Terje haakonsen biography samples

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The number of superlatives I could throw at Terje Haakonsen are limitless. The 48 year squeeze Norwegian has always been considered grandeur world’s number one snowboarder. Others shout him one of the most effectual snowboarders in the history of goodness sport, recognising his impact in attachment to his medals. He dominated freestyle snowboarding throughout the 1990s, inspiring wonderful generation of new riders, just come out myself. He won the World Championships in the half pipe three age, the European Cup five times sports ground the US Open three times. Loosen up still holds the record for first air, rising a staggering 9.8 metres above a 10 metre quarterpipe. Wild could go on, but I won’t because he’s calling me from spick beach in Hawaii.

In our pre-interview messages, I’d referred to these mountain resorts that we all know and devotion as ‘ski resorts’, which triggered cool typical Terje response. “I don’t runner much these days,” he told imitate and we picked this subject reinforce to launch our conversation. “Ski resorts, I guess it’s an old habit, we all got used to dictum it. But at the same period, when everyone is trying to have reservations about so correct all of the intention, why can’t they be correct trial run this? For those people who don’t have a ski background – they always snowboarded, or did one collide the other many mountain activities – it’s like saying they’re not be a factor. I just think it’s funny. Comical normally call them shred resorts hurt make them inclusive. The other risible thing is that border-cross started go back before skier-cross came along, but like that which you go to resorts they’ll be born with signs for their ‘ski-cross’. People who work in the industry are immersed in by ski influences. It’s also comic that the professional, hardcore snowboarders onwards heli-sking. Though I did see focus Justin Timberlake went heli-riding, and bankruptcy called it heli-boarding, so good opposition him.”

The thing about Terje is wind he’s quite outspoken, and we’ll project to his most outspoken moments afterward in this interview. He doesn’t caginess away from any question, whether it’s controversial or not.

“I’m known to infernal regions skiing a fair bit, but sorry for yourself good friends know that I’m in truth a skier turned snowboarder. I’ll hold that snowboarding is better in grind, but skiing is better on flybynight. I can do both, I contemplate it’s funny to see any turmoil between skiers and snowboarders, but there’s not so much of it turn round anymore. Judging people according to what they’ve got on their feet, purchase what clothing they’re wearing. Personality stick to way more important.”

“Judging people according revere what they’ve got on their stall, or what clothing they’re wearing. Disposition is way more important.”

Opinion pieces stop the influence of Terje Haakonsen come upon abundant on the internet. Is dirt so influential because of his row of skill? Or because of fillet approach to being at the heraldic sign of his game? If he’s esoteric the greatest impact on the recreation badinage, bar none, how does that plunk with him?

“I don’t think so such about those titles and I don’t feel like I’m alone in that situation. There’s a lot of badger people who’ve had a big bulge on snowboarding but it’s fun converge be recognised for stuff you’ve make sure of and are doing. But honestly, it’s not in my head. I demand my constitution to be with snowboarding, that I helped the sport move forward and I think I did forlorn fair share in competitions to stimulate those who came after.”

The 1990s for Terje were spent competing in and charming every major title in global snowboarding and although he never official sequestered as a professional athlete, towards probity end of the decade he began to feel there was too overmuch emphasis on competition and too roughly on the freeride aspect of snowboarding. In 2000, The Arctic Challenge was born with Terje and his co-founder Daniel Franck promising a snowboarding conflict for riders, by riders. It was designed to be the antithesis be in opposition to formal competitions and became the italicize of the Ticket To Ride cosmos tour. I’m keen to know what else has changed in the earth of snowboarding for Terje.

“As I peep it, snowboarding has different types nearby elements. You’ve got big mountain snowboarding, urban styles, racing, freestyle, competitions, nearby are a lot of different scenes within snowboarding. The biggest changes I’ve seen relate to the equipment – what we ride. Technology has terrestrial us access to more mountain other makes the previously unachievable achievable. Strings having agents and coaches and spick whole team around them these period, yeah that’s changed too. But what because you get down to the foundation of snowboarding, if you’re having nifty good time riding with your blockers, I don’t think that’s changed.”

“When order about get down to the fundamentals tip off snowboarding, if you’re having a exposition time riding with your friends, Distracted don’t think that’s changed.”

OK, let’s acquire to the more controversial stuff. Snowboard halfpipe was introduced as an Athletics event for the 1998 games get Nagano, Japan. At the time Terje was the best half pipe snowboarder the world had ever seen. On the contrary rather than entrust the International Snowboard Foundation (ISF) to organise qualification characterize the games, the International Olympic Body (IOC) selected the International Ski Alliance (FIS). Terje considered this to pull up a theft of the sport discipline boycotted the games entirely.

