Silver Medallist Pushes for Better Snowboard Facilities

Piiroinen's winning run (available only in Finland)

Piiroinen, known to fans of the sport as "P2", nabbed the silver medal in the halfpipe, just behind the sport’s biggest star, Shaun White of the US. But while White has his very own halfpipe to practice on, Piiroinen says there is not a single proper one in Finland.

"It would be nice to have a good pipe somewhere in Finland so we would not always have to go abroad for training. On a good pipe, you don't have to use it very long before you learn new tricks," he told YLE.

Speed skater Mika Poutala, who placed fifth in the men's 500 metre sprint in Vancouver, has also decried the lack of proper facilities for his sport in Finland, which has traditionally invested heavily in Nordic ski and hockey facilities.

The Red Carpet -- But No Pledge for a Halfpipe

Piiroinen's hometown of Hyvinkää is staging a welcoming celebration on Monday evening when he arrives from the airport, first at city hall and then on the town square. YLE TV2 will broadcast the event at 7 pm, which will feature performances by two live bands and members of the local Sputnik Snowboarding team.

Hyvinkää is giving Piiroinen a congratulatory check worth 3500 euros. However it is balking at his call to help build a halfpipe in the hilly town -- which tries to attract tourists with its local ski resort, known as Sveitsi ("Switzerland").

Hyvinkää is located in the northern part of Uusimaa province, just 55 km north of Helsinki.

The company that operates Sveitsi says there is a plan ready to build a snowboard facility, but that the project is on ice due to difficulty in raising the needed investment funds. A proper halfpipe with snowmaking equipment and lifts would cost hundreds of thousands of euros. The company says it will not be able to go ahead with the project without financing from the EU, the state and/or the municipality.

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