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The name Janne Järvenpää does not immediately bring to mind a precision worker whose work inspires respect throughout Europe. He is a rather laid-back character, very laid-back in fact, and he’s very easy to get on with.

 

Janne runs the company called Reiliseppo, which specialises in construction of a variety of challenging obstacles for recreational and competition activities. His workshop has produced all sorts of jumps, rails and boxes for a number of European ski resorts. Now Janne is faced with new challenges as last year Ukkohalla inaugurated the world’s northernmost Cable Wakeboard course.

 

New obstacles developed by Janne are being installed in the Ukkohalla Cable Wake Park. Plenty of instructions are shouted out, but the atmosphere is nevertheless surprisingly unhurried. Rushing is something Janne is not used to doing; in fact he probably doesn’t even know the meaning of the word.

 

The experience learnt from snow is also worth utilising for water, as the basic rules are the same. Ukkohalla’s Wake obstacles have received much praise from the Wakeboard experts visiting the site. “The most essential difference with structures built for water is size. As the cable pulls at speeds of around thirty kilometres an hour, the obstacles have to be sufficiently large. Another big difference is the material used, as the metals used for the slippery surfaces for wintertime cannot be used in water. All sliding surfaces used in the water are made from sturdy plastic”, Janne tells of the differences between winter and summer rails.

 

Not only does Janne manufacture the obstacles, he also tests the products he produces. He is a familiar sight snowboarding the slopes to test his innovations. The more extreme products are left for top skiers to test. The new digital systems camera has also been put to good use, as the high resolution images have quickly been uploaded to the Reiliseppo and Ukkohalla websites, which also increased the interest in the region. 

 

Although Janne appears to be a regular sight on Ukkohalla’s slopes and the Syväjärvi Lake, he arrived in Ukkohalla only three years ago when the new entrepreneurs of the region beckoned him to the region and gave him free hand in developing the ski resort. Janne’s story is a good example of how finding the right people for the right job brings in greater results.

 

As usual for Kainuu folk, Janne is very secretive about his future developments. You can tell from his eyes he is thinking about a number of different ideas. He does, however, reveal that he is planning some interesting new ideas for the Cable Wakepark, but he is waiting to hear feedback on the jumps and boxes he has already prepared for this summer. Janne’s work is spectacularly presented in late July to early August at Ukkohalla's Cable Wakeboard European Championships and the World Cup stage competition.

 

On the basis of feedback received to date, it appears that the company Reiliseppo and Janne Järvenpää will also enhance their reputation in water sports outside of Finland.

 

Janne’s handshake at the end of the meeting is very firm, just as firm as the barren nature of Ukkohalla. You feel quite in balance with yourself after a visit to Ukkohalla, and the small goings on of the world don’t seem to affect Janne that much.