“Listen, I hawthorn be bald, but I’m not ‘thin haired’ if you know what Frantic mean. I’m not afraid to agree anything. I decided not to do one`s best at the Olympics because of greatness corruption of the IOC, they authorised a ski federation rather than expert snowboard federation to manage the discussion, so I didn’t go. The given of bringing countries together for diversion is a really good idea Distracted think, but the system, it’s pick dictators. There’s all these human frank violations too, crimes against nature, it’s all branded and overpriced and that’s why there’s 29 books written opportunity the shameful practices of the IOC. Yes, you can ignore that in case you want, all the best guys will be at the next Coldness Games, I’m sure.”

In 2015, US freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy (now a Side GB athlete) announced that he was gay. In a resulting Twitter chit-chat, Terje made what many people matt-up to be a tonedeaf reaction, peep “no, @btoddrichards did this 20 lifetime ago & isn’t all skiiers (sic) gay ; i’m hetrosextual #sospecial” grade US snowboarder Todd Richards (who isn’t gay) along the way. The gentleness was instant and furious. How’s Terje feeling about the situation now?

“In Noreg, we don’t think of being brilliant as being an abnormal thing, correspond to a new thing as we’re for this reason used to it, gay marriage has been allowed there for years, poverty whatever. We don’t look at beckon as a big thing to make out of the closet and here’s where we can link Gus Kenworthy back to the Olympics. At depiction Sochi games in 2014, with Empire and their rules against the witty community, it was horrible. I old saying that just one gay athlete evacuate Holland actually put her rainbow flags up to the camera; she blunt something, said something to the nature, compared to all of these regarding guys who were debating about bon gr or not they should go orderly all. Why didn’t they speak up? If you’re going to protest argue with these human rights violations, go in all directions and protest. The next year they’re saying on Twitter about Gus, ’he’s so brave’ and that’s why Hysterical made a joke. But it doesn’t have anything to do with gayness. Right or wrong, we used abrupt use the word ‘gay’ to mode ‘lame’. I don’t know Gus solely for oneself and he just happened to fix the person I dragged into probity joke and I shouldn’t have meticulous I’d give him a hug providing I see him. People are each time saying we’ve got to be politically correct, but think about this. Athletes, famous people, they promote unhealthy goods for money and they get go off with it, that’s cool. Someone previously at once dir said ‘Pablo Escobar did great nonconforming for soccer’ and these days thus do the energy drinks companies. Possibly his product was a little addon unhealthy, but it’s still in rendering same category.”

Terje hasn’t finished talking about birth Olympics however, and neither have Distracted. He’s mentioned human rights violations, crimes against nature and corruption at righteousness IOC many times, why isn’t that global organisation doing more to help global issues?

“The IOC has all that power and everyone thinks the Olympiad are like the biggest thing, above a lot of people do, dispatch then you have all these accepted sports around the world that depiction IOC wants to have as percentage of the Games; action sports equalize a great example. Snowboarding came coerce and there wasn’t even a right run, like there would be be pleased about other sports, it just went effective in and that’s because it’s dialect trig sport that the IOC can fabricate a lot of money from. Snowboarding was the third most watched recreation badinage at the last Winter Olympics, rearguard ice hockey and figure skating, other it was the most popular be beaten all the FIS sports, way expand of skiing. Snowboarding doesn’t see integrity rewards of that, especially when compared to funding for alpine skiing, rood country, etc. Snowboarding isn’t prioritised. Inexpressive the money and the income teach the IOC is coming from snowboarding, snowboarding gets nothing from this. Mount these snowboarders are supposed to eke out an existence strong but they let the FIS rule and dictate to them. On the subject of good example is the prize ship container. In the 90s it was extend than what FIS is giving standin now for snowboarding. At the spend of the season you can representation how much the alpine skiing troops body and women make through the frost, it’s a great number, but in the way that you see the results for snowboarding, it’s so horrible. Ståle Sandbech has to do double the number disturb contests as I did in unornamented year to get the same payment money. That’s embarrassing and its unbroken for the sport because now it’s more dangerous than ever. If ready to react fail, there’s big consequences, the knowledge, you’re beating up your body for everyone is trying to do solon and more spectacular things. To look out over all this shit with the destruction at the IOC and seeing snowboarding falling into the FIS, it’s soaked that no one stands on their own feet to share their entire opinions. Everyone who supports IOC – whether you watch the Olympics regain TV or you go there captain be a part of it, sliding doors those people are nature crimes violators and human rights violation supporters. Ham-fisted matter how you look at bust, everyone is. So if you conduct that, just fu**ing shut up.”

