Milestone (2024) Movie Script
1
This video part
definitely has been
a real challenge to myself.
I mean, I didn't feel any pressure
from the outside,
the pressure came from myself.
And see if I still have
what it takes to do it
on that level that I think in my head
that I could pull it off.
I think the best way
to actually see it
was by going to some same spots
that I've hit in the past
and in my prime.
Pretty ready for a speed check.
Always the first hit the...
nerve wracking.
I mean, it's been seven years
since I hit this, so it's kind of...
I can't remember too much
about the speed or nothing,
you know, but just gotta feel it out.
Because if I look at the years,
let's say '05, '06, '07,
that was the time
when I was feeling the strongest.
And then leading up to this project,
you know, being 40
and going back to some same spots
that I've had in the past.
Like I have way more
question marks in my head.
It's like, "Can I still do this?"
Maybe it's a bit more like
nerve wracking sometimes,
like knowing doing the things
that I'd still tried to do,
like, if there's a higher risk
of getting injured.
Of course, when you're 16,
you're a rubber man,
you don't get injured.
But now when you're 40,
like, every time you, like,
fall from this high of the ground,
like you're in pieces, you know.
This is the legendary roof gap
that I hit in the past.
The first time was back 180.
Second time was one foot.
Third time I did a frontflip
and a back rodeo,
and now it's the fourth time.
I want to do like a switch underflip.
There's always like a little bit
more excitement
going switch
into something like this,
you know, because you can't mess up
on the lip or before the lip.
You know, you have to make it
all the way over
to be on the safe side, you know.
A classic day in the life
of a of a family man.
I woke up 6 o'clock in the morning
with the kid.
Took him to daycare at 9 o'clock.
Come here by yourself.
Build this massive roof gap.
Pick up your kid from the daycare,
feed him, put him to sleep.
And then I'm gonna come back here
and hopefully start shredding
around 10 o' clock
and be back home by 12.
That would be ideal.
And pretend like nothing happened.
But this is something
it's pretty hard to explain
to the fam.
It's better pretty much leave it out.
I don't tell my wife either
that I'm coming here.
I'm like, "Yeah, I'm gonna
go hit this mellow, sweet spot."
And then in real life,
I'm here at the parking garage
jumping from roof to roof.
I used to think
that life is over when you turn 40.
And I definitely don't think
like that anymore.
I think 40 is the new 20.
My brain definitely still thinks
that I'm 16,
but my body feels like
I'm 70 years old,
so I'm just trying to compromise
between my mind and my body
to do the things that I still do.
This thing's big.
It's actually a lot steeper
and longer than I remembered.
A legendary spot.
I hit it back in '06
for Follow Me Around.
Yeah, from frontboard
and a nose press.
Now, 18 years later,
back at the same spot.
Will be stoked
to get a backlift this time.
I think I got it.
Strong in the head, weak in the body.
That's the way to do it.
Once you come here,
you really have to be on point
to get the shot.
Especially in Finland
in the winter time,
the days are really short
or the daylight.
Hammer time.
Like knowing. Okay,
that spot's ready. There's snow.
I got a day in the calendar.
I got the approval from the wife.
I can go to the spots, you know.
So then I decide I'm gonna come here,
and then I just have to be like,
"All right, time to get that trick."
Wow! Yes!
Yes!
I think
that was the turning point
when filming for this part
was like realizing,
"Okay,
now I got this trick, you know.
So that kind of like,
opened my mind again.
Okay, now I can really go for it
and get more tricks,
and I can ride on that high level
that I see in my head.
I've had a good career,
and I still feel like I want to film
one more video part
that I could be satisfied with.
Ender came out in 2015,
which was nine years ago,
so I claimed I wasn't going to film
another part, you know.
And then that's how
it was supposed to be
until I got a call
from Rene Rinnekangas,
yeah, three years ago.
I was on the phone with him
and he was like,
"Eero, I got this idea
for your next project.
You should film a video part
and release it on your 40th birthday.
You have a couple seasons' time,
you can make it
pretty easy for yourself,
and you should give it a go.
To me it feels really cool
because Rene is one of the best
snowboarders in the world
at the moment.
Why does he want, like,
this washed up old fart
to film another part?
That doesn't make any sense.
