Rab athlete Krister Kopara wins Mountains on Stage’s ‘Line of the Year’
Snowboarder outlined the first snowboard descent of the south face of Jiehkkevárri in the Lyngen Alps, Norway
Mountains on Stage’s Line of the Year award was claimed by Rab athlete and Norwegian rider Krister Kopara for his snowboard descent of the south face of Jiehkkevárri in the Lyngen Alps, Norway. Krister rode the line in May 2022 with his friends Finn Hovem and Jacob Wester, completing it for the first time by snowboard.
But what is so special about this slope? The south face of Jiehkkevárri is certainly considered one of the steepest and most challenging in both skiing and snowboarding, with exposed ridge traverses, rocks and no-fall-zones: all features that do not allow any mistakes. Krister Kopara’s line was selected as the winner along with two others through a public vote that included seven descents in mixed steep skiing, freeride and freestyle. The three winners will be screened at the final Paris event of the Mountains on Stage tour.
Krister’s project, however, was not limited to downhill, but to a broader spectrum where the goal is to conquer some of the most challenging lines in the world. The Rab athlete’s adventure is documented in the film “The White Giant” which will premiere on Rab’s channels this January, you can see the trailer here
