Frederik Kalbermatten

Nationality: Swiss

Favorite Terrain: Tree runs
to big lines, pillows to Alaska.

Snowboarding Since: 1995

ORIGINS

I first tried snowboarding at the age of 14 and was instantly hooked. I was jumping off everything and as I progressed, I just wanted to learn every trick possible. I became completely addicted to snowboarding. What inspired me then and still today is to just strap in and be free, to drop in and ride anything you want. It’s that feeling of freedom and pure stoke.

The last few years, I have been able to work as a staff photographer for the Stomping Grounds Project. It’s rad to see young rippers do all these crazy tricks and it’s interesting to see how the sport is developing. But I really enjoy being in the backcountry with my splitboard. I like the feeling of being in tune with nature and finding creative ways to ride down a mountain or a glacier, to choose your line carefully and then ride it and enjoy every turn. That’s where I feel most inspired.

perspective

Back in the days I was often looking for a spot to build the perfect jump. I don't really do that anymore unless I find a super unique special feature. Now I'm into using what's already there and doing as many laps as possible on a powder day.

A huge portion of the terrain around Saas-Fee is glacier, and it’s no secret that it’s melting quickly. Every year you can see less of it, so that influences the way I think about the outdoors. I want people to take climate change seriously, and take measures to combat it, and I also want to spend as much time as possible around the glacier for as long as it exists.

story

I love the outdoors, so I do a lot of landscape photography, much of which I capture on early-morning hikes and mountaineering expeditions. I have also been doing some work shooting with athletes, and my background in snowboarding lends itself well to this as I understand which angles will look good and how someone will move through a space.

Balance is definitely important. I have 3 kids and my wife also works, so I spend a lot of time doing normal things for our family like laundry, cooking, cleaning, childcare and homework. This means I get to spend a ton of time with my kids, and we have a lot of fun. I’m already taking my eldest out on 10-hour mountaineering expeditions. I’ve started training them early…