Pyramiden, Svalbard: A unique combination of history, scenery, adventure and jib-friendly terrain. The perfect destination for a small crew led by a rider who is truly a master of sliding man-made obstacles – Eero Ettala.
Joining Eero for the trip north, Sam Taxwood is an all-round urban assault weapon from Salt Lake City, Utah, while Torgeir Bergrem is a park powerhouse from the Norwegian north, no stranger to life inside the Arctic Circle.
Pyramiden was named after the pyramid-shaped mountain that dominates its horizon. A Russian-owned coalmining town that was once home to 1,000 miners, living and working in one of the most northerly, isolated settlements on the planet.
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, originally settled by whalers who came and left with the whales, then later, miners. Today, it’s mostly nature lovers visiting the vastly beautiful, wildlife-infused network of glaciers and fjords – and the occasional snowboarder.
The last was Xavier de le Rue, paragliding the region’s glaciers in search of first descents in Degrees North. This time it’s pure freestylers, and they’ve come in search of urban terrain on the very edge of civilisation.
Pyramidenwas founded in 1910 and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927, providing coal for the fire of history’s greatest experiment in state-led Marxism.
The coal lasted longer than the experiment – the mines were closed and the town was abandoned in 1998, seven years after the collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Today, the town has a small hotel and a steady trickle of visitors, but remains mostly abandoned, the town's major buildings and its monument to Vladimir Lenin remain frozen in time, thanks to the low rate of decay in such a frigid climate.
And there you have it. A Soviet ghost town deep in the Arctic Circle, flanked by stunning mountains, filled with shreddable architecture, and nobody around to shut down the session – just as long as you have someone on lookout, rifle at the ready, for the occasional polar bear passing through.
Want to look behind the scenes of the filming? Lots of surreal landscapes, cute seals and hard slams – watch ‘The Making Of’ edit here:
A slow approach via boat across the Barents Sea, breaking through the sea ice that is thawing into spring. A walrus pokes its head through the ice, eyeing the new arrivals.
Arriving at a place deserted by its inhabitants almost 20 years ago, all sense of time dislocated by the never-setting sun. Scouring the empty, snow-covered streets for rideable spots – a wall ride here, a rail there, a roof drop, a sign bearing a polar bear and the latitude: 79° north.
A strange and beautiful setting for what must appear to be, to the uninitiated onlooker, a most strange and beautiful activity. Except of course, there are no onlookers.
Intrigued to go down the rabbit hole yourself? If you want to organise a trip to Svalbard or Iceland, contact Steve Lewis at The Empire Expeditions.
Want more? Don't miss the World Premiere of Nitro's Boom snowboarding movie on Red Bull TV featuring more of the crew's adventure. On September 5, 2016, you can follow Eero & team around the globe in their new full feature film.
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