But when I started, like,
processing the idea,
it just felt more
appealing to me as well
to make it more
like a personal challenge
and trying to see how far
I can take my snowboarding.
So I think the motivation
was a little bit healthier in a way.
Or healthier for the mind
and for the pressure,
maybe not healthier for the body,
but it's like...
But that was the price
that I was willing to pay.
I mean, I wanted to see.
So between 2015 and 2024,
I've been mainly focusing
on some like Red bull projects,
like more scripted projects,
you know.
So it's been like a Snow Castle.
I made Helsinki Transitions.
There was this like rally crossover
project with Kalle Rovanper.
One Line my project,
plus doing stuff for the Instagram.
You know,
I've been like staying active,
but it's different.
Yeah,
I think there's a huge contrast
between filming only for Instagram
or filming a video part,
because in the Instagram clips
you're always riding
in your own comfort zone
and you're doing the tricks
that feel fun
and most likely you won't get hurt.
But when you go filming
for a full part,
you want to kind of
be on the edge a little bit
and you have this like some sort of
doubts every time you go to a spot.
Like, "I wonder how this
is going to work out,
I wonder if I'm gonna get the shot."
I feel like there's definitely
higher risk, of course,
but also in a way
there's higher reward.
And I think
the motivation just builds up
on when you're filming a video part.
Like the same motivation
doesn't build up
filming for Instagram.
And the video part itself
is like a statement,
like, this is what I have,
and this is how I want to look like
and snowboard and...
It gets more interesting in a way,
and it feels like a process,
like a never ending process.
Like once you get a clip,
you start like visualizing
the end result.
You're like, "Okay,
now I got this frontside wall right,
maybe now I want something else."
And then you get that shot
and you're like,
"Okay, now I'm missing this thing."
Basically, when you put your heart
and your focus into something,
that's who you are as a snowboarder.
And that's what
the actual video part is about.
Yeah, that's where
I break my rib you see, over here.
Yeah. You see where I slip out.
I put my arm down
and then I pop my shoulder
and then I break my rib on the ledge.
I'm like, yeah, I think
I can still do this.
A couple more tries."
I was feeling confident.
I'm like, "I'm gonna get this one,"
because I thought
it was gonna be easy, to be honest.
And so, I had so much adrenaline
and I was all like warmed up.
I'm like, "I'm still gonna go."
And I kept going for 30 more tries
trying to get this clip,
and then it still didn't work out.
Yeah, I just got fucked.
I mean, 60 tries after, like...
Like, I don't get this.
I'm not gonna have this trick.
But I have this mentality
going into spots like,
I give it my all
on that one time that I go there.
And if it doesn't work out,
I'm just not going to go back.
I mean, and that's the case still.
I mean, this was close,
but this would have been
so fucking ugly, too.
I had no control.
Like I just jumped on it.
I'm like, "Where should I look?"
That C was like...
It took over the control.
Just the ledge itself, like...
I don't know, it never felt good.
It was a night mission,
so I went back home.
I was at home like at 3 o'clock
with a broken rib.
Like, I was lying in bed.
I remember, like, my wife woke up
and she was like,
"Hey, how was the session?
I'm like, "It's great." It was great.
I was barely able to breathe."
But I didn't want to
make her worried at all.
I don't think
I even told her in the morning
that I had a broken rib.
I would just try to play,
like everything's cool.
Daddy is fine.
When the kid came over, I was like,
"Yeah, I'll take you to daycare.
No problem."
And then...
And I remember the next step
when I dropped him off to daycare,
I just went straight
into scoping more spots.
I was never that good at, like,
giving myself time
to rest after the injuries,
you know, like, three days after
I was already snowboarding.
My body's always telling me
I shouldn't be doing
these things that I do,
but something in me
just wants to do it.
And I'm sort of scared too, you know,
because I feel like snowboarding
is one of the only things in life
that I'm really good at.
So I just kind of
want to hold on to it.
So I want to be able
to be doing these hardcore tricks
as long as possible.
And my mind is still there.
So I still know I can,
and I want to be able to prove it
in this project.
I do think
about the risks of snowboarding
definitely a bit more than I used to,
but I think that's just
because of getting older.
I mean, of course,
because I'm being a dad,
I think about stuff
a bit differently too.