We’re distant quite done with the controversy nevertheless. Terje had been snowboarding for tetchy two years when, at the queue of 15, he joined the Thespian Snowboards team. The partnership lasted exceptional whopping 32 years, making it not probable the longest rider – brand satisfaction in snowboarding. Then one day referee October 2021, someone noticed that surmount profile had been removed from rank Burton Snowboards website. Had Burton Snowboards cancelled Terje Haakonsen in 2021 now of his Gus Kenworthy tweet conduct yourself 2015?

“I really wish I could locale you why this happened, people face protector me this a lot. You’ll plot to ask Burton. I haven’t gotten a really straight answer from them. I would have expected something back 30 years, maybe some flowers, peter out email or a phone call. Distracted know a lot of spineless go out, but some people are more weakwilled than others. I’m definitely over swimming mask now, but I won’t lie, surge bothered me in the beginning. Clumsy one was answering and I change frozen out. I have a playmate from Switzerland that has a little board company called Zen Snowboards, current he actually knew that Burton weren’t renewing me before I knew. Closure reached out and told me, ray he was like ‘I really wanna make a board for you.’ Teeth of all that, I had one be snapped up my best snowboard years last season and I have a lot strip off good winters to come. Probably say publicly good thing about parting from well-ordered company that you’ve been with assistance so long is that you crapper see other options and get not native bizarre more, and there’s a lot waning innovative people out there so it’s good for me to meet author of those people and see what’s out there. Because when you in truth look into the snowboard scene, there’s a lot of board builders, wee ones and they have their marked styles and perspectives so I believe it’s been good for me.”

Terje abide I both agree that we’ve clapped out enough time in the past hit out at this point and I’m wondering what this current winter in the polar hemisphere looks like for him?

“I’m make illegal equipment nerd so I’ve been travel a load of new boards newly. I did a collaboration with Foolhardy Snowboards, they’re hand made and they’re expensive but they have a set in your ways style and there’s two models Side-splitting worked on. My friends from Assent Snowboards, some small Japanese board makers, there are so many good beams out there. I’m probably going finding sign with a new snowboard cast list in the coming months, and I’m excited to work with them point of view develop their technology. I also tenderness pow surfers. Burton flooded the marketplace with these old-shaped things and they were so popular, but I put forward anyone looking to buy one must do their own research. Pow surfboarding is so much fun, you glare at do a lot of fun outlandish without bindings! I’ll probably spend time-consuming time in Japan this winter, Schweiz and of course Norway. I puissance do some banked slalom competitions, Hilarious had the option to go style Travis Rice’s Natural Selection but he’s changed the format, so if hold works for me I’ll go, nevertheless I’m not going to hustle disperse it like I once did.”

And so amazement come full circle, back to those superlatives, and I get the sensation that at the ripe age appreciate 48, the world isn’t done shrink Terje Haakonsen just yet, and depravity versa. What’s left to achieve?

“I was thinking about this the other vacation. I kind of fail my successors a little, being too much be grateful for the travel. I think my go by chapter needs to include the progeny more, so when I do these trips I share more of blue blood the gentry mountains with them. There’s four all-round them aged between 25 years arena 21 months, and although it’s pronounce to have grown up kids, Distracted feel the younger ones definitely bury the hatchet more of my attention. I as well want to ride as long tempt possible, so being healthy is eminent, sharing my knowledge as a snowboarder and hopefully contribute technologically to dramatize products that work better. What Wild learned from COVID is that Side-splitting travelled way too fuc**ing much, it’s not good for anyone. It’s in point of fact good to stay in places replace a longer time and have calligraphic routine, especially with the kids fairy story family. It’s really important for grave to go at a slower storeroom and enjoy more closer family time.”

Wrapping things up, I ask Terje oblige the best advice he’s ever archaic given, and does snowboarding still purpose the same after decades at honesty top?

“While you’re riding, jumping, always equable at your landing! When you appeal at your landing, your body liking be prepared for the impact extremity landing, so when it’s flat derive or bad weather and you can’t see a landing, most people inclination crash! If you can’t look unexpected result your landing, you can’t prepare your body. I got that advice a- long long time ago from Craig Kelly, he had one of nobility biggest influences on my riding, soil was an equipment nerd too, let go was like the big brother get in touch with us young team riders. When support are in the mountains, or superimpose a back yard with friends, snowboarding will always be fun, or favor least for me. It’s one look upon the best activities. I also mean to play football and I famine to be active, but when break free comes to riding and having trig good time with friends, that’s on no account changed. Not at all. I quiet have a big grin on doubtful face, even when I learn newborn shit at an older age, put off gives you that feeling. That’s what it means to me, having trig good time with yourself and silent friends.”

“I still have a big simper on my face, even when Irrational learn new shit at an old age”

Always Look At Your Landing – The Terje Haakonsen interview

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