Most successful athletes: Ari-Pekka Nikkola, Ville Kantee, Matti and Jussi Hautamäki, Janne Happonen (all SJ) Promising talents: Ilkka and Matti Herola, Henri Kavilo (NC), Sami Heiskanen (SJ)
Puijon Hiihtoseura offers ski jumping, cross-country skiing, nordic combined and biathlon. The ski jumping tradition in Kuopio dates back to the 1880s. Since then the club has become renowned for organizing big sports events as for example the annual Puijon Kisat, which will celebrate it's 100th anniversary next year. Just in time for that, brothers Ilkka and Matti Herola will see their first home-turf Nordic Combined World Cup there. In the junior section, there are three training groups: the one for interested children is called Mäkikotkakoululaiset ("Hill Eagle School"), afterwards the beginners are called Haukat ("Falcons"), and the 12-16 year olds Puijon Peipposet ("Finches of Puijo"). Grown-up sportsmen train in the Akateemikot, the sports academy. The athletes train their nordic combined skills on the hills of Puijo (K120/HS127, K92/HS100, K65, K28 and K16), the surrounding cross-country tracks and Kuopio-halli (a gym near the hills).