Biography
Name: Nuutti Markku Tapani Niemelä
Nickname: For some reason, I’m called Nästi
Born: June 10, 1988
Hometown: Kiitilä, the beautiful town on the south side of the Lapp fell.
More information:
Started snowboarding: The first time, when I was 6. I was quite scared. By 9, I was a regular.
Home ski area: Levi and Vuokatti
First trick you’re really proud of: Maybe the 900, when I landed.
Other sports: Skateboarding in summer and also other times.
Life philosophy: Keep the chaos under control.
What keeps a man moving? A good night’s sleep. When you don’t sleep enough, Battery helps.
The most beautiful thing in the world? Women.
Idols? Sorsa, Autti and Roope.
How do you become a good snowboarder? A love of snowboarding.
What is your opinion of the bag jump? Still feels a bit weird – but something good comes from being crazy; so you can try new tricks with it.
Finish the sentence: I dance the Finnish traditional Humppa dance … on Fridays, and sometimes also on Saturdays.
Finland or the USA: That’s easy – Finland. My home is my castle.
What things make you laugh? My own crazy times and those of my friends.
Coolest things right now? At the start of a season, snowboarding goes above everything else.
Favorite music: It really depends on my frame of mind. The music from snowboarding movies maybe most because of the feeling.
A trick that got you fired up when you saw it? Probably the runi, last season in Italy. Alexander Oestreng and the double front flip, bs10 double-jiiri.
Who is the world’s most beautiful woman? Jessica Alba
Do snowboarders have groupies? Yes – those seem to be nearly everywhere.
What does being part of the B-Unit mean to you? It was a big thing to be asked to be part of the team. A really relaxed group and attitude.
Favorite ski area: Vuokatti comes to the top of my list of favorites.
Best ski trip? The first time I went to Andorra to the Total Fight competition. Pipes, über parks, friends and Barca skeitit.
Coolest powder run? Last year in Japan, with a small trip guided by Dan.
If the B-Unit was a band, what instrument would you be playing? Piano, he-he.
Ask yourself a good question – and give a good answer: What is your opinion of North Korea’s political position in today’s society? I suppose they only thing they are doing is planning missiles there.
How can you successfully combine school and snowboarding? Well, it can succeed. But it requires a minor push to motivate yourself to take out your books and actually do something.
How much Battery do you consume during a season? Well – quite a lot.
Give a short comment about the other team members in the B-Unit: An incredibly tough team and relaxed guys. I think it’s great that everyone really knows each other.
How do you start to practice a new trick? I play it in my mind and then I try it. A few bruises come – and a few boards go…
What do you think about ALS ski show shown on channel TV5? It’s got a crazy feeling – an informative reporter style about snowboarding for the entire public.
How do you follow snowboarding? Mostly through the internet and Finnish snowboarding magazines, of course.
What’s your funniest story about snowboarding outfit fashion? T9! It looks rather amusing.
The Olympics or back terrain? At least not the Olympics. It is only once every four years.
Kimi Räikkönen or Heikki Sorsa? Kimi Räikkönen! That guy has attitude and talent.
What’s your relationship with electronics: I spend time on the computer – actually too much time…
What do you do after a day of snowboarding? I eat something. Watch movies with friends or then do my homework.
How do you spend your time on the computer? Surfing the net and watching movies.
Do you work out? Yes, at Vuokatti we work out quite a bit and also do a lot of other kinds of conditioning. Especially before and after a season.
How much do you travel? Most of the season. Around Europe and a bit elsewhere. How is it worthwhile to spend your time and where do you hope to spend less time? Sometimes it’s really irritating to see how a half-day has been wasted and I wish I had more time to sleep.
Open Mic: Not much more – let’s go snowboarding! And thanks to Burton, Battery, Dragon, Levi and Levi Rauta. My mom, dad, Ilmo Niittymäki, Mikko Kurkela, Antti and Simo, KBR and all the Vuokatti gang!
