If you were to ask people if they had heard of Eiki a couple years ago your response with most people, at least here in the states, would have no clue who he was. However coming over to the states and skyrocketing like a bat out of hell after getting a ton of coverage and in his first year filming landed himself the last part in the last season release by Rome "No Correct Way." Showing that he is one of the many new pros on the scene that get after every aspect of snowboarding you can. It showed again this year with the release of People's "Nice Try." It just does not matter if it's the most technical rail trick down some huge rail. Or busting his ass in the backcountry all day to built a massive kicker to get upside down a couple times. Eiki is strait up an awesome snowboarder.
What's it like growing up in Iceland?
Its good growing up in Iceland, everything is super chill and people are super nice, good looking girls and the best food in the world, its really bad if you wanna be a snowboarder though cuz the resorts here don't have any parks and they focus mostly on skiers but its getting better and better every year
I Love it here and it will always be my home for sure.
What are some of the biggest differences about there and the states?
The biggest difference is how many people live in the USA compare to Iceland, The Icelandic population is only 300000 people and thats just like a shitty town in the states hehe
How did you first get into snowboarding?
I have been Skateboarding a bit longer than snowboarding so on the winter time i couldn't skate so I bought a snowboard and i Loved It.
it was super "Trendy" here in iceland to be on a snowboard 10-15 years ago and then soon as I started it almost died, pretty much the only riders left were me and my friends that were trying to do some stuff.
I hated when I was riding or skating and some trend followers that looked like Girls at that time hehe screamed to us: "Skateboarding and Snowboarding is Out of Fashion" It happened so many times it's Crazy hehe
When was it that you moved to Sweden to snowboard?
I moved there 2004 when I was turning 17 years old to go to a snowboard school
A Snowboard school doesn't mean that I'm studying Snowboard tricks or anything like that, its more just a mellow school that helps out snowboarders to be able to ride more.
This is how it works:
From September to late November its full on Normal school just studying in books and stuff like that 5 days in a week.
Then from late November to May we have 3 days studying in books and 2 days plus weekends to ride for fun in the slopes or in the park.
Then from May till the School end its books and tests again.
A good thing with this school also is that they are super mellow if you have to go travel and stuff to film or compete, because they understand snowboarding more than a normal school.
What's it like having your younger brother Halldor taking the same approach?
Its super good, we rode together all the time before I moved to sweden and then again when he came to the same school
I like riding with him cuz we push each other so much but we are having so much fun doing that, but damn he is getting so good now but thats good for me cuz it makes me dont wanna slow down at all hehe
Do you get to travel a lot together?
No not at all! we usually try to film some stuff together in the pre season and around christmas when we are both home in iceland and thats the only times I see him during the winter now, that kinda sucks...
How did you get hooked up with Rome?
Transworld decided to come to Iceland and make a story about the trip with few pro riders, they wanted some local riders to show them around so me and my friends were the ones that got to do that, we got to ride on every spot with them and Jessie Fox (Rome Pro Rider) who was one of the riders on that trip got super stoked on my riding and talked to the Rome team manger and he hooked me up, then 2 years later I got on the Rome Am Army and started filming with them for "No Correct Way" and I ended up getting the ender and now I'm on the pro team, Super Stoked...
What's the best part about riding for them? Besides that those guys
like to party.
Rome is such a cool brand and I feel like they are one of few brands left that really understand snowboarding, they don't put any pressure on they're riders at all to enter some stupid competitions or doing some stupid stuff that riders don't wanna do and that is how things should be
What was it like for you going to film your first big video part for "No Correct Way?"
I was so stoked when Runke and Cavan told me that they wanted me to come to the states and film full time for they're new movie "No Correct Way"
I had never been to the states and I had never met anyone of the rome guys before so that was a huge step for my carrier
What's the biggest difference between filming with Cavan and the Rome crew and filming with the People crew?
There wasn't really that big of a difference, the only thing was when we were filming for the rome movie we were traveling with our team manager the whole time cuz he is the main filmer as well and thats really nice.