Plus, I get to snowboard way less,
which means when I get to a spot,
I'm not as confident
as I used to be, you know.
So I feel like I have to do
so much more work with my mind
to be in the right place
when I'm actually
throwing down these tricks.
I don't end up trying anything
that I feel like I couldn't be able
to pull off, you know.
So I'm sort of playing it safe
on the terms of my own skill level,
I would say.
I guess for other people
it doesn't look safe,
but to me it usually feels safe
because I do tricks that I know well
and I hit spots that seem
comfortable to my skill level.
I would say
I'm one of those guys
that I come up with an idea,
and I still want to get it
out of the system by doing it,
to kind of scare myself a little bit
and proving to myself
that I can do it, you know.
Like having a vision
and making it reality.
And that's kind of like
the way I always performed,
and I'm not willing to let go
from that thing,
even that I became a father.
I always
used to have powder clips
and street clips
and park clips in my video parts,
because I wanted to showcase people
that I can do it all.
But for this part,
my life has changed quite a bit.
Like, I wanted to go out there
and get a clip
and then still be able to come home
and see my kids and see them grow.
So coming out of Finland,
what's accessible for me,
it is the streets.
I usually cycle on this road
and I just one day I saw this
I'm like,
"Holy shit, there's a new ledge,
definitely needs to be hit."
But it's sick
because sometimes it's pretty hard
to reach some of the spots
with a car, you know.
So it's so much more accessible
with the bicycle, you know.
So now I'm this fucking old guy
cycling in a spandex,
looking for spots, you know.
Not so core anymore.
Do I look core?
I feel core.
Get a picture of me
doing a backflip on the ledge.
As you can tell,
I'm pretty desperate for spots.
I found this spot last winter,
and did it front board on it.
It was not nice.
The shittiest spot in town,
but still, you know,
it's close to home.
Had to hit it.
Yeah, it's pretty funny.
In the past three years,
most of the spots that I found
have been either
on a walk with the baby
or cycling as a training
or on a family vacation.
That's my scouting missions.
From blunt
dropped frontboard down the rail.
It used to be different.
We would just drive around
for ten hours looking for spots,
and now I'm trying
to use all my time wisely.
It was so random.
I found this spot.
We were at the family vacation
at a spa hotel.
It's right around the corner.
So I had a breakfast,
I'm telling my wife
I got to go scope.
And then behind the corner
I see this ledge,
I'm like, "I scored,"
so hopefully this is going to work.
It was a long drive,
3.5 hours just to get here.
But if I don't get this shot,
it's going to be a waste of time.
Managing time
definitely gets tougher these days.
I don't think I even get like half
of the snowboarding days
as I used to.
And when I get out, like,
I'm trying to be as productive
as possible, you know.
Been a long day, it's...
12:30.
Yeah, but it was good.
We hit two spots.
A lot of building,
a lot of fucking shoveling,
and at least five hours
of shoveling today.
And then both of us hit a spot.
Pretty exhausted.
I think it looks really promising.
I definitely want to hit it.
It's always when you go on the roof,
there's a high chance
of getting kicked out,
but it looks like
a pretty mellow spot for that.
What do you think?
Fucking looks insane.
Wow.
I'm pretty happy with that.
Eero: Yeah, I'm super happy.
My back is just really stiff.
Yeah.
I woke up at 7:30 again.
I just can't sleep.
I know.
I can't sleep past, like, 7:30.
No matter what time I go to sleep.
Like, even last night,
I went to sleep at 2:00.
Or like, we tried, like...
We tried, you know,
like it didn't work out.
We were just talking
till like 2 o'clock.
Yeah.
I feel like...
which is weird, this is pretty
exhausting and pretty heavy.
But I still feel
like I'm on a vacation.
Getting away from home
feels like a vacation
even it's a pretty tough work.
Life is pretty challenging
at the moment, to say the least.
Being a husband,
being a father of two
and then being a TV host.
Being a sports commentator.
Being a pro snowboarder.
And then a social media influencer.
I'm really selective
with the social media
influencing stuff.
In a way, I feel lucky
that I get offered
to do these things,
but at the same time,
I'm really protective
of the things that I do.
So I want to make sure
that the things that I do
really look like me.
It definitely
gets more challenging these days
to get the focus on snowboarding,
because I have so much
other shit going on.
