Summer is here and that's what's up.  My computer has taken a summer vacation, and right now I'm at my parents house in Vågå. Windows Vista has given me nothing but trouble since I got it, but beeing without a computer surely frees a lot of time.    I've basically recovered from the knee-injury that put a end to my season in the begining of May. Stupid way to end a season, but I guess the timing was right, so it's all good.
Click here to see a ligament getting stretched at 2:35.

The calender says June, but theres not much reminding you of summer here yet. Cold winds and rain certainly suck. And I know, cause last week gave us nothing but.

Men som Mattis sier; det finnes ikke pent vær, bare pene klær!

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Back in Vågå after the sickest weekend I can remember. RFC was.. well, crazy. As always Røldal showed itself from it's finest side with sun all week and though the snow-level was kinda low, the riders used their shovels well and found the exits that made RFC 09 the best comp on Norwegian soil so far. Even the prequalifier face on Thursday got torn apart, and the riders really showed everybody they were well worthy their tickets. Stand-out of the day had to be come-back kid, Fredrik Luytkis, who showed us all that routine and experience still goes a long way with a rowdy line I don't think anybody else had even been looking at. After the qualifier on Friday Magnus Tveito was in the lead, with myself 0.1 point behind. Things went down in the finals, and after witnessing Tveito launching his monstrous last hit off a huge double-stager and crash, I realized I had won. This was my second win in Røldal, and I think this will be the one I remember the best as well. I made my run as I had intended, and I think it was my best comp-run ever. This was also a World-Tour qualifier, and it was really cool to see the Frenchies and the other foreign participants so stoked by the level of the Norwegian riders. 

Click here for footage from the finals

...and here for World-tour judge Jarkko Henttonen's report from the comp

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Easter is definitely over and I'm back in Røldal for the biggest event on the Norwegian tour. These last weeks have been good, and with two wins in the last
comps I've entered I'm quite stoked and motivated for the ones left. Today is our first day here in Røldal and we've spent it longboarding, skating and playing soccer. Nice to get the summer-activities on again.

Tomorrow I'm going skiing and even though it's not as much snow here as previous years, it still looks good. The pre-qualifier is on Thursday, and since I don't have to do that, I'm not gonna compete till earliest Friday. Good to get some easy days with skiing and relaxing first.
Right now it's all about the x-box though. Hard to find more simple yet
entertaining activity while waiting..

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Been home for a couple of days, seeing family, eating norwegian food and relaxing. I had yet another crash in Verbier, but I skied the top part confident and finished the way I wanted so all in all, a good experience. I was pretty anxious the first days, but it felt more comfortable after getting the chance to go up top for a better view. Anyways, with one 11th in Tignes, a win and a second from the qualifier tour, I've qualified for next year and that was my goal for the season.
Hemsedal was the second stop of the Norwegian freeridecup, this weekend, and I ended up fourth after crashing in the finals. Representing Ål, Magnus Tveito took his first win on alpine-skis after having owned the telemark-scene for years. Big up's!

Next up is Lofoten Invitational and then Easter. Still alot of comps left in norway, with Sauda backcontry-challenge, Røldal freeride-challenge, X2 and the Nordic Chamionship in Riksgränsen. This will be my busiest winter ever. It is a bit hectic, but I feel I'm getting the hang of it and after all - despite all the crashing - it's good fun!

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So, the Verbier Xtreme got postponed til Sunday, and I'm spending the day trying to get my mind off Bec des Rosses. This is the most horrifying comp-face I've ever seen, and the nervousness is lying thick in the air of our hotel. But hey - this time tomorrow it'll all be over and hopefully a good experience too look back upon.
Yesterday we had the bib-draw, and for the first time this season I was lucky with the draw. The men are starting on number fourteen, and I drew twenty five. So I don't have to go first, and I wont have to stand on the top too long waiting.
Today I've basically done nothing. Woke up, had breakfast, geeked on my computer, went for lunch, checked pics of the face, had some apple pie with ice cream, and now I'm back on the computer. Easy living I guess, but hard to relax with the comp roaming in the back of my head.

After the comp I'm heading back to Norway to do some filming and some more competitions. Been on the road since new years, so it's gonna be good getting back home to Vågå again.

