Backdrop Journal's FFS Backcountry Podcast

Episode #28 - with Krister Kopala Don’t be fooled by the babyface smile, Krister Kopola is an assassin! Ok so no he’s not an actual assassin, like shooting people and stuff, but Krister is reshaping the boundaries of what’s possible on a splitboard. He’s constantly pushing himself (both physically and mentally), and his equipment, yet he’s doing it all with a smile on his face, wider than most of the couloirs (often first descents) he’s taking at breakneck speed in his home mountains outside of Tromso. The Backdrop Crew had the pleasure of spending a couple of days chilling and riding with Krister, at the excellent Arctic Splitboard Festival, a joint venture of Up Guides and Krister. The first thing you notice about Krister is his size, he’s big, and I mean he’s very tall. If you put an axe in his hand, dressed him elk skin, and put a horned helmet on his head he’d scare the shit out of anyone. But his welcoming laugh, easy going nature, and genuine interest in what you’re up to soon put you at ease. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and is always joking, but scratch a little deeper and you find a unashamedly vulnerable man. There’s a confidence in his abilities, humbled by a great respect for the mountains. For every seemingly crazy instagram line he’s posted there has been multiple cancelled attempts, knowing when to back off is possibly his greatest skill, that’s not to say he hasn’t had close shaves, but they’ve not been simply shrugged off, they’ve been dug into obsessively, so as to understand and most importantly to learn from. Krister will be at this seasons Arctic Splitfest [https://arcticsplitboardfestival.com/], just outside of Alta on the 3-6th April inclusive. There will be workshops, kit tryouts, tours with Krister, yoga, films, and great food/company, we had a real blast last season.

Episode #27 - Jure and Marcus created Moonchild Snowboards, to offer bespoke designed and beautifully crafted stock boards. But it hasn't stopped there! Jure now heads up Moonchild Skunkworx, with groundbreaking designs, based on everyday life items, such as a kitchen spatula and ice cream cone. Jure talks about starting a snowboard brand, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. His love of Pow Surfing has seen him design the Atlas Hybrid, a splitboard on the way up a bindingless Pow Surf on the way down.

Episode #26 - Trent Bush was literally there at the beginning, riding boards straight out of the kryptonics factory. His business life is full on Fear(less), Failure and Success. He’s worked on and created some of the founding snowboard apparel brands; Wave Rave, Twist, Burton, Analog… to the present where he’s set up Artilect [https://www.artilect.studio/], out of Boulder, Colorado. Trent had so much to tell that we’ve split the pod in two, firstly chatting about the Colorado scene, before (in part two) moving onto setting up and developing brands, concepts, and much much more.

Episode #25 - Trent Bush was literally there at the beginning, riding boards straight out of the kryptonics factory. His business life is full on Fear(less), Failure and Success. He’s worked on and created some of the founding snowboard apparel brands; Wave Rave, Twist, Burton, Analog… to the present where he’s set up Artilect [https://www.artilect.studio/], out of Boulder, Colorado. Trent had so much to tell that we’ve split the pod in two, firstly chatting about the Colorado scene, before moving onto setting up and developing brands, concepts, and much much more.

Episode #24, the 2nd of our podcasts from Swedish Lapland, here Andy from the Backdrop crew talks with Upguides [https://www.upguides.com/en/]’ lead guide, Fred Buttard, and with Stranda Snowboards [https://www.strandasnowboards.com/] founder and shaper, Mats Drougge. The chat was recorded in the Kebnekaiser mountain station, in the far north, above the actic circle during the Stranda backcountry hut trip, in March 2022. Expedition food is discussed, the landscape of this enormous area, the crazy weather and touring experiences that week, as well as splitboard tech, and a bunch of other topics. Regarding the La Norma Splitboard fest’ that we discuss, being run by Upguides: * It's being held in the La Norma ski resort, in the Maurienne valley, in France. * From Friday Jan 13 2023 afternoon, to Sunday Jan 15 afternoon, 2023. * Check out more details here [https://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.com/winter/la-norma/activities/events/splitboard-fest/]. And for Stranda’s Swedish Lapland Backcountry hut trip, running again in March of  2023, find out more info here [https://www.strandasnowboards.com/product/splitboarding-kebnekaise/]. Happy listening!