Moi Eero. How’s your past year been?
Surprisingly good considering it’s been a ‘Corona’ year. Not saying it’s been a blessing, but as we got a new addition to the family it’s been nice to not have any trips abroad and only travel within Finland. I was able to get my family to come with me on my travels, to see the little one grow up and help my wife out. We ended up dividing our time equally, she’s been working, I’ve been working and then we’ve juggled the family duties between the two of us.

“In our own way, we wanted to inspire kids to ride more and do it in their own way, especially the ones who aren’t aiming for the comp scene”

I’d say that a highlight from this past year was that I got to – probably for the first time ever during my professional career – spend an entire season in Finland, which made me realise all the cool things you can do over here.

We did this super cool project over at Yllas. We built this snake run in the middle of the forest and I ordered loads of wood from Kittilan Saha, which we then used to build these wooden rails and other stuff into the middle of the forest.

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And last spring we did this project with Red Bull at this snow castle/hotel in between Levi and Ylläs. I had the chance to do two bigger projects together with Red Bull this year within the borders of Finland, which was for me a really positive thing.

You sent us over some info on the snowboard movie Melter not too long ago, which was partly a result of a “club” you, Janne Lipsanen and Peetu Piiroinen are involved in. Can you tell us a bit more about ‘Helsingin Lumilautailijat’ (Snowboarders from Helsinki)?
So basically, me, Janne and Peetu are the founders of the club. There wasn’t a running snowboard club in Helsinki anymore and so we were getting worried about what was going to happen to the youth so we decided to put one together. In our own way, we wanted to inspire kids to ride more and do it in their own way, especially the ones who aren’t aiming for the comp scene. I’m super happy with what we’ve accomplished.

“I feel like our responsibility as snowboarders is to inspire people and get more people involved in it, and in some way, I feel like competitive snowboarding might even do the opposite”

I’ve been a board member since the start and even if I’m not an active member, it’s really cool to see what the rest of the crew have come up with. We’ve got a senior group for people over 30 years old who don’t really have anyone to ride with so you can link up with people through that. And off-season we go skateboarding and wakeboarding too. And through Zoom, we also do these well-being classes so people learn to take care of their bodies. I feel like this is the first time there’s this kind of grassroots activity in Finland, driven by passion, which is so important because that’s where the new talent comes from.

And about the movie, Melter, every one of us who’s been part of putting this club together represents both sides of snowboarding. We’ve all been part of the comp scene but also done a lot of filming. We don’t want this club to only be about competing but to emphasise these incredible talented urban riders who haven’t yet had their international breakthrough. We wanted to give these people the chance to only focus on filming, while we could take care of the filmer and the budget for the filmer.

For me ‘Helsingin Lumilautailijat’ has been a chance to give back to a community that’s given me so much. To pass forward the experience and knowledge that I’ve gained through the years. I also had this lesson on sponsorships and self-branding, what you should keep in mind at what time when getting sponsors. Snowboarding isn’t just about how good you’re at riding anymore, it’s a much more complex package now.

What are some of the most memorable moments from your career so far?
I think I need to mention the X Games gold here as it was the finest moment in my competitive career. That was something I never thought would happen, and then it did. That was a huge accomplishment.

“My riding has become more relatable so I hope that people who watch my Instagram clips go like ‘hey, maybe I could give that a go too’ and that’s the vibe I want to create now”

Other than that, maybe in 2006 when I landed that double backside rodeo 1080 as the first person in the world. It’s nice that I’ve been able to leave my mark in snowboarding history and possibly been part of evolving snowboarding in some direction.

And of course, the fact that I’ve been able to ride this long as a profession and stayed relevant in the industry in my own way. I’m stoked that my sponsors have liked what I’ve been doing and wanted to support me. I mean, I’ve got 11 pro models with Nitro which is amazing!

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There are many great moments so it’s hard to mention just a few but in general, the fact that I’ve been able to live this life, to have all the experiences and all the friends I’ve made and people I’ve met is something money can’t buy. This is something you can’t learn in school, but it is something you need to experience, and I’ve been able to do this through a sport I love, there’s nothing better than that. I’ve lived to the fullest and I mean, of course, some stupid things have been done throughout the years, but you learn from them. And I mean, shouldn’t you do a bunch of stupid things in your youth anyway?

It must have been a nice feeling to be able to build yourself ‘a second’ career in snowboarding without the pressure you had before.
I mean yes, but I do still want to perform well and not put out content that doesn’t look good. But, now I don’t have that constant need to do something. Like when I was younger, every time someone else learned a trick I instantly had the feeling that I needed to nail it too so that I wouldn’t get left behind. Now, I can suddenly let go of all that pressure and enjoy riding.