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Quik update from McDonalds, Martigny

Since last entry, things have happened here in the alps. First of all, big up's to Jen Ashton for ripping it up in the FWT-qualifier in Nendaz, Switzerland, and ending up at the top of the podium. Well deserved! As for myself I ended up second and was quite happy with that. A lot of good riding went down and both the venue and the snow-conditions were perfect for a freeride comp. Good stuff!

I was planning on going home today, but I just got off the phone with Nicolas from FWT, and it turns out I've got myself a wildcard for finals of the freeride world-tour, the Verbier Xtreme. Me stoked! (and a little bit scared..)

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Hey

These last two weeks have been so so ski-wise, with warm winds coming in from the south, basically ruining superb conditions all over the alps. Kind of shitty timing, since these weeks were devoted to filming with Field. But hey, nothing nobody can do, so best not sob and try to find alternatives.

My traveling companions have all headed back to Norway, and I'm left here by myself.
Sure are benefits when you're traveling with others, but when you're alone you get to make all the decisions yourself, and I must say that appeals to me. 
After two nights in my van it felt really good getting a shower and a bed again.
Been traveling from Bad Gastein, Austria to Tignes, France, and since the weather has been so so, I bought a pair of leg-shins had a stop in Milan to check out their indoor skate-park. Skating and skiing doesn't go to well since the last thing you need to put in you allready tight-enough ski-boot is a bruised leg, but a soccer shin guard, easily fixed that problem and it  felt good to get activated again after a few days off.  

Arrived in Bourg Saint Maurice last night, which is about half an hour away from Tignes.
With winter vacation in France things are pretty crowded,and it's alot easier and cheaper to stay away from the biggest tourist-infernos.
My effort in Italy two weeks ago gave me a wildcard for next weeks freeride world-tour here in Tignes, and after my mishap in Russia, it's feels great to get another chance.
Today was my first day on snow in Tignes, but with white-out, there wasn't much to see. It's been snowing kind of heavily the last few days, and adding the wind, it has made the snow-conditions a bit dodgy.
But the comp isn't due till Monday, and with good weather coming in I guess we'll be allright anyways

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Hi folks

Appologize for beeing a lousy blogger, but as I'm currently living in a flat with a decent internet connection, things are getting a bit easier. These last weeks has been prettty sick here in the alps. I can honestly say that I've skied more powder so far this year than I've done the two last seasons together. Now we're back in Schruns, Montafon, filming and skiing with field prod., and with Åsmund Thorsen and Even Sigstad in town as well as a group of homies from Vågå things are getting done. Lots of cool tree-skiing, but I think we're all getting a bit restless knowing the big lines are lying there just about ready to get hit.

Competition-wise I've had both ups and downs since russia. I had the biggest crash I've ever done in a comp in Fieberbrunn Austria, but made amends in Monterosa, Italy this weekend with two runs both me and the judges liked. So I still got a fair chance in making the cut for next years world-tour, and will do my best to make it happen.

Thats it, and I'll finish off with some random pics

 Russia, as seen from the lifts of Krasnaja

&

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Posting a short blog from Italy, letting you know what happened in russia, and what's up for the next days. Russia basically went crap. Well at least result-wise. I crashed and burned both days, but I think my riding pre-crash was decent, so things could have been worse. Anyways, there will be other chances, and there no use in sobbing over bad results.

Now I'm in Cortina, Italy, drinking coffee, and trying to get up to date with a half-ass internet connection. Me and Jørgen along with kick-ass-Swede's Carolina and Jana are gonna give Italy a try before the world-tour qualifier in Fieberbrunn, Austria.

Jepsi, pepsi - That's it. I'll try to post some pics from russia asap.

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The first ten days of the sweet-catalogue/field prod-tour is done with, and after nine consecutive days on skis, it feels good to have a day off.  The day-off has been used to sleep in, and wash clothes. Clothes needs washing after ten days of use, so the free-time really came in handy.

Since the catalogue has to be ready for the ski-convention in Munich early February , pressure has been on, but with good conditions and a tight crew that can deliver just as well on the slopes as off, I think things are turning out fine.
 Here are some pics shot by  Vegard Breie, who stomped his first backflip ever yesterday.

Boyaah!

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