Post-camp interview with Tor Lundström - Fonna snowboard camp coach

After the camp, we sat down to have a few words with snowboarder Tor Lundström, member of the Norwegian Burton Team and also one of our snowboard coaches at the camp this year. Tor is basically a smooth Swede with a future ahead as bright as the sun shining on the Fonna glacier.

When where you born and where?
1/02/1992, in Switzerland actually.

How come you started to ride snowboard and for how long have you been riding?

I can’t really remember why but probably because it’s so much fun! I've been riding since i was like 5.

How did you get sponsored?

It was Rune Lundsør that helped me to hook up with Burton, thanks buddy!

What's your favorite trick?

Cab 540.

Is there any specific trick you wanna nail?

Bs 1080 would be sick!

Your best snowboarding memory?
When we got chased by ”ski polizia” down the whole mountain in Livignio in one meter of fresh powder and got away!

Your worst snowboarding memory?
Proubably when i crushed my heel in Saas-Fee in the pre-season last year so i couldn’t ride for several months.

Favorite spots to shred on?

Hemsedal, Laax and Fonna!

What are your plans and goals for the future?

Finish NTG (Norwegian College of Elite Sports) and keep snowboarding as long as my body is OK with it!

Any fellow boarders that influence you?

It’s so many, but Terje the most!

What's your verdict on Fonna?

A perfect shaped park in the morning, BBQ and summer in the evening. I love it!

What do you do when you don't snowboard?

I hang out with my friends and skate.

Rumour has it that you and fellow Norwegian Burton team mate Julius Ödegaard has a blog bromance concept in the making, what's your comment to that?

Yes! We were thinking about having like a video blog together! it’s more fun to write about things you experience together then just write about yourself allday, hehe, That's pretty much it.

For more on Tor, check out his new website where he poses nude and writes a blog, among other things.

Cya again next year!

Today is the last day for Camp 2. During the last two weeks, over 250 people of campers and crew have gathered at the Folgefonna Summer Camp with only one purpose in mind, to cure snow park abstinence. We are quite confident in saying that we have suceeded with this.

As we leave Folgefonna Summer Camp of 2009 (now it's getting cheezy...), we do it with tears in our eyes and a smile on our faces.

A big shout out to all camp participants, everyone who helped organize the camp, our sponsors and the guys spending countless hours shaping and building the park. Without all of you, this wouldn't have been possible :-)

Interview with FSX riders Jostein Stenberg, Mads Ekra & Daniel Lundberg

When the snowmobile riders visited Fonna to ride backcountry and practice their jumping skills, we sat down with three of the guys; Jostein Stenberg (JS), Mads Ekra (ME) and Daniel Lundberg (DL), to have a few words:

Where are you guys from?
JS: Okksund in Norway
ME: Kongsberg in Norway
DL: Älvsbyn in Sweden.

For how long have you been riding snowmobile?
JS: Four to five years.
ME: Seven years.
DL: Four years.

How come you ended up with this crazy stuff, doing tricks on the snowmobiles?
JS: I ride motocross also, and I wanted to ride in the winter as well (Jostein is actually one of only three guys in the world to pull off a backflip both on bike and snowmobile).
ME: I have always been into motorsport, this came as a natural progression.
DL: I normally race with snowmobiles, and haven't done much tricks, but I have pulled of a backflip when riding backcountry.

Do you have any favorite tricks?
JS: Double seatgrab.
ME: Not really.
DL: I was tricked into coming here, I have never tried jumping on a ramp before.

What's the worst thing that happened to you while riding?
JS: Nothing serious, a couple of broken ribs and a broken collarbone.
ME: Worst thing is when I broke my back. Other than that I have had plenty of injuries. I just took of the cast from my wrists three days ago.
DL: When racing, I once broke two fetlocks.

What tricks are you practicing on at the moment?
JS: I work a lot to get my double seatgrab really clean, and I also practice different backflip combinations such as the backflip no-hander.
ME: Nothing in particular. I'd like to nail the backflip, though.
DL: This is my first time doing this, and I am riding on a borrowed snowmobile. My plan is to survive.