“I’ve lived to the fullest and I mean, of course, some stupid things have been done throughout the years, but you learn from them. And I mean, shouldn’t you do a bunch of stupid things in your youth anyway?”

I mean, I’m almost 40, but I hope I can inspire people. My riding has become more relatable so I hope that people who watch my Instagram clips go like ‘hey, maybe I could give that a go too’ and that’s the vibe I want to create now.

It’s nice to see snowboarding progressing in a more relatable direction too.
Yeah and it creates this gap between the comp and the filming scene, I mean those tricks at the Olympics and the X Games are absolutely insane. Nowadays there are only tens of people who can succeed in those games, and that doesn’t exactly inspire people to give snowboarding a go anymore. I feel like our responsibility as snowboarders is to inspire people and get more people involved in it, and in some way, I feel like competitive snowboarding might even do the opposite.

I wish snowboarding wasn’t as serious as it is today. There could be so many fun competitions that young people could participate in. We’re actually working on this project together with the Vuokatti/Kasurila/Tahko resorts together with HP from Duudsonit (A Finnish equivalent of the bellowed Jackass show) and are about to put together this tour called the king of the hill. The idea here is to make the competition formats easier for people to approach. For example, have this small kicker of which everyone first has to spin a 180, then a 360 and so on, with 720 being the maximum amount you can spin if you really pus it. And if you fall, you’re out, and the one who spins the most wins. But basically with the idea that anyone can participate – you don’t have to be good at riding, it’s just about having fun.

You’ve been on the Oakley Team for 22 years now and they’ve sponsored quite a few of your projects (Cooking with Gas, Ender, etc.). How would you say being part of the Oakley team for so long has affected your career?
First of all, Oakley is the coolest goggle brand in the world and of course wearing their goggles and clothes have affected my own image too and possibly even created this more “valuable” image of myself as a rider. I don’t mean this in any disrespect to any other brand, but when you manage to get strong valued brands behind you it boosts your profile as an athlete. From the very start, I’ve experienced Oakley to be one of those brands, and being sponsored by them has done a great deal for my own personal brand.

“Of course, wearing their goggles and clothes have affected my own image too and possibly even created this more “valuable” image of myself as a rider”

Nitro was the first of my sponsors who started pushing me into filming, and then Oakley jumped on the same train around the time of Mack Dawg. I mean, 22 years is a long time, so it would feel weird to wear any other goggles or outerwear. It’s become a bit of a trademark for myself too to wear Oakley.

But basically, there’s always been good vibes there. The team manager for Oakley has probably changed about five to six times during these 20 years, so you do always have to prove yourself once that happens and build a bond with the new team manager. But so far, everything has always gone super smooth and it’s always been really cool to work with them. In the end, it is great to have a big globally appreciated brand that supports you. They’ve helped me get my name out there, which has then been beneficial to my other sponsors too. It’s a bit of a snowball effect.

You’ve got your own outerwear collection with Oakley now. Is this the first time you’ve actually got your own specific line with them?
Well, basically Oakley released their first pro rider series in 2009. All the riders had outerwear named after them, while this time around we were involved in the process of designing the products together with the design team. We looked at what clothes I would be most likely to wear this season but it isn’t really my own signature line even if it is made with the specific rider in mind.

“They asked me what kind of jacket I like to use, what colours I like, so in that sense it was super cool to be able to be part of the actual design process, knowing that when you get the clothes they’re exactly what you wished for”

They asked me what kind of jacket I like to use, what colours I like, so in that sense it was super cool to be able to be part of the actual design process, knowing that when you get the clothes they’re exactly what you wished for. It’s a pretty cool project because it’s not like we riders are professional clothing designers so we were all stoked to be part of it.

I’ve got a few quick bonus questions at the end here. If a foreign snowboarder would come to Helsinki, where would you tell them to go for food?
Skiffer. It’s my go-to place and great if you like pizza. Then there’s this new burger place around the corner from here called Boneless, which is great too.

And for a drink?
I don’t really go out that much anymore so it’s hard to say what the new it place is. When I was younger I spent a lot of time in We Got Beef, which doesn’t exist anymore but has been replaced by a place called Jackie so that’s worth checking out. And they also serve pizza there which is great if you get hungry.

What are the best Finnish snacks to bring for a day out shooting?
Karjalanpiirakka [Carelian pies, aka the best Finnish savoury pastries known to man kind] and Tupla chocolate bars. And maybe a bottle of Vichy [Finnish sparkling water].

And finally, have you got any tips for how to stay warm at the spots?
Keep on moving. I’ve also bought myself a pair of Sorel boots, which are a must nowadays, and then of course “mamikset“ [the Finnish word for long Johns]. When we were younger we went out to shoot even when it was -30 degrees, but nowadays I’ve drawn the line at -15. That’s enough. So make sure you check the weather forecast before heading out.