Heikki Sorsa started snowboarding at the age of 13, when he got bored with skiing. It was in Mustavaara, near the Sorsa family cottage, where he first stood on a snowboard. And that seriously was it for him - Heikki hasn't since been seen on skis. "Snowboarding literally just blew me away, it was just so different and relaxed," he says. "There are no limits in this sport, you can always learn just as much new as you wish."

Heikki Sorsa burst onto the scene at the 2001 Arctic Challenge when he smashed Ingmar Backman's world record for the largest air on a quarterpipe with an insane 9.3m (29 foot) leap above the coping. At the 2002 Winter Olympics he achieved further notoriety by rocking a Mohawk and pink goggles as he claimed seventh place in the halfpipe.

After that "The Flying Finn" took a back seat from competitive riding to focus on his park and backcountry progression. High-profile parts in films for