I mean, I was forced
to be more productive now.
The days get really scheduled.
This was pretty much the first year
that I had my own calendar.
Like full on old school calendar,
just writing down,
"All right,
Eero's going to be snowboarding
on Tuesday and Thursday."
So those are my like go to days,
so that's when I go ride the slopes
or hit the streets
and get the tricks for the part.
I definitely
get questioned quite a bit
if I still snowboard
or if I should quit,
and all this kind of stuff.
I mean, I guess
it's something with the age,
you know, when you turn 30
or you turn 40.
Snowboarding is one of those sports
that isn't like looked at
as a sport for grownups.
So I also want to break
those barriers,
you know, just showing people
that when you're 40
you can still do gnarly tricks
and you can still throw down
and actually have fun doing it.
You can tell that I did first try,
right? Because I'm steaming.
Yeah. No snow anywhere.
I do question myself
sometimes too,
like,
why do I love snowboarding so much?
To me,
it's like the way of life.
I can't see myself
not snowboarding, basically.
And it's one of those things
like more you snowboard
more you want to snowboard
and more tricks you learn
like more tricks you want to learn.
So it's like a never ending process.
- I'm stoked.
- Another day another clip or what?
Yeah, you know what...
I guess at this point in my career,
I feel like I'm trying to maintain
the level that I've been at
and that's already
like challenging enough.
But sometimes I might learn
these little jibs here and there,
which still motivates me, of course.
Like, it's fun to go on the hill
and trying something new.
As all the resorts
in southern Finland,
they usually open up
at 4 p.m. on the weekdays,
which is a horrible timing for me
because that's when I pick up my kid
from the daycare.
But luckily I know a person
that owns a resort,
so we get to go ride
because otherwise I wouldn't really
be riding that much.
So he makes it possible for me
to get some time on the snowboard,
basically.
Thank God.
And it's funny, sometimes
there's not even any people.
They just leave the door open,
so I can go start the lift by myself.
I'm like, yeah, I have my own resort
pretty much, which is nice.
I feel like Marcus Kleveland
for once.
This is a really good
practice zone for us,
for getting ideas
and learning new tricks
that you can take to the streets
and film for the part.
A bunch of the new stuff
that I did this season,
I would practice here.
Like, personally,
I didn't think I was facing
any sort of midlife crisis.
I mean, I didn't buy a Lamborghini,
I didn't buy a Harley.
But when I look at it now,
maybe filming this part is some sort
of a midlife crisis to myself,
seeing if I can still ride
on that level
that I would like to ride.
And, I mean,
I feel like this is a healthy
midlife crisis in a way,
at least for my wallet,
but maybe not for the body.
I definitely sacrificed my body
for this midlife crisis,
but, I mean,
at least my wallet to safe.
My family is eating my wallet,
so it's...
I mean, it's...
Nobody's winning, you know what.
I think snowboarding
definitely makes me
a better father and better husband
because, to me, it's a perfect job.
So basically, I get to go outside,
I get to do the things that I love.
Plus I get to hang out
with the people that I love.
And then when I get home,
I'm full of energy
to hang out with my with my family.
And when I see my kids,
I see my wife,
I'm like,
this is what actually matters.
Even snowboarding is still
one of the big parts of my life,
but that's just supposed to be
the fun aspect.
Yeah, if I'm trying to think
about all the milestones
that I have
in my snowboarding career,
if people asked me
like ten years ago or 15 years ago,
I would of course say
the double-back rodeo
or the win at X-Games.
Those would be the two highlights.
But now looking back, I'm like,
maybe the biggest milestone
is like that I've been able
to snowboard for this long
and I've been able
to enjoy it for this long.
I think all that other stuff
doesn't really matter.
I think the biggest thing
that I learned
while filming for this part was...
I've been ridiculous for myself,
like limiting myself from doing
something that I love the most.
Like, I mean, why would I put
an age limit into snowboarding?
I mean, I used to think
that snowboarding has to be done
by the time when I reached 30,
and this part made me realize
it never has to be done.
Never has to be over.
But I feel this was the first time
on my career
when I actually felt like rested
after getting the last shot
for the part.
I don't know what's next, but...
I felt like I found my happy place
in snowboarding now.
