Talma, a small hill outside Helsinki, is famous as a pro snowboarder production line. Having produced the likes of Eero Ettala, Heikki Sorsa and Jussi Oksanen in its time, the icy park line is known as ‘The Factory’. Its secret? A consistent park, efficient lift and floodlighting that allow riders to enjoy quick laps even in the depths of the Finnish winter. Rock hard landings also mean perfect technique is rewarded!
UK filming outfit Grindhouse have made Helsinki something of a second home over the past few seasons – in fact director Jamie Durham is currently living there. So with Scandinavia enduring its worst winter for snowfall in years (“Normally Finland is like Disneyland on snow, this year it were like Bognor”) John Weatherley, Andy Nudds, Ollie Dutton and Will Smith h left the city’s famous handrails and headed out to Talma to tear up some man-made features.
It constantly amazes me how sick the UK’s rail riders are – all four of these dome rats look right at home on the hallowed turf that spawned a thousand shred robots. This edit has the usual styled out tricks that make the guys look like they’re riding in their sleep, whereas in reality there’s some heavy stuff being thrown here – Nudds’ double kink back lip being the case in point.
Front blunt pretzel 270 or a back 2-7 to fakie anyone?
Will Smith shines here once again with some absolute twisters – front blunt pretzel 270 or a back 2-7 to fakie anyone? – but the special appearance here is the rare sight of Grindhouse mastermind Jamie Durham getting a cheeky shot in: check the frontflip at 53 seconds.
Along with the awesome trailer that dropped a few months back, it looks like Grindhouse’s latest flick Hallucinate (which premieres at the House of Vans on September 26th) is going to be something special.