Do you think you have to come to the States from Europe to make it as a professional snowboarder?
No you don't have to, USA and europe are like two totally different worlds there are so many riders that are really big in europe that no one knows about in the states and than the other way around, but I just think there are more opportunities in the States because the marked is way bigger I think.
Where was your favorite place you have traveled to get shots for your video part?
That was Russia I went there With 2 other Oakley riders: Eero Ettala and Erik Botner, we were filming for the Oakley TV Show Called Tracking Eero and is gonna air around Christmas I think.
when i was in russia i felt for the first time that i was in a foreign country cuz people there didn't understand us and we for sure didn't understand them and they even have different letters so you can't even try to read they're language hehe
Where did you spend the majority of your time filming last season?
I spent 4 months all over the states just trying to follow the snow and thats not that easy. Then I filmed in: Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Spain and Canada.
so it was a good year but some how everywhere we went the snow turned to hot pow soon as we got there hehe
Who are some riders that you looked up to growing up?
I Loved the old Forum team cuz the first snowboard video I saw was The Resistance and then I watched True Life a Billion times too. thats one of the reason i started riding street rails, before i saw The Resistance i didn't even know that you could ride rails on a snowboard hehe
Did you do a lot of contests growing up?
No I have never been stoked on contests but I did some rail contest when I thought they looked like fun but thats it, i actually won a bunce of them but I still wasn't stoked to do that all the time, I like more just riding somewhere private with my friends and have fun filming.
What are some of the contests that you do now?
The Frontline Rail Jam in Stockholm is the only contest I really don't wanna miss
the stet up is so perfect and a lot of riders just having fun riding
Its just a jam format so you can ride as much as you want and every time you land a sick trick you get cash in your hands and the one that ends up with most cash wins even more cash hehe i won it 2007 and 2008, then my brother Halldor won it this year and i won best trick so it was a good day for the Helgasons hehe
How do you spends you summers?
I try to skate a lot and hand out with my friends at home that i don't see during the winter, then I ride a bit at some summer camps, I went to Windells and Camp Of Champs this summer but I ended up breaking a bone in my foot so I had to chill my ass of for a month at home then i went to argentina for 10 days and then i chilled my ass of again at home so it was a mellow one
What did you think of the bag jump they had at Windells?
MAN that thing was fun cuz you don't have to worry about landing your tricks, so no matter what happens you will look good hehe
But that thing can help you learn double flips and double corks with out worrying about dying!
With this season about to kick off do you have any plans yet on what your going to be up to this year?
I haven't made any plans yet but hopefully I will know what I'm going to do soon because the snow is gonna start falling pretty soon.
As a really well rounded rider do you feel like if people don't shred a certain thing, like rails or pipe are missing out?
Well if you don't like riding something then you shouldn't do it, Simple.
So just do what ever you wanna do and don't think about what people are saying...
When was your first trip to the states?
My first trip to the states was when I was filming for "No Correct Way" and I flew Straight in to Las Vegas for the SIA Trade Show and that was pretty Interesting hehe
But people told me that After being in Vegas I have Seen everything that USA has to offer, its a cool City for sure but man I got tired of that place so fast hehe
What was your first experience like coming here? Is it a lot
different from where you grew up?
I think its awesome but the one thing i ride the most (Street Rails) kan be pain in the ass because there are a lot of angry old people that don't really know what we are doing and the police is not as nice as the police in Scandinavia.
Then In the backcountry you can use a snowmobile and that beats hiking for sure, like in austria you have to hike everywhere so you are done before you get to hit a jump hehe
Why do you love snowboarding?
It's Simple!
Snowboarding is just so damn FUN
You can do what What you want, When ever you want, Where ever you want.
Thanks for the interview. Last words?
Sponsors:
Rome Snowboard Binding and Boots
Oakley Apparel and Goggles
SkullCandy
DVS
Frontline
Kaleidoscope Skateboards
Check out My Video Blog that I share with my brother Halldor Helgason
www.helgasons.com
Also check out the teaser for Factor Films "They Came From" featuring Eiki