Like I found my peace.
This video part
definitely has been
a real challenge to myself.
I mean, I didn't feel any pressure
from the outside,
the pressure came from myself.
And see if I still have
what it takes to do it
on that level that I think in my head
that I could pull it off.
I think the best way
to actually see it
was by going to some same spots
that I've hit in the past
and in my prime.
Pretty ready for a speed check.
Always the first hit the...
nerve wracking.
I mean, it's been seven years
since I hit this, so it's kind of...
I can't remember too much
about the speed or nothing,
you know, but just gotta feel it out.
Because if I look at the years,
let's say '05, '06, '07,
that was the time
when I was feeling the strongest.
And then leading up to this project,
you know, being 40
and going back to some same spots
that I've had in the past.
Like I have way more
question marks in my head.
It's like, "Can I still do this?"
Maybe it's a bit more like
nerve wracking sometimes,
like knowing doing the things
that I'd still tried to do,
like, if there's a higher risk
of getting injured.
Of course, when you're 16,
you're a rubber man,
you don't get injured.
But now when you're 40,
like, every time you, like,
fall from this high of the ground,
like you're in pieces, you know.
This is the legendary roof gap
that I hit in the past.
The first time was back 180.
Second time was one foot.
Third time I did a frontflip
and a back rodeo,
and now it's the fourth time.
I want to do like a switch underflip.
There's always like a little bit
more excitement
going switch
into something like this,
you know, because you can't mess up
on the lip or before the lip.
You know, you have to make it
all the way over
to be on the safe side, you know.
A classic day in the life
of a of a family man.
I woke up 6 o'clock in the morning
with the kid.
Took him to daycare at 9 o'clock.
Come here by yourself.
Build this massive roof gap.
Pick up your kid from the daycare,
feed him, put him to sleep.
And then I'm gonna come back here
and hopefully start shredding
around 10 o' clock
and be back home by 12.
That would be ideal.
And pretend like nothing happened.
But this is something
it's pretty hard to explain
to the fam.
It's better pretty much leave it out.
I don't tell my wife either
that I'm coming here.
I'm like, "Yeah, I'm gonna
go hit this mellow, sweet spot."
And then in real life,
I'm here at the parking garage
jumping from roof to roof.
I used to think
that life is over when you turn 40.
And I definitely don't think
like that anymore.
I think 40 is the new 20.
My brain definitely still thinks
that I'm 16,
but my body feels like
I'm 70 years old,
so I'm just trying to compromise
between my mind and my body
to do the things that I still do.
This thing's big.
It's actually a lot steeper
and longer than I remembered.
A legendary spot.
I hit it back in '06
for Follow Me Around.
Yeah, from frontboard
and a nose press.
Now, 18 years later,
back at the same spot.
Will be stoked
to get a backlift this time.
I think I got it.
Strong in the head, weak in the body.
That's the way to do it.
Once you come here,
you really have to be on point
to get the shot.
Especially in Finland
in the winter time,
the days are really short
or the daylight.
Hammer time.
Like knowing. Okay,
that spot's ready. There's snow.
I got a day in the calendar.
I got the approval from the wife.
I can go to the spots, you know.
So then I decide I'm gonna come here,
and then I just have to be like,
"All right, time to get that trick."
Wow! Yes!
Yes!
I think
that was the turning point
when filming for this part
was like realizing,
"Okay,
now I got this trick, you know.
So that kind of like,
opened my mind again.
Okay, now I can really go for it
and get more tricks,
and I can ride on that high level
that I see in my head.
I've had a good career,
and I still feel like I want to film
one more video part
that I could be satisfied with.
Ender came out in 2015,
which was nine years ago,
so I claimed I wasn't going to film
another part, you know.
And then that's how
it was supposed to be
until I got a call
from Rene Rinnekangas,
yeah, three years ago.
I was on the phone with him
and he was like,
"Eero, I got this idea
for your next project.
You should film a video part
and release it on your 40th birthday.
You have a couple seasons' time,
you can make it
pretty easy for yourself,
and you should give it a go.
To me it feels really cool
because Rene is one of the best
snowboarders in the world
at the moment.
Why does he want, like,
this washed up old fart
to film another part?
That doesn't make any sense.
