Juuso Holstein:
“The Arctic amusement park is for living now, not dreaming months ahead.”
“Pallas won’t give you anything easily—and that’s exactly why it gives you so much,” says Juuso Holstein, head of “Pallaksen Pöllöt”, with a twinkle in his eye. Pallaksen Pöllöt, or the Owls of Pallas, is a ski school operating with heart and expertise in Pallas, one of the most magnificent fell areas in Finland. The team of “Owls” consists of around 20 ski instructors, whose operating area covers everything from open fells to snow-covered forests and autumn-colored wetlands. Juuso himself isn’t a specialist in any particular sport. He’s a specialist in nature—and ultimately, a specialist in following his own dream with unshakable grit.
Who: Juuso Holstein, one of the “Owls of Pallas” and a Halti product tester based near Pallastunturi
How he moves: On snow—for as long and as early in the season as possible
Where to follow: @pallaksenpollot, @juuppe, pallaksenpollot.com
The night train jolts forward. Tracks hum a steady rhythm, steel clatters beneath. A small boy presses his nose to the window. Dreams and a deep blue landscape rush north. Just like every year around this time—ski break—the journey to Pallas has begun. Toot toot!
Years pass. The boy grows up. He no longer remembers exactly how many winters it’s been since that first encounter, but the feeling remains—and it’s only grown stronger. He has to get out there. And stay out there for as long as he can.
So why is Juuso Holstein—known as a true fell-dweller—sitting at a desk in an office? The reason is simple, and heartwarming:
“I do this so others can experience what I love most: the raw beauty of the northern wilderness, with skis on their feet.”
“Pallas’ Arctic amusement park is nothing without its people.”
The Arctic amusement park. People and sparkling powder. Unforgettable moments and firm spring snow underfoot. These grand fells—part of Finland’s national landscape—are like one great ride, where everyone experiences nature in their own way, and still with the same intensity.
“The people who come to Pallas are just the right kind of wild—but always fully present. The landscape is captivating, fragile and beautiful, yet raw and powerful. It doesn’t give easily, and that’s why it gives so much. Sure, the scenery in the far north is stunning, but you don’t get the same sense of belonging you find here. Here, that feeling is constant.”
Here, the joy of winter outdoors and doing things together belongs to everyone, no matter what skis you’re on. Kids and sixty-year-olds glide along the same snow—and that’s part of the magic of Pallas.
But can you ever get enough of the fells—or the people?
“Never!” Juuso laughs. “This work gives me moments I couldn’t live without anymore. Pallas is my calling—and Pallaksen Pöllöt is how I get to experience it and share it with others.”
The fell gives you space to be—no molds, no need to perform.
Pallaksen Pöllöt, founded in 1965, runs freeride and ski touring adventures as well as autumn excursions through the Pallas fells—with heart, skill, and soul. Over time, this “guide club” has become its own kind of institution, following one boy’s dream to do something meaningful with his life. Today, Juuso gets to add his own touch—shaping the 60-year-old community into something even more personal, more people- and fell-focused.
“Up here, friendships are born. I was never part of a big sports club or the joy others seemed to find there. But at Pallaksen Pöllöt, I get to build, experiment, invent. My thinking, my fingerprints—they get to show. Maybe that’s why the Owls aren’t just a group, but an ideology shaped by soulful and rugged life in the fells. Warm, gentle, and alive. Playful, but professional.”
“Sisu isn’t something you’re born with—it’s built through experience.”
According to Juuso, every tough moment helps grow the famous Finnish sisu. You learn to read how long the snow will hold, how the weather will affect your gear. You even have to think about how conditions will affect your food supply and stamina.
“Nature always throws surprises. You can’t prepare for the exact kind of sisu you’ll need, so you have to keep building it. The goal is to make better, more effective decisions in tough moments.”
Sometimes, sisu means having so much respect for nature that you turn back.
“A lot of people head out searching for something bigger, more impressive, more extreme. That’s understandable. But even if you want to push yourself, you don’t always have to go beyond your limits.”
Especially not when the weather says otherwise. That’s when a true fell-dweller chooses to respect nature.
“Sisu means accepting awful weather or hard situations. Sometimes, it means heading back to base.”
The magic of the seasons is fleeting—don’t miss it
“Too many people live life in advance. We plan and plan for a holiday that starts in a month. And while we’re at it, we forget to focus on the moments.”
Juuso isn’t a sport specialist, he’s a nature specialist. From the first snowflake to the last melt, he’s curious about everything in between. But what really fascinates him are the in-between moments, the shifts from one season to the next. They’re short. So you have to go when the timing is right. Not in a month. Not when your holiday begins. Right then.
Even these quick trips require prep: early-season ski missions often start in hiking boots. But the effort—and the weight of the gear—is always worth it.
We love to plan—and forget to live in the moment
“We can imagine what the trip will look like in a month. But if we only focus on that, we miss what’s happening right now.”
For Juuso, Pallaksen Pöllöt isn’t just about guiding, it’s about sharing. At the heart of it all is a thought experiment: What if you didn’t lock yourself into a plan? What if you followed a raven instead? Where might it take you? What might you see? Well, whatever the raven finds interesting. And we’ll never know, unless we go and see for ourselves.
“There are more than 20 of us owls, but sometimes it’s worth letting nature lead,” Juuso smiles. The skill of being present is something we can all practice.
You, too, are telling a story that never ends
As Juuso reflects on conversations with everyone from priests to small children, each one has given him a new perspective.
“We all express nature in our own way. The fell plateau gives your thoughts room to echo, and the beauty lies in sharing them. When someone’s beside you, everything deepens. That’s when we hear nature in another voice. That’s when a story begins—one that never ends.”
In the end, the real beauty doesn’t just lie in what you experience, it lies in how you share it. That’s when the dialogue continues. Season after season. Year after year. For as long as we return to the grand landscapes of Pallas, keep our minds open, and face nature, each other, and ourselves. Together.
