<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Finnish legend creates dream project nearly 200km above Arctic Circle in Kittilä.</strong></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Helsinki native <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/riders/eero-ettala" target="_blank">Ettala</a>, 37, started out his career by becoming a two-time Freestyle.CH Big Air winner in 2006 and 2009 before claiming a thrilling 2010 Winter X Games slopestyle gold medal in Colorado.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- For his latest project, the backcountry star of snowboarding movies such as Picture This and Double Decade, travelled nearly 200km above the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Ettala's dream project was to create the first-ever snowboard session inside the walls of a snow castle, which he built and shaped at the SnowVillage in Kittilä in the heart of Finnish Lapland.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- The annual construction of the snow castle begins when the temperature drops about 10 degrees below zero, which is usually at the beginning of November, and its season then lasts until spring.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Ettala made several trips to the location beforehand and, as most of the obstacles needed for the tricks already existed in the snow castle, only minor building and shaping was needed thereafter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- He revealed, "I put a lot of time into planning to get the perfect lines for my riding style. I wanted to showcase my abilities as a snowboarder in a versatile manner and for the film to feature different obstacles like a rainbow rail, tin soldier bonk, clock face wallride, down rail and jumps."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- With many of the tricks that were performed inside, the speed had to be produced from outside the castle which sometimes meant making a hole in the wall in order to build a sufficient ramp.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- He added: "When we built the picnic table line, we had to shorten the legs as otherwise I would not have been able to even stand up straight on top of it. The immediate proximity of concrete-like icy walls after every obstacle meant that I had to be very careful to not injure myself."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Five days of shooting took place across 10 spots with Ettala - who also has his own web series, Cooking With Gas - focusing on the trick he was performing, as well as looking out for the building of the next spot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- He concluded: "All in all, this project was one of the most memorable ones that I have had the chance to do during my career. I think the result was even better than I dared to hope. The location made it feel very special – it felt as if I was riding in a fairy tale world for a week."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Explore more <a href="https://www.boardriding.com/brands/redbull" target="_blank">Red Bull</a>'s Snowboarding content <a href="https://www.redbullcontentpool.com/search?sort=-firstActivationTimestamp&q=Snowboarding" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span>© Red Bull Media House</span></div>