But when I started, like,
processing the idea,
it just felt more
appealing to me as well
to make it more
like a personal challenge
and trying to see how far
I can take my snowboarding.
So I think the motivation
was a little bit healthier in a way.
Or healthier for the mind
and for the pressure,
maybe not healthier for the body,
but it's like...
But that was the price
that I was willing to pay.
I mean, I wanted to see.
So between 2015 and 2024,
I've been mainly focusing
on some like Red bull projects,
like more scripted projects,
you know.
So it's been like a Snow Castle.
I made Helsinki Transitions.
There was this like rally crossover
project with Kalle Rovanper.
One Line my project,
plus doing stuff for the Instagram.
You know,
I've been like staying active,
but it's different.
Yeah,
I think there's a huge contrast
between filming only for Instagram
or filming a video part,
because in the Instagram clips
you're always riding
in your own comfort zone
and you're doing the tricks
that feel fun
and most likely you won't get hurt.
But when you go filming
for a full part,
you want to kind of
be on the edge a little bit
and you have this like some sort of
doubts every time you go to a spot.
Like, "I wonder how this
is going to work out,
I wonder if I'm gonna get the shot."
I feel like there's definitely
higher risk, of course,
but also in a way
there's higher reward.
And I think
the motivation just builds up
on when you're filming a video part.
Like the same motivation
doesn't build up
filming for Instagram.
And the video part itself
is like a statement,
like, this is what I have,
and this is how I want to look like
and snowboard and...
It gets more interesting in a way,
and it feels like a process,
like a never ending process.
Like once you get a clip,
you start like visualizing
the end result.
You're like, "Okay,
now I got this frontside wall right,
maybe now I want something else."
And then you get that shot
and you're like,
"Okay, now I'm missing this thing."
Basically, when you put your heart
and your focus into something,
that's who you are as a snowboarder.
And that's what
the actual video part is about.
Yeah, that's where
I break my rib you see, over here.
Yeah. You see where I slip out.
I put my arm down
and then I pop my shoulder
and then I break my rib on the ledge.
I'm like, yeah, I think
I can still do this.
A couple more tries."
I was feeling confident.
I'm like, "I'm gonna get this one,"
because I thought
it was gonna be easy, to be honest.
And so, I had so much adrenaline
and I was all like warmed up.
I'm like, "I'm still gonna go."
And I kept going for 30 more tries
trying to get this clip,
and then it still didn't work out.
Yeah, I just got fucked.
I mean, 60 tries after, like...
Like, I don't get this.
I'm not gonna have this trick.
But I have this mentality
going into spots like,
I give it my all
on that one time that I go there.
And if it doesn't work out,
I'm just not going to go back.
I mean, and that's the case still.
I mean, this was close,
but this would have been
so fucking ugly, too.
I had no control.
Like I just jumped on it.
I'm like, "Where should I look?"
That C was like...
It took over the control.
Just the ledge itself, like...
I don't know, it never felt good.
It was a night mission,
so I went back home.
I was at home like at 3 o'clock
with a broken rib.
Like, I was lying in bed.
I remember, like, my wife woke up
and she was like,
"Hey, how was the session?
I'm like, "It's great." It was great.
I was barely able to breathe."
But I didn't want to
make her worried at all.
I don't think
I even told her in the morning
that I had a broken rib.
I would just try to play,
like everything's cool.
Daddy is fine.
When the kid came over, I was like,
"Yeah, I'll take you to daycare.
No problem."
And then...
And I remember the next step
when I dropped him off to daycare,
I just went straight
into scoping more spots.
I was never that good at, like,
giving myself time
to rest after the injuries,
you know, like, three days after
I was already snowboarding.
My body's always telling me
I shouldn't be doing
these things that I do,
but something in me
just wants to do it.
And I'm sort of scared too, you know,
because I feel like snowboarding
is one of the only things in life
that I'm really good at.
So I just kind of
want to hold on to it.
So I want to be able
to be doing these hardcore tricks
as long as possible.
And my mind is still there.
So I still know I can,
and I want to be able to prove it
in this project.
I do think
about the risks of snowboarding
definitely a bit more than I used to,
but I think that's just
because of getting older.
I mean, of course,
because I'm being a dad,
I think about stuff
a bit differently too.
