The Finnish vlogger shared content from his expeditions with over 87,000 subscribers on YouTube
Credit: Ali Leinio/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- Finnish hiking vlogger Ali Leiniö died at age 49, per Nordic outlet Helsingin Sanomat, which reported that his body was discovered in a wilderness area of Lapland on April 10
- Leiniö regularly posted videos of his expeditions on YouTube, where he had over 87,000 subscribers, and on Facebook, where he boasted another 8,900 followers
- On social media, he said hiking was his “hobby and a way of life,” and he stated his intention to “create good stories” from his treks in nature
Finnish hiking influencer Ali Leiniö has died at age 49.
The tragic news was reported by Nordic newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, which confirmed his death with Leiniö's "close circle." Per the outlet, the content creator died of a seizure while exploring the Käsivarre Wilderness area in Lapland. His body was reportedly discovered on April 10.
Leiniö made his name documenting his treks through nature on YouTube, where he boasted over 87,000 subscribers. In his channel's description, he called hiking "a hobby and a way of life for me."
Credit: Ali Leinio/Facebook
"Hiking is freedom and adventure in nature, but also challenging yourself and learning versatile skills," the description blurb continued, as translated from Finnish to English. "My goal is to capture the atmosphere of hiking and nature, and create good stories from them."
He uploaded his final video on April 1, which followed his visit to "Southern Finland's 2nd Largest Bog," as the vlog's title reads. Leiniö noted that the hiking trail at the destination was recently closed by Finnish authorities, and he said he "wanted to go to the area to investigate."
The late explorer also regularly posted updates to his Facebook page, where he had another 8,900 followers. His last post on April 3 featured a photo of him inside Kastelholm Castle, though many of his fans have flocked to the comments to grieve Leiniö and honor his impact on the hiking community.
"Ali brought many of us great experiences to experience from a distance, got to know himself as a person and walked his own ways in many ways as a person who left a big gap," one Facebook user wrote. "Thank you Ali for allowing us to follow your adventures. Steady steps and free flows to somewhere for the fellows, wherever you roam."
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Another person added, "The most comforting part was that you got to leave where your heart beat the most… in the middle of nature you love."
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