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Terje Håkonsen

This entry was posted on Úno 15 2011

Terje Håkonsen born October 11, 1974 in Vinje, Norway.

Ask any pro which peer they most respect and Terje will likely top their list. From revolutionary films such as Subjekt Haakonsen during the ’90s to six 1^st-place rolls of Baker Banked Slalom duct tape and world’s highest air at the 2007 Arctic Challenge—the Sprocking Cat touts a riding resume that spans two decades. Titles and accolades aside, the deeper cause of this professional admiration is that no name is more synonymous with individual style than Terje’s.

Back when the IOC strong-armed itself into snowboarding, Terje boycotted the Olympics and instead co-created the Arctic Challenge as a rider-based alternative to corporate contests. When it was all box and rail, he designed the T6 for all-terrain mastery, then revolutionized powder riding by helping develop the Fish and Malolo. This past season he moved us forward again, evolving his ride into the even smoother T7 and dreaming up the SSK8-Cross World Championships. He also finessed sick lines from New Zealand and Japan to BC and Russia, but it is his two-decade influence that earned Terje welcome and esteem, at every stop on every trip, as the ambassador of style.

http://www.burton.com/

Wallpaper by TWS 2012 http://snowboarding.transworld.net/wp-content/blogs.dir/442/files/2012/01/TerjeHaakonsen_RobGrace.jpg

Håkonsen (also sometimes spelled „Haakonsen“) dominated freestyle snowboarding in the 1990s winning the ISF World Championships in half-pipe three times in a row, in 1993, 1995 and 1997. He has also won 5 European championships in half-pipe (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997), the U.S. Open in half-pipe 3 times (1992, 1993, 1995), and the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom 6 times (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004). He also won the Innsbruck Air & Style Contest in 1995. Håkonsen set the world record for highest ‚air‘ during the qualifying round of the Arctic Challenge in Oslo 2007 when he reached 9.8 meters out of the top of the quarterpipe with a backside 360.

Young Haakonsen on his first Burton Elite board 150cm.

He is the creator of an aerial snowboard maneuver named The Haakon Flip. Beyond specific tricks, Terje’s fluid style, coupled with his ability to ride virtually any type of terrain are perhaps his biggest influences on the sport. While he laid down his foundation as a top rider in the halfpipe, Terje established his industry dominance in video parts showing his skill riding powder, big mountains and in „big air“ contests – the first iteration of today’s slopestyle competitions.

Subject Haakonsen / most popular video made by Volcom

Håkonsen is also credited to have developed the T6, made out of a material named „Alumafly,“ an aluminium honeycomb construction and as a co-creator of the Burton Fish (a powder-specific board) and the Burton Malolo, a cross-breed between a freestyle and powder board. He starred in the documentary First Descent, along with five other exceptional snowboarders, including Shaun White, Hannah Teter and Travis Rice. Other films include The Haakonson Factor and Subjekt Haakonson by filmaker Dave Seoane. In 2007 Håkonsen created a documentary series called Terjes Sesongkort (Terje’s Season Pass) following him through a year of free riding, contests and his life as a professional snowboarder. The series featured other accomplished snowboarders such as Nicolas Müller, Shaun White, Mads Jonsson and Kevin Pearce. In 2005 Håkonsen was the first snowboarder to ride the 7601. Håkonsen has referred to the late snowboard legend Craig Kelly as his mentor.

When the snowboard halfpipe was introduced as an Olympic event in the 1998 Winter Olympics, Håkonsen boycotted the qualification. Håkonsen, and many other snowboarders, were displeased with the IOC, and particularly the fact that the IOC selected the FIS to handle the qualification instead of the snowboarders‘ own federation, ISF. Håkonsen, together with Daniel Franck, started The Arctic Challenge as a snowboard event where the riders would be in focus. The Arctic Challenge was first arranged in 2000 and has been arranged annually in different places in Norway since then. The Ticket to Ride (World Snowboard Tour)evolved out of the system that was used to qualify for The Arctic Challenge. The winners of prestigious international snowboard competitions earned themselves a ticket to ride (TTR) at The Arctic Challenge. The Ticket to Ride World Snowboard Tour developed into the Snowboard World Ranking List crowning the World Tour Champions.[5] After The Arctic Challenge gained its 6Star TTR rating Håkonsen became the first professional rider to own an event with such a rating.

Legendary Haakon Air 1994

Terje Haakonsen on the cover of TransWorld SNOWboarding’s September 1995 issue.

The IOC executive board did not approve slopestyle for the Sochi 2014 Olympics at their meeting in Acapulco this week. They say the level of slopestyle riding as of October 2010 is not up to the required standards. IOC will await the development of the sport until the Ski Federation’s (FIS) Snowboard World Championships in 2011. The executive board has handed all powers to President Jacques Rogge to make the decision. Terje Haakonsen invites Jacques Rogge to his slopestyle event this winter to learn more about snowboarding and slopestyle.

This is from the DVD extras, in which we step into Terje’s shoes for a typical heli drop in AK. Left alone atop a sketchy ridge he chops off a cornice and prepares to drop down a tight and bumpy chute. Properly scary stuff.

Terje Haakonsen interview http://www.snowboardermag.com/magazine/features/terje-haakonsen-interview-20-2/#http://snowboardermag.com/magazine/features/terje-spread1.jpg

Text was taken from

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terje_Håkonsen
http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000136454/news/terje-haakonsen-invites-jacques-rogge-to-learn-about-snowboarding/

TERJE HAAKONSEN

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