21 January 2019
|
A single stamp from Åland Post, set to be issued on 8 March 2019, focuses on Nordic skating, which is described as 'an increasingly popular recreational winter activity'.
The new €1.20 stamp features photography by Lasse Kärkkäinen and was printed by Bpost.
According to the post office, the winter season in Åland normally lasts from November until March or April. Skaters often follow shallow lakes on their first tours of the season. As the ice grows thicker around the coasts, skaters take trips on the estuaries and, in fine ice-winters, even out to sea.
Photographer Lasse Kärkkäinen said:
'It is multi-faceted and unpredictable. At times, it is an athletic feat, sometimes a journey of discovery, sometimes a spiritual experience. It’s the social encounter with other skaters, nature, the winter light, the frictionless encounter of ice and blades.'
With a graphically streamlined image, Lasse wished to create a sense of open space in a setting of wide stretches and granite bedrock. He shot the photo of his two skating chums in early April some years ago.
Stamp details
Date of issue: 8 March 2019
Photographer: Lasse Kärkkäinen
Denomination: €1.20
Price FDC: €2.00
Stamp size: 50 x 20 mm
Sheet size: 2 x 15 stamps
Paper: 110 g/m²
Perforations: 12 per 2 cm
Printing method: 4-colour offset
Printing house: Bpost