Plus, I get to snowboard way less,
which means when I get to a spot,
I'm not as confident
as I used to be, you know.
So I feel like I have to do
so much more work with my mind
to be in the right place
when I'm actually
throwing down these tricks.
I don't end up trying anything
that I feel like I couldn't be able
to pull off, you know.
So I'm sort of playing it safe
on the terms of my own skill level,
I would say.
I guess for other people
it doesn't look safe,
but to me it usually feels safe
because I do tricks that I know well
and I hit spots that seem
comfortable to my skill level.
I would say
I'm one of those guys
that I come up with an idea,
and I still want to get it
out of the system by doing it,
to kind of scare myself a little bit
and proving to myself
that I can do it, you know.
Like having a vision
and making it reality.
And that's kind of like
the way I always performed,
and I'm not willing to let go
from that thing,
even that I became a father.
I always
used to have powder clips
and street clips
and park clips in my video parts,
because I wanted to showcase people
that I can do it all.
But for this part,
my life has changed quite a bit.
Like, I wanted to go out there
and get a clip
and then still be able to come home
and see my kids and see them grow.
So coming out of Finland,
what's accessible for me,
it is the streets.
I usually cycle on this road
and I just one day I saw this
I'm like,
"Holy shit, there's a new ledge,
definitely needs to be hit."
But it's sick
because sometimes it's pretty hard
to reach some of the spots
with a car, you know.
So it's so much more accessible
with the bicycle, you know.
So now I'm this fucking old guy
cycling in a spandex,
looking for spots, you know.
Not so core anymore.
Do I look core?
I feel core.
Get a picture of me
doing a backflip on the ledge.
As you can tell,
I'm pretty desperate for spots.
I found this spot last winter,
and did it front board on it.
It was not nice.
The shittiest spot in town,
but still, you know,
it's close to home.
Had to hit it.
Yeah, it's pretty funny.
In the past three years,
most of the spots that I found
have been either
on a walk with the baby
or cycling as a training
or on a family vacation.
That's my scouting missions.
From blunt
dropped frontboard down the rail.
It used to be different.
We would just drive around
for ten hours looking for spots,
and now I'm trying
to use all my time wisely.
It was so random.
I found this spot.
We were at the family vacation
at a spa hotel.
It's right around the corner.
So I had a breakfast,
I'm telling my wife
I got to go scope.
And then behind the corner
I see this ledge,
I'm like, "I scored,"
so hopefully this is going to work.
It was a long drive,
3.5 hours just to get here.
But if I don't get this shot,
it's going to be a waste of time.
Managing time
definitely gets tougher these days.
I don't think I even get like half
of the snowboarding days
as I used to.
And when I get out, like,
I'm trying to be as productive
as possible, you know.
Been a long day, it's...
12:30.
Yeah, but it was good.
We hit two spots.
A lot of building,
a lot of fucking shoveling,
and at least five hours
of shoveling today.
And then both of us hit a spot.
Pretty exhausted.
I think it looks really promising.
I definitely want to hit it.
It's always when you go on the roof,
there's a high chance
of getting kicked out,
but it looks like
a pretty mellow spot for that.
What do you think?
Fucking looks insane.
Wow.
I'm pretty happy with that.
Eero: Yeah, I'm super happy.
My back is just really stiff.
Yeah.
I woke up at 7:30 again.
I just can't sleep.
I know.
I can't sleep past, like, 7:30.
No matter what time I go to sleep.
Like, even last night,
I went to sleep at 2:00.
Or like, we tried, like...
We tried, you know,
like it didn't work out.
We were just talking
till like 2 o'clock.
Yeah.
I feel like...
which is weird, this is pretty
exhausting and pretty heavy.
But I still feel
like I'm on a vacation.
Getting away from home
feels like a vacation
even it's a pretty tough work.
Life is pretty challenging
at the moment, to say the least.
Being a husband,
being a father of two
and then being a TV host.
Being a sports commentator.
Being a pro snowboarder.
And then a social media influencer.
I'm really selective
with the social media
influencing stuff.
In a way, I feel lucky
that I get offered
to do these things,
but at the same time,
I'm really protective
of the things that I do.
So I want to make sure
that the things that I do
really look like me.
It definitely
gets more challenging these days
to get the focus on snowboarding,
because I have so much
other shit going on.
