Pirkan Hiihto, live.

The king of Finnish ski tours, 90 km in one day

Pirkan Hiihto is a 90 km ski tour from Niinisalo in Kankaanpää to the Teivo trotting track on Saturday 6 March 2027, with shorter options of 52 km and 45 km.

Pirkan Hiihto was first skied in 1955, built on ideas from Lauri "Tahko" Pihkala and Erkki Palolampi, and it has been held every year since apart from 2014 and 2021. In 2017 and 2020 only the backpack tour was held, with around 300 skiers each year, and the record of this century came in 2013, with more than 3,500 skiers. The organiser, Pirkan Hiihto ry, calls the 90 km the king of ski tours, and it is one of the longest one day ski events in Finland.

The start is at the Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpää and the finish at the Teivo trotting track. There are 12 aid stations along the way. The first part of the route is fairly flat, and the hardest climbs come after Kyröskoski and at Rokkakoski, where the hills are something every Pirkka skier talks about. After the aid station at Kyröskoski school there is a walking section of about 1 km.

Both classic and free technique are allowed, with separate classes. On the organiser's route page the classic start is at 07:00, the free technique start at 11:00 and the finish closes at 20:30. Besides the full 90 km there is Retki-Pirkka of 52 km and Puoli-Pirkka of 45 km, a 90 km team relay for two to four people, and Reppu-Hiihto, the 90 km backpack tour.

The organiser calls it a ski tour, and the age limit is 18. Men ski in open, 40, 50 and 60 classes in both styles, while women have open, 40 and 50 classes in classic and open and 40 classes in free technique. Supporters can meet skiers at the finish at Teivo, and the aid stations along the route make natural points to cheer.

On Livebib you can follow a participant who chooses to share their own live position from the phone they carry during the tour. This is a separate service and not the organiser's timing. Official times and results come from Pirkan Hiihto.