Last week we were blown away by this Norwegian rookie’s front triple 1440 off the toes, so we hit him up to find out more about him and what the hell he was thinking whirling through that madness…

We’re sure you’ve seen Norwegian rookie Jørn Simen Aabøe’s insane entry into the triple cork club by now (here it is again in case you’ve not), but other than being aware he won the Norway stop on the Nike Chosen Series tour last winter, we knew precious little about him. We hit him up to find out more, and what it’s like to go upside down and round and round reaaly frickin’ fast…

To paraphrase the old dude in The Art of Flight: “What planet the fuck are you from?” Alternatively, where are you from, how old are you, how long have you been riding for and who shows you love so you can go out and do tricks that makes our mind hurt?

I’m from a small coastal town called Kragerø, two and a half hours ride south of Oslo. I’m 21 years old and been riding snowboard since I was around 6. My two older brothers were pushing me all the time. They were building jumps and made rails of ladders. Also the Norwegian Billabong team manager Jonas has helped me on the way!

We first heard your name when you won the Nike Chosen Series stop in Norway. Do you ride many contests or are you more about just sending it on your own terms?

I started riding contests more serious this year. Before I just wanted to hit the slopes and have fun, without any pressure.

When we were at the Nike Chosen Sessions we were pretty blown away by the front double 10 off the toes. We’d never seen such a rotation before, apart from in the 90s when people did frontside rodeos. How did that trick come about for you, and was it always in your mind that a triple version of it was doable?

I was doing the frontside rodeo 7s alot and kinda felt good doing it, so then I tried a double 10 and it worked out pretty good. I did my first double 10 in March this year, and ever since I have been thinking about the triple.

Had you tried the triple off the toes before that session in Vierli, was it in your mind bugging you for a while, or was it just a spontaneous thing you wanted to try on the day?

I made my mind ready for it some days before heading up to Vierli and we made a nice jump with a lot of airtime. I did four double 10s and got pushed by my Billabong team buddy Odd Roar Solerød and I just went for it.

[Here's a fun homie-cam edit with more stuff from the Vierli session, featuring Markus Olimstad and Jørn.]

Jonas said you stomped it 3rd try. How did the first attempt work out, and what was going through your mind as you committed going off the lip?

The two first attempts I didnt make the last 180 rotation. I was full of adrenaline and very focused heading for the jump and didn’t remember having any thoughts at all.

Watching it is pretty hectic in itself. What on earth is it like as you blur through that trick?

It was kinda hectic, too and it all went really fast, but I felt I had control in the air.

What were your emotions doing once you’d realised you’d stomped it?

It was a big relief knowing that I stomped it and I felt a burst of happiness running through my whole body. And of course a bunch of high-fives.

Did you keep riding afterwards, or did you call it a day and sink a few cold beers?

I was pretty shook up and rode some laps afterwards, but those beers were calling my name…

What’s the reaction been like so far, from both friends and strangers?

I’m suprised about the overwhelmed positive feedback. Doing that trick I expected much hate because of the spin to win mentality. My phone has been charging constant these last days. I really appreciate all the good comments and feedback!

Inevitably when it comes to double and, now, triple cork rotations for everyone who’s stoked on the sport progressing and another barrier being broken, there will be someone else who calls it further proof snowboarding’s straying further from its roots and into the realms of ski aerials. What are your thoughts on this?

Many people consider triples as just too much and rather want to see some clean and stylish 5s, 7s and 9s. I agree but I think its good that the sport is being pushed further. A good combination and variation of new school and old school snowboarding is cool to watch.

Final question: how come the Norwegians are killing it so hard right now? What the hell is in the water up there?

We are all a bunch of crazy vikings having a good time snowboarding!

We saw this Norwegian ‘rookie’ Jørn Simen Aabøe stomping the double version of this back at the recent Nike Chosen Sessions, but now he’s taken that off-the-toes bad boy to triple. We don’t know quite what to make of that, our mind’s still spinning. Watch this and have your brain blended.

We heard this had gone down in Norway the other day from our shooter Olav Stubberud who fired over the sequence of this insanity, then today a Norse gent named Jonas, who works for Jørn’s sponsor, Billabong, dropped us the video evidence and it’s quite the eye opener. After putting down a couple run-of-the-mill, basic, no-biggie double corks, Jørn steps it up a gear to join the exclusive triple cork club with his hectic frontside off-the-toes version. It’s like how people used to do frontside rodeos in the 90s, but cranked up to a whole other level of spin-flippery.

With Torstein Hogmo’s OG front triple 14, Mark McMorris’ backside triple 1440 and Cab triple, Seb Toutant’s take on the back 14 triple, Pat Burgener’s switch backside 1440 triple, and now this, it can safely be said that snowboarding has gone properly mad. But is it all a step too far? The riders will tell you themselves that they prefer the feeling of a floated switch back 5 but when kids are amping to break boundaries, for better or worse, this is where the frontier is in kicker riding these days. Hats off, Jørn, you mental.

Seeing as Norway is arguably pipping Finland to the ‘Most Frickin’ Ridiculouly Talented Riders Per Capita’ title right now, it’s unsurprising that the Norwegian stop of the Nike Chosen Series went off the richter. Check the words and gallery…

This was the 9th and final of the Europe-snapping Nike Chosen Series and will certainly go down as one of the standout legs, with the Norwegians displaying an almost freakishly high level of riding in this AM contest.

The perfectly shaped 15m kicker had been constructed on the same slope as last month’s World Snowboard Championship, and the 37 riders ample set about showing how badass Scandinavian riders can be. Double corks, double flips, double Rodeos and countless Switch Backside spins were the norm as riders enjoyed the bluebird conditions.

20-year-old Kristin Stubberud took Best Female with some well-held Stalefish and Tail grabs, Even Brekke from nearby Oslo claimed Best Style with a BS Rodeo 5 Indy, Backside 5 Shifty and a Frontside Corked 7 and with a host of tricks Jonas Steen took Most Creative with a Switch Backside 7, Backside Double Cork 12 and a Cab 10.
20-year-old Jørn Simen Aabøe from Kragero took the top honors of the day with an astonishing Switch BS12 Double Cork Mute, Double Backflip late 180, Switch Backside 7 Japan, Frontflip Nosegrab and FS Rodeo 7, an arsenal of tricks that gave him the MVP

Jørn wins the final ticket to the Nike Chosen Sessions to ride with the Nike team on a purpose built ‘next level’ park where he will join the previous winners from across Europe and compete to become the overall Nike Chosen Winner.

RESULTS

Best Overall (MVP) – Jørn Simen Aabøe, Kragero
Most Creative – Jonas Steen, Oslo
Best Style – Even Brekke, Oslo
Best Female – Kristin Stubberud, Rykkinn

www.nikechosenseries.com