I mean, I was forced
to be more productive now.
The days get really scheduled.
This was pretty much the first year
that I had my own calendar.
Like full on old school calendar,
just writing down,
"All right,
Eero's going to be snowboarding
on Tuesday and Thursday."
So those are my like go to days,
so that's when I go ride the slopes
or hit the streets
and get the tricks for the part.
I definitely
get questioned quite a bit
if I still snowboard
or if I should quit,
and all this kind of stuff.
I mean, I guess
it's something with the age,
you know, when you turn 30
or you turn 40.
Snowboarding is one of those sports
that isn't like looked at
as a sport for grownups.
So I also want to break
those barriers,
you know, just showing people
that when you're 40
you can still do gnarly tricks
and you can still throw down
and actually have fun doing it.
You can tell that I did first try,
right? Because I'm steaming.
Yeah. No snow anywhere.
I do question myself
sometimes too,
like,
why do I love snowboarding so much?
To me,
it's like the way of life.
I can't see myself
not snowboarding, basically.
And it's one of those things
like more you snowboard
more you want to snowboard
and more tricks you learn
like more tricks you want to learn.
So it's like a never ending process.
- I'm stoked.
- Another day another clip or what?
Yeah, you know what...
I guess at this point in my career,
I feel like I'm trying to maintain
the level that I've been at
and that's already
like challenging enough.
But sometimes I might learn
these little jibs here and there,
which still motivates me, of course.
Like, it's fun to go on the hill
and trying something new.
As all the resorts
in southern Finland,
they usually open up
at 4 p.m. on the weekdays,
which is a horrible timing for me
because that's when I pick up my kid
from the daycare.
But luckily I know a person
that owns a resort,
so we get to go ride
because otherwise I wouldn't really
be riding that much.
So he makes it possible for me
to get some time on the snowboard,
basically.
Thank God.
And it's funny, sometimes
there's not even any people.
They just leave the door open,
so I can go start the lift by myself.
I'm like, yeah, I have my own resort
pretty much, which is nice.
I feel like Marcus Kleveland
for once.
This is a really good
practice zone for us,
for getting ideas
and learning new tricks
that you can take to the streets
and film for the part.
A bunch of the new stuff
that I did this season,
I would practice here.
Like, personally,
I didn't think I was facing
any sort of midlife crisis.
I mean, I didn't buy a Lamborghini,
I didn't buy a Harley.
But when I look at it now,
maybe filming this part is some sort
of a midlife crisis to myself,
seeing if I can still ride
on that level
that I would like to ride.
And, I mean,
I feel like this is a healthy
midlife crisis in a way,
at least for my wallet,
but maybe not for the body.
I definitely sacrificed my body
for this midlife crisis,
but, I mean,
at least my wallet to safe.
My family is eating my wallet,
so it's...
I mean, it's...
Nobody's winning, you know what.
I think snowboarding
definitely makes me
a better father and better husband
because, to me, it's a perfect job.
So basically, I get to go outside,
I get to do the things that I love.
Plus I get to hang out
with the people that I love.
And then when I get home,
I'm full of energy
to hang out with my with my family.
And when I see my kids,
I see my wife,
I'm like,
this is what actually matters.
Even snowboarding is still
one of the big parts of my life,
but that's just supposed to be
the fun aspect.
Yeah, if I'm trying to think
about all the milestones
that I have
in my snowboarding career,
if people asked me
like ten years ago or 15 years ago,
I would of course say
the double-back rodeo
or the win at X-Games.
Those would be the two highlights.
But now looking back, I'm like,
maybe the biggest milestone
is like that I've been able
to snowboard for this long
and I've been able
to enjoy it for this long.
I think all that other stuff
doesn't really matter.
I think the biggest thing
that I learned
while filming for this part was...
I've been ridiculous for myself,
like limiting myself from doing
something that I love the most.
Like, I mean, why would I put
an age limit into snowboarding?
I mean, I used to think
that snowboarding has to be done
by the time when I reached 30,
and this part made me realize
it never has to be done.
Never has to be over.
But I feel this was the first time
on my career
when I actually felt like rested
after getting the last shot
for the part.
I don't know what's next, but...
I felt like I found my happy place
in snowboarding now.
Like I found my peace.