Name: Jakob Wilhelmson
From: Sweden
Age: 26
Years riding: 14
Sponsors: Quiksilver, Lib Tech, Level
Jakob Wilhelmson is one of the smoother riders out here, so smooth in fact he almost makes stuff look too easy. He rides kind of like a Navajo warrior; you may not know he is there as you stroll through the New Mexico desert looking at ancient Anasazai* artifacts, everything is going well and quiet you think. Then, like a Navajo warrior out of nowhere attacking the foreign invador, Jakob Wilhelmson is blasting some of the smoothest tricks out there and you are thinking where the hell did that come from? What else can you expect from a man from Sweden, the ancetral home of the Vikings? Jakob, along with Eric Jackson, Sammy Luebke and Martin Cernic help design and ride the TRS series by Lib Tech, no wait this is not an advertisement so I digress. Since Jakob is so smooth that you may not even know he is attacking perhaps he needs start wearing tight pants and rocking bandanas on the legs, hanging out with rock stars and shit…nah, Jakob is a snowboarder, not a groupie for some emo band, lets be glad there are some dudes like Jakob left in snowboarding – all business and no bullshit.
SR: How do your sponsors treat you?
JW: Good, I like my sponsors
SR: You are happy with them, you have been with them a long time right?
JW: Yea, I have been with Lib Tech for maybe 10 years and Quiksilver for 6-7 years
SR: Do you spend more time in the US or Europe?
JW: I spent most of last season in the US because it is easier to come here and…
SR: …Everything is here, the industry and stuff?
JW: So it’ a lot of time in the states. There are some contests and stuff in Europe but most of them are here
SR: What’s the main difference between riders in the US and Scandanavia?
JW: Scandanavian riders grow up riding park and not too much powder. In the Alps a lot of riders grow up with powder.
SR: What are you favorite places to ride?
JW: Everywhere but I love riding at home with my friends. Travelling is a big part so I love to ride the home mountain with guys I grew up riding with
SR: Plans for the summer?
JW: Hang out at home
SR: Your girlfriend is waiting for you?
JW: (laugter) yep, the girlfriend is waiting
SR: What are your future plans or dreams. More powder, more park, more travel?
JW: Well, my girlfriend and I are having a baby in September. So probably try travel more back and forth; spend a couple of weeks traveling then a couple of weeks home instead of just staying anywhere for a long time
SR: Congratulations! So more miles on planes?
JW: (laughter) Yea, thanks! Snowboard for a couple of more years
SR: Nice, what about working for the industry when you are done riding profesionally?
JW: Uh, yea, probably somehow, time will tell
SR: Do you surf and skate?
JW: I don’t surf, there is not too much surf in Sweden and I like to stay home in the summer. I ride a lot of bikes; downhill Mt bike and road bike. Tomorrow we are going to Santa Cruz to get some single speed bike to take home
SR: You bought a truck here and are taking the trouble to ship it to Sweden, is it cheaper?
JW: Yea, my Dad wants to use it, the dollar here is worth nothing so it is cheaper (laughter) You can get pretty much the same truck (Toyota Tundra, custom rims, 4×4, 8 cylinder) but they are not very common in Sweden
SR: The dollar is so cheap because George Bush is the driver
(laughter)
SR: What riders do you watch
JW: I look up to the riders that can ride everything and have good board control. I like Hampus Mosesson riding a lot, Nicolas Mueller and those guys
SR: Travis?
JW: Travis is out of this world?
SR: All right, thanks you wanna thank anyone?
JW: My sponsors, my girlfriend and my family
*Jakob has nothing to do with the state of New Mexico but since he is from the land of the Vikings and I am an American, my knowledge of Viking history is so vague that I decided to go with an American reference for the warrior story. Anasazi indians are thought to be ones the Pueblo indian descended from. The Anasazi disappeared a long time ago but it is believed that for a brief time the Anasazi and Navajo’s did exist at the same time. The Pueblos are peaceful basketmakers and Navajos are more warrior like. Anasazi actually means, the ones who fight with the Navajo’s or something like that. The Navajos lived in the maze like country of the SW, for many years they attacked American settlers and quickly retreated to there homeland. For years no one dared even go into their country. Chances are the Navajo’s would know were you were while you were oblivious of them, until they attacked, like Jakob. Which is the opposite of many snowboarders today; you usually know they show up before they attack the terrain.
Smoooth - Northstar, Lake Tahoe, CA
Ghost rider in the sky
Smiling, scowling or straight face?
This little sequence shows you what Jakob can be about. He hit the huge gap like everyone else. Then he started hitting the small gap again. I was thinking, “what a pussy going back to the small gap”. Turns out Jakob was getting sick with this little front 180 to switch manual to to back 180 out. It ended up being one of my favorite tricks of the weekend and I did not see it coming, like an attack!
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