing—Haglöfs—reminds me of an ice cream brand.

“Häagen-Dazs?” she responds with a laugh. “That’s funny. Maybe I should suggest they diversify.”

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Looking relaxed and warmly wrapped up in down jacket and wool beanie, I’m reminded that Henna studied accountancy at university but quit her job as an auditor to spend the winter in Innsbruck as—and I quote—a ski bum. So I’m naturally curious to learn what prompted such a major change in lifestyle?

“One big factor was the semester I spent abroad in New Zealand studying for my Masters. I hiked a lot and learnt to surf and then spent some time in Bali before returning home to Finland to take up a position with an accountancy firm. And I remember thinking whether this was how it was going to be for the next 20 or 30 years. So my best friend and I decided to try the European ski season and that’s how we ended up in Innsbruck.”

Fast forward to 2024 and Henna is now working for Bikeland.fi—the Finnish centre for cycling tourism—where she’s responsible for building and updating the website as well as coordinating the development and integration of cycle routes. 

“Back when I was working as an accountant,” Henna explains, “I didn’t ride a bike. That came later when, like a lot of other people, I started to ride during the pandemic. Initially it was just a way of getting some fresh air but then I began to go a little further. I bought a gravel bike and some bike packing bags and set off on a 4800 km trip around Finland. And the more I rode, the more cycling became a passion. So when I saw a job with Bikeland, I applied but didn’t get it. And then a little later, I applied for another position with them and didn’t get that one either. But then they called me about the job I do now and that’s how I got started.”

A good example, I’m thinking, of how it pays to be persistent, before our conversation turns to Ride To Ski; the recently released film that, as the title suggests, combines her love of cycling and snowboarding. Featuring friends Sami Sauri and Malva Björkman, Henna not only planned all the routes but also produced the film. So very much a passion project?

“Yes. For sure. It was an idea that I’d been mulling over for a couple of years before deciding that, this winter, we were going to make it happen.”

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Offering a plentitude of Alpine panoramas and loaded with smiles and laughter, certain emotive scenes show Malva coming to terms with a traumatic event she’d previously experienced when skiing. So I’m wondering whether the way the three friends were travelling and experiencing the outdoors helped unlock these inner thoughts and feelings?

“When you travel by bike,” suggests Henna, “there’s definitely more time to process your thoughts. And when you’re physically tired, emotions can get stirred up that maybe you’re subconsciously suppressing? So I guess for me, cycling is a kind of safe haven where I can think through what’s going on in my life.”

Not the first project Henna has shared with Sami Sauri, the pair initially met over Instagram before plans were put in place to ride the Arctic Post Road; the resultant film depicting back-to-back days crossing the Nordic wilderness.

“From my experience your funniest memories of a trip are when things don’t go according to plan. And our plans began to unravel when we’d just completed a super technical section and we found ourselves running a little behind schedule. It was getting late but we decided to push through to the next village that had accommodation. It was raining, starting to get cold and the mosquitoes were biting when we finally arrived at our destination. But there was no one around and the contact number we’d been given wasn’t answering. Then we noticed this guy approaching on a quad bike who told us the owner of the cabin had gone fishing and couldn’t be contacted.”

Laughing as she reminisces, I’m mentally putting myself in that same scenario and wondering what I would decide to do? With no accommodation available, the pair pitching their tent in the parking lot before cooking a meal of pasta. A good reminder that it helps to be self-sufficient and always carry what you need for those just-in-case situations.

“The most stressful aspect of our Ride To Ski trip was getting all the equipment sorted before setting off. Malva’s bike arrived by mail with a bent derailleur hanger so that was a last minute hassle. But because of all this rushing around, the actual trip felt relatively stress free.”

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I rather guiltily admit to Henna that I found myself smiling at the scene from the film which shows them riding up this incredibly steep road with Malva getting slower and slower until she eventually comes to a halt and tips over.

“That was on the first night and it was a 25% ramp,” laughs Henna. “And I later learnt that it was Malva’s first ever bike packing trip. And Sami—who cycles a lot—had only skied twice that season. So considering the circumstances, I think we managed pretty well.”

Keen to point out that she doesn’t consider herself to be a professional cyclist or snowboarder, Henna is visibly more comfortable when I suggest that she’s a storyteller.

“I’m conscious that we see a lot of professional athletes doing incredible things but that’s not always the most relatable content for someone considering riding a bike for the first time. So if I can bring my amateur adventures to life and share them in a way that inspires people to go exploring themselves, then maybe that will translate to amazing experiences when they spend time outdoors?”

Growing up in Finland, time spent outdoors meant biking to school all year round, whatever the weather. A willingness to contend with the vagaries of the seasons that Henna has carried through to adulthood.

“My Dad would spend time teaching us new skills like how to use a saw or light a fire. And I still find there’s a real sense of satisfaction from figuring out a problem. When I first embarked on my van Eldo’s renovation there was hour after hour of research on YouTube and Google—a van building bubble that took over my life for a few months. But now I get to enjoy the result of all that hard work and it’s what ties me and Eldo so closely together.”

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Clearly tenacious by nature and always willing to seek out a solution, my thoughts turn to another project that saw Henna experimenting with the concept of light packing; carrying everything she needed for an overnighter in a 14L backpack.

“I do get a certain sense of satisfaction in seeing how little I need to carry. And that’s another aspect that I love about travelling by bike. How once you’ve invested in a few essential pieces of equipment—a gas stove, a tent, a sleeping bag and mat—then you’re basically good to go.”

Is there a piece of kit that Henna’s never without, I wonder?

“I pretty much always carry an emergency blanket. Just in case,” she answers with a laugh. “And in the Nordics, whether it’s summer or winter, you always travel with a down jacket.”

So there’s never a time when Henna decides to stay inside, under her duvet?

“I do love sleeping. But usually I know that if I’ve planned something, then it will make me feel so much better. So that’s the motivation I need to get myself moving. And spending time outdoors is where I feel most relaxed. Our day-to-day lives can be quite frantic but when I’m riding my bike or out on the slopes, it’s as if time is standing still and I don’t feel in a rush. For me, a really important way of managing both my physical and mental wellbeing.”

Conscious that Henna is 10 hours ahead and needs to rest before once again hitting the slopes in the morning, I finish up our conversation with one final question but with the proviso that she doesn’t have to answer. But I can’t help feeling curious whether she sees herself as a snowboarder who cycles, or a cyclist who skis?

“That’s a tricky one! But we have made a film called Ride To Ski. So maybe the truth lies somewhere in the middle?”

Photography with kind permission of Henna Palosaari / Feature image by Emil Nyeng