Elias Elhardt rides the backcountry with the acuity of the best of his predecessors. From pillow lines and spines to natural booters and mogul patches, he’s one of the most versatile snowboarders today. If you’ve watched his video parts, you know. His style builds upon itself. Powder-heavy cornice drops segue into handplants on rotting trees, back sevens, and lofty methods. Plain and simple, Elias kills it. That’s why he gets paid to snowboard.
But when snowboarding is your job, keeping a positive outlook on it becomes more difficult. It’s all too easy to view it as the everyday grind. Constant traveling and performing is exhausting in any context. That’s why Elias makes a point of balancing work and play: “I definitely need that balance of performing and enjoying snowboarding without any spectators, just doing it for myself and appreciating the joy of movement.”
That’s why Elias resides in Innsbruck, Austria, in the heart of the Alps. To him, it provides normalcy within a hectic life. He can come home and be around friends whose lives don't revolve around snowboarding. He can relax and recharge for his next trip to the mountains, be it around the world or 20 minutes from his front door.
Supported by: Dakine, Smith, Deeluxe
Watch the Insight movie on iTunes: radi.al/Insight
For the latest TWSNOW updates, follow us on:
Facebook - twsnow.co/Facebook
Instagram - twsnow.co/Instagram
KZfaq - twsnow.co/KZfaq
Twitter - twsnow.co/Twitter