The story of Pyhä Ski School
This season, Pyhä Ski School celebrates its 50th anniversary. In half a century, a small mountain ski school has grown into one of Finland’s most significant ski schools – a place that has taught generations of skiers and helped shape Finnish ski culture. It all began in the 1970s, when a group of young people from southern Finland jumped into a Ford Escort after an urgent phone call.
The Skisixteam revolution
The article was originally published in Pyhätunturi’s anniversary book
The responsibility of Pyhä Ski School was transferred to Skisixteam ry just before Pyhätunturi Oy was acquired by the Finnish Tourist Association. "Hotel manager Matti Koponen called and said we had to make a contract quickly. We borrowed a friend’s mother’s Ford Escort and drove in a hurry to Pyhä", Olof Rytövaara recalls.
Skisixteam ry was founded by six people in Helsinki: Ola Laurila, Tuomo Purola, Markus Roschier, Olof Rytövaara, Roger Talermo and Satu Juva (née Erkkilä). In the 1970s, it was one of the largest ski schools in Finland, teaching in Swinghill, Kalpalinna, Kauniainen, Westend, Peuramaa, and Hyvinkää Sveitsi.
"We were the first independent commercial ski school in Finland. We had our own shirts and bags with the Skisixteam logo. That was unheard of in the 1970s", Markus Roschier says.
All founders except Roger Talermo were active in Pyhä. "Roger had his own projects in Suomutunturi, so he taught there", Tuomo Purola explains. Members of Skisixteam also helped spread ski culture in student circles. Purola is one of the founders of KY-Ski, while Laurila, Roschier, and Rytövaara helped establish Skipoli.
Koponen gave Skisixteam free rein to develop the resort’s activity services. Soon the ski school handled almost all customer service at the resort. Upon arrival, guests were shown a slide presentation introducing the resort. The next day there was a free slope introduction, followed by a week-long course. "One of the founders was always responsible for the weekly program", Purola explains. The ski school also handled evening entertainment: discos for adults, films for children, and costume parties on Thursdays.
Skisixteam was also actively involved in organizing major competitions. Pyhä instructors often cleaned up the prize tables. Pyhä instructors have won the most Finnish championship medals in alpine skiing of any ski school in Finland, with women achieving particularly strong success with over 20 medals.
In the late 1970s, Skisixteam also ran ski rental operations. "It was good business because it helped us guide customers into instruction", says Rytövaara, who served as head of Pyhä Ski School from 1976 to 1986. Sales were active and entrepreneurial. "The next day’s gigs were always sold the night before in the hotel restaurant. Somehow you always had to sell yourself", Purola says.
Active instructors had plenty of work – in peak seasons up to 200 hours. “Usually nothing was saved, though. The wheels of the economy kept turning and almost everything earned went back into the resort, mostly into the restaurant,” Purola recalls.
The founders of Skisixteam are no longer involved, but the association still runs Pyhä Ski School.
Today, Pyhä Ski School continues to offer week programs, as well as traditional alpine and snowboard lessons and a wide selection of freeride lessons for both children and adults, from beginners to advanced riders. New seasonal instructors are also being recruited for the coming winter, with recruitment starting already in April!