Read moreNickname: For some reason, I’m called Nästi
Born: June 10, 1988
Hometown: Kiitilä, the beautiful town on the south side of the Lapp fell.
More information:
Started snowboarding: The first time, when I was 6. I was quite scared. By 9, I was a regular.
Home ski area: Levi and Vuokatti
First trick you’re really proud of: Maybe the 900, when I landed.
Other sports: Skateboarding in summer and also other times.
Life philosophy: Keep the chaos under control.
What keeps a man moving? A good night’s sleep. When you don’t sleep enough, Battery helps.
The most beautiful thing in the world? Women.
Idols? Sorsa, Autti and Roope.
How do you become a good snowboarder? A love of snowboarding.
What is your opinion of the bag jump? Still feels a bit weird – but something good comes from being crazy; so you can try new tricks with it.
Finish the sentence: I dance the Finnish traditional Humppa dance … on Fridays, and sometimes also on Saturdays.
Finland or the USA: That’s easy – Finland. My home is my castle.
What things make you laugh? My own crazy times and those of my friends.
Coolest things right now? At the start of a season, snowboarding goes above everything else.
Favorite music: It really depends on my frame of mind. The music from snowboarding movies maybe most because of the feeling.
A trick that got you fired up when you saw it? Probably the runi, last season in Italy. Alexander Oestreng and the double front flip, bs10 double-jiiri.
Who is the world’s most beautiful woman? Jessica Alba
Do snowboarders have groupies? Yes – those seem to be nearly everywhere.
What does being part of the B-Unit mean to you? It was a big thing to be asked to be part of the team. A really relaxed group and attitude.
Favorite ski area: Vuokatti comes to the top of my list of favorites.
Best ski trip? The first time I went to Andorra to the Total Fight competition. Pipes, über parks, friends and Barca skeitit.
Coolest powder run? Last year in Japan, with a small trip guided by Dan.
If the B-Unit was a band, what instrument would you be playing? Piano, he-he.
Ask yourself a good question – and give a good answer: What is your opinion of North Korea’s political position in today’s society? I suppose they only thing they are doing is planning missiles there.
How can you successfully combine school and snowboarding? Well, it can succeed. But it requires a minor push to motivate yourself to take out your books and actually do something.
How much Battery do you consume during a season? Well – quite a lot.
Give a short comment about the other team members in the B-Unit: An incredibly tough team and relaxed guys. I think it’s great that everyone really knows each other.
How do you start to practice a new trick? I play it in my mind and then I try it. A few bruises come – and a few boards go…
What do you think about ALS ski show shown on channel TV5? It’s got a crazy feeling – an informative reporter style about snowboarding for the entire public.
How do you follow snowboarding? Mostly through the internet and Finnish snowboarding magazines, of course.
What’s your funniest story about snowboarding outfit fashion? T9! It looks rather amusing.
The Olympics or back terrain? At least not the Olympics. It is only once every four years.
Kimi Räikkönen or Heikki Sorsa? Kimi Räikkönen! That guy has attitude and talent.
What’s your relationship with electronics: I spend time on the computer – actually too much time…
What do you do after a day of snowboarding? I eat something. Watch movies with friends or then do my homework.
How do you spend your time on the computer? Surfing the net and watching movies.
Do you work out? Yes, at Vuokatti we work out quite a bit and also do a lot of other kinds of conditioning. Especially before and after a season.
How much do you travel? Most of the season. Around Europe and a bit elsewhere. How is it worthwhile to spend your time and where do you hope to spend less time? Sometimes it’s really irritating to see how a half-day has been wasted and I wish I had more time to sleep.
Open Mic: Not much more – let’s go snowboarding! And thanks to Burton, Battery, Dragon, Levi and Levi Rauta. My mom, dad, Ilmo Niittymäki, Mikko Kurkela, Antti and Simo, KBR and all the Vuokatti gang!


