- Orienteering maps don’t just happen. Although technology has improved, orienteering mapping is not manual work, it is still footwork, says Jussi Silvennoinen, who has decades of experience as a cartographer. His expertise is particularly evident in the Mikkeli-Jukola 2025 maps.
Jussi Silvennoinen became enthusiastic about maps when he was still in high school. Back then he made orienteering maps as a summer job. – Those were good times! Then I studied to be a land surveyor and did some boring interior engineering work from eight to four. A little over twenty years ago I dared to take a new career direction and returned to the forest, literally as a sole trader. My quality of life improved considerably, although perhaps my social standing declined a little. What can man do with his basic nature. I like to walk alone in the big trails, even if it sometimes snows,” says Jussi, enthusiastic about his journey to become a respected land surveyor.
Jussi has a degree in land surveying technology and during those “boring years” he worked as a production manager in a mapping company and later as a teacher in the mapping course at a vocational school.
Orienteering for the whole family
Jussi describes himself as an ageing lifestyle orienteer from Lehmo in Kontiolahti.- My father started going to the Joensuu orienting training track in 1970. The following year I joined in, and the third time I did the course myself. My wife also started orienteering at a young age. The offspring of our family had little choice but to get excited about the sport!
Silvennoinen praises the fact that the whole family revolves around the same hobby, which makes practical matters much easier. Over the years, the Jukola message has become very familiar with 50 Jukolas. No wonder that Jussi identifies himself with the Jukola brothers’ Lauri, about whom Aleksis Kivi writes “Lauri (or Jussi), a boy, is in the woods, watching the trees, looking at the moor, and digging the moor as a badger”.
- I am very careful not to say anything at home about mapping trips where I know my family members will be competing. For example, after returning from Mikkeli, I might tell them what the weather had been like during the week, says Jussi, explaining the challenges of his job.
An art of its own kind
According to Jussi Silvennoinen, the job of orienteering mapper is not for the perfectionist, but a certain artist’s vision is useful. – You have to try to make a map that a running orienteer can understand. Although the mapping standards are basically set in stone, they must be applied in the field all the time so that the map gives the navigator a true picture of what is on the horizon around the next bend in the trail. A good map makes it easy to navigate when everything works as expected, says Jussi, describing his work.
Mapping the terrain of the world’s most prestigious relay event is motivating. – In technical terms, the mapping work at Jukola is similar to that elsewhere. It feels great to know that my latest Jukola map will be examined by quite a few critical eyes on 15 June 2025. And probably all of them will have found a missing stone on the map during the previous 24 hours – so this map of Tikkala will not be perfect either, Jussi predicts.
The terrains make the Jukola
Jussi Silvennoinen can be considered a Jukola fan, because he has exactly 50 events in mind, where he has competed in Jukola. Jussi’s Jukola career began in 1974 at Pistohiekka in Puumala. – Pistohiekka had great terrain, but it was terribly cold at night. I must have pumped from the signpost for ten minutes. Then in 1975 there was the Jukola in Niinisalo, Jussi recalls – but there’s probably not enough space in the column for all the stories.
Jussi has about 40 Jukola races to his name, as he has often had the role of organiser or mapmaker. As Jukola is a navigator’s Christmas, the Jukola landscapes will always remain at least in Jussi’s memory.
The postponement of Jukola because of the crown was a hard time for many orienteers, including Jussi. – The loss of the highlight of the year was unfortunate, but understandable, Jussi recalls his annoyance. — Fortunately, the Jukola story was able to continue again and is still going strong.
Mikkeli’s terrain challenges
Jussi describes the terrain of Mikkeli-Jukola 2025 as rough. So are tree trunks. – I hope I’ve been able to show on the map that it’s not worth banging the compass in a straight line every single time, Jussi says of the upcoming Jukola’s terrain.
The Mikkeli-Jukola 2025 organisers have invested in training maps. Some of them are Jussi’s handwriting. – The training package in Mikkeli is of high quality, and the training website is so great that you can surf it from your couch. I’ve only done one and a half of those maps myself, so I’m not familiar with all the training terrain. But if you explore the whole package by navigating in the field, the future terrain of Tikkala will be easy and effortless, says Jussi.
The Mikkeli-Jukola 2025 training packages can be found at www.jukola.com/2025.
Jussi’s last Jukola map?
Mikkeli-Jukola 2025 is historic for Jussi: – The Mikkeli-Jukola map is the seventh Jukola map of my career. It may be that the Mikkeli map will be the last Jukola map of my career – I am no longer a young man.
But I want to continue mapping other races for quite some time, hopefully my legs will hold out. Navigation mapping is still not manual work, but footwork.
Although a lot of technology has been added to the mapping process over the decades, Jussi says the basic work is pretty much the same as it was when he was in high school. “A surveyor has to wade through the whole terrain on foot so that he can see every single acre. The accuracy of a hectare is not enough. Of course, there have been many more technical aids over the years, but I haven’t used all of them myself.
I hear that someone has already tried using a drone in the forest. It’s not my thing,” says Jussi.
According to Jussi, the professional association of orienteering mappers has not yet been formed, so there is no exact figure for the number of mapmakers. – I would guess that there are 10-20 full-time orienteering mappers in Finland, plus probably a hundred or so in the summer (i.e. club mappers, summer workers and retired mappers).
Jussi is not worried about the future of orienteering mappers: – About 10 years ago, there was concern in orienteering circles that the mapping community was dwindling. But recently the situation has become much brighter with the arrival of many young, qualified people into the profession. So right now the situation for surveyors seems brighter. This kind of independent work, which involves a lot of exercise, outdoor activities, IT and nature experiences, is a great fit for us, the soul mates of Lauri of Jukola.