Even getting this interview done took a little coaxing but I couldn’t be more stoked on the outcome.
Partly because despite how talented he is, he hasn’t always been given the chances he deserves.
What’s up Antti!
I had some talks and connections but not really what I was looking for.
Luckily I was somehow able to figure out a new pair before the next day.
Last season was the first season I was officially on the team and everything has been great.
All the wait and patience was well worth it.
I think I was more productive than ever before, it’s something for me to be hyped on.
I got a LOT of days on snow once again.
The season started in early October at Ruka and ended in June at Riksgransen.
I was on the road around Europe for almost two months doing events or shoots every week.
Can you tell me a bit more about what that was like?
Fortunately it looks like it’s changing to a better direction.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the future.
You’ve been involved in Slvsh a few times now, how does that compare?
Is it the future?
Playing the games is so much fun.
I think the ski industry really needed something like SLVSH.
They’re regularly dropping good content to follow and wait for.
The cups are cool too.
Seems like they’re having a big audience for them which is nice.
Big props to Matt, Joss and everyone else behind Slvsh, keep it up!
Let’s talk Keeshlife.
Starting with what is it?
It’s our thing, a lifestyle, crew.
We’re not a team, production company or a project, just a group of homies.
We like to ski, film it and not take it too seriously.
http://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/841781/Very-official-trailer-of-the-Keeshlife-Movie
Trailer for the Keeshlife Movie.
Coming Soon On Newschoolers
And you’re dropping a Keeshlife Movie really soon.
What was that like to film and what can people expect?
Don’t expect a big budget ultra HD epicness.
We ended up filming for around 60 days.
It’s mostly urban but there’s some spring features and jibs as well.
Now it’s looking great.
We can work on it as long as we need to.
Full movie will be out soon though, I can’t wait to show everyone what we got.
I was stoked on the ‘no build’ urban you did in your last season edit?
Having little to no setup spots has always appealed to me.
Is that something you think should become more of a thing in skiing?
The no lip thing wasn’t on my mind in advance or something I had planned to do.
Non-built spots are often cool but on the other hand, building features gives endless options.
Both are sick and a good mixture of both makes a good video part.
More generally, I rate you as having one of the best trick eyes for trick selection in skiing.
Do you have a process for picking what you throw where?
Big thanks man, I really appreciate that.
Sometimes it really takes some effort to come up with the tricks but usually the ideas just come naturally.
Again a good mix of style, difficulty and creativity is what I like to see.
You’re a big part of the increasingly world famous Ruka scene.Did you grow up riding there?
Are all the skiers really as good as everyone thinks?
My hometown is two and half hour drive from Ruka.
I used to ski in my home hill every weekday after school and go to Ruka on weekends.
For the past four years I’ve mostly skied at Ruka.
There are only 4 hours of daylight, what do you expect?
So much crazy weird shit goes down there for sure and it’s always special feeling to ski there.
Not many guys have much money to travel for events or get the recognition they deserve.
What is the wider Finnish scene like?
So many stoked kids and super good park shredders that nobody knows about.
The vibes are always good.
We don’t have enough cool events anymore though, time to start working on that I guess!
http://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/815136/Rob-a-bank-to-get-rich
Getting rich in Ruka
What’s the plan for the coming winter?
I’ll be filming some stuff with Faction, Keeshlife and some other projects too hopefully.
I’m don’t have a real plan yet.
I don’t like attending training camps or having coaches around when I’m skiing.
It’s just a situation when there’s less pros than cons, not worth it.
I don’t like how almost all the bigger slopestyle competitions left are World Cups now.
