Description

Pockets, pockets and more pockets!

Tip: Update the crag if you've got it offline, as new routes pop up here very often :)

V-koski is an area of 4 compact sectors a few hundred meters apart each other. It's a perfect spot for those climbing 6's or below or those of you who just wanna have fun climbing high quality problems. On top of that there are 7's as well for each sector for those willing to climb a bit harder problems. The landings are mostly good, and 2 good crashpads should be enough for climbing almost any route here.

The routes here vary from safe lowballs to relatively high ones. And climbing is versatile in styles and steepness as well. Speciality of V-koski is the amount of pockets, which is very exceptional for any area in Southern Finland. There's a pocket for almost every problem here, and if there aren't pockets, then the boulders are nicely formed, mostly offering some other types of good holds.

Choose a sector for a session and make yourself a circuit, or go and get familiar with all the sectors and choose your future projects :) Description and a few recommendations of the sectors below:

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V-KOSKI SECTOR
V-koski -sector has got a wide range of different styles of bouldering. Morfokivet, Komero and Takakaarre are low boulders, but all have their own characterictics. Vartiotorni and Unelmakivi have got some taller problems as well, and are mainly vertical or a bit slabby, thus offering some more technical problems.

Boulders on V-koski -sector dry partially quickly and partially not, but there should be plenty of problems to be climbed rather quickly after the rains as well.

A few recommendations for the V-koski -sector:

Komero:
Kevyttä Yläpilveä, Tekninen Tyrmäys and Kulman Kundi

Morfokivet:
The Flying Spaghetti Monster, Morfonatsi and Superpolvipatukka

Takakaarre:
Kirvesmiehen Kakkospäivä, Säihkysilmä and Kulahtanut Villi

Vartiotorni:
Along The Watchtower, Apinaorkesteri, Tee Kulli

Unelmakivi:
Le Pocket, Unelma Onnesta and Tabouret Haut

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LOHKAREIKKO SECTOR
Lohkareikko sector consists of Släbikivi and a pack of smaller boulders (Kivenpyörittäjä, Lintukivet and Suursyömäri) on a small hill. Släbikivi is a relatively large boulder, mainly having some really nice easy, highish slabs with really nice pockets. On Släbikivi you can have some variation climbing the overhanging short problems on the rock just besides the slab :)

Suursyömäri and Kivenpyörittäjä -boulders dry relatively quickly after the rains, whereas Lintukivi and Släbikivi dripple partially a bit longer, but latter mentioned also have some routes that dry quickly.

Here are a few recommendations for the Lohkareikko -sector:

Släbikivi:
Seitsemäs Taivas, Pokettibingo and Aale Kokki

The other smaller boulders on the hill:
Peloittava Suursyömäri, Tyhjän Päälle and Jurripeippo

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V-KOSKI NORTH SECTOR
V-Koski North sector is a set of several boulders with high quality problems on all of them.

Seitsemän Ihmettä -boulder is a nice mix of relatively easy, yet really nice slabs and some superb vertical and overhanging routes with really nice holds and moves. A perfect choice for climbing mileage and having fun climbing high quality problems. Seitsemän Ihmettä -boulder takes a little longer to dry up, but mainly 24h should be enough. In the autumn though, when humidity is high it might take longer to dry, as the boulder is on a swampy area.

Taistelukivet is the choice if you're into climbing 7 -graded problems. The rock(s) are mostly on open, so they dry quickly, thus making them really good spot for spring and autumn sessions.

Double Decker is in the open, so it dries really quickly. The problems on this boulder are nice, with good holds. Climb the problems on this rock for warm up, and move on to Taistelukivet for some harder stuff :)

Vietkong, Louhiluola and Parkki-Pirkko are on a sunny clearcutting, so they are the first ones to dry after the rains, and also first ones to melt in the spring as well. These are good choices for warming up before moving to Taistelukivet, and considerably harder problems.

PÄÄTEPYSÄKKI IS PARTIALLY RUINED BY THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION WORK, WE'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT... Päätepysäkki dries relatively quickly after the rains, with the exception the routes that use the crack in the back of the boulder (Maanvyörymä and Harjapiilo).

Take a look at least at these when you're around:

Seitsemän Ihmettä:
Sydänkäpynen, Pukkihyppy Taivaaseen (together with it's extension) and Hyllyn Pelastama

Päätepysäkki:
Jetflag, Hinkkaripäällikkö, Hajoita ja Hallitse

Taistelukivet
Mallin Kuiskutus, Matin Taistelu, Kakssilmä

Double Decker:
All of the problems are equally nice

Louhiluola
Kivikiima (both versions)

Suutari
All routes are good warm-ups

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For first ascentionists: Please keep it simple and natural. Stupid eliminations and unnecessary links and versions will not be accepted!

History

V-koski boulders were found by T. Peteri in 2015, but they remained unclimbed until summer 2016 when Tuukka, Kimmo N, Sami H and Laura T wanted to have some relaxed summertime bouldering. And the place turned out to be really nice for the purpose! On that particalar day some 10% of what V-koski is these days was climbed.

Take a look at a video footage of that session:
https://youtu.be/8N3YGzgpl2M

After that Kimmo took the responsibility of coming over every now and then to climb some new routes with various friends. Finally in 2020 Kimmo took the time to speed up the development with Sami H and started opening boulders that he had scouted some years earlier, and on top of that Ville M found some more new boulders in the Northern sectors. As a result the amount of problems lifted up to +150 and still counting.

Some of the new problems of 2020:
https://youtu.be/rM9IG2G2FyE
https://youtu.be/W0q_ZT7LEpo

The traffic in the area has been relatively quiet until spring 2020 for unknown reasons. But better late than never, as in 2020 development of the area has taken the crag to whole new level!

In Spring 2021 the amount of problems has already been lifted up to 200+. We'll see how many of them there will be in the end :)