What do you think about Fonna?
JS: It's awesome to be here. It's also the only place where we can practice during summer.
ME: It's an adventure, the backcountry was perfect.
DL: We had to ride 1500 kms to get here, but it was worth it, cuz this place is f***in sick!

The guys are putting together a film with the backcountry riding from Folgefonna and once we get hold of it, we will of course publish it for your pleasure. To learn more what these guys are up to when they are not shredding in Fonna, check them out at Ridefree.

Interview with Anders Backe

We took the opportunity to have a few words with one of our camp coaches, pro-jibber Anders Backe. He is a really down to earth guy with sick skills on the skis. Here is an opportunity to learn a little more about him:

When where you born and where?
I was born in 1986 and grew up in a little place called Vikersund.

How long have you been riding skis?
I started riding alpine at the age of eight. After two years I switched to ski jumping and did that for about eight years. Once I discovered jibbing I was immediately hooked, and I have been doing that for the last five years.

What's your favorite trick?
Switch 540 true tail.

Is there any specific trick you wanna nail?
I'm working on a switch double 1080. I really need a big jump to pull that off.

What about injuries?
The worst thing that happened to me actually went down earlier this year. It was in March, and I was riding in Trysil. I managed to land on my neck on the flat of the jump. I had to spend two days in the hospital before I could get back on the skis again.

Do you have any favorite spots?
That would be Breckenridge in Colorado, US. Their park was really smooth and the weather was super nice when I was there.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to ski even more and be able to do that for as long as I can.

Any skiers you admire?
That would be Jon Olsson. I am actually on his team now, which is really cool.

What do you think about Fonna?
It's really smooth. You get up in the morning to ride a sick park. When you're back from the park in the afternoon you can walk around in shorts, enjoy a barbeque and just chill.

What do you do when you don't ski?
I hang out with my friends, hit the gym to stay in shape, and work with my sponsors.

Could you share any tips on how to become a good jibber?
Train a lot, never give up, and have fun!

When is your first competition for the coming season?
That will be in September at Freestyle.ch in Zürich, Switzerland.

We are happy to have Anders on the camp, and we wish him the best of luck in his career! For more info on what Anders is up to, check out his website.

Camp 2 is alive n kickin!

Everyone from Camp 1 have now gone back home to leave place for our second batch of stoked campers, who arrived yesterday. Weather was all perfect during last week, but 1st riding day today started off with some small rain showers on the glacier. Luckily, in the afternoon, order was restored with once again nice weather and sun.

Three new rails have been set up in the park and their quite gnarly, up to 10 meters long.

Worth mentioning are our coaches at the camp, who help the campers with tips & tricks in the park. On the snowboard side we have Tor Lundström and Julius Ödegaard, and one the ski side we have nonetheless than Anders Backe!

The Road Pimp

This is Tore. He is the road toll dude a.k.a the road pimp, and has been working as gateman here at Fonna for the last three years. If you plan to ride the road up to the snow resort, you have to pay him 60 NOK for a day pass.

Tore told us that his record is selling 260 road passes in one day. That was when Kari Traa, a Norwegian female freestyle skier and national celebrity, held an event at the snow resort. On that day, the traffic was so dense that people had to park on the road up to the resort. The occasional Germans accompanied by mobile homes went ballistic over the lack of Autobahn standard. -It was a chaotic day, Tore explained.

At Fonna Summer Camp, we dig Tore and we think it's great that we don't have to hike by foot all the way up to the mountain.

The FSX riders have arrived!

The FSX riders are in town! A sick jump is now being prepared where the guys will be able to perform their neckbreaking stunts. Stay tuned for more info on the FSX team and what these crazy guys are up to.

Rumour also has it that the Norwegian Billabong snowboard team have found their way to Fonna. We will look out for them in the slopes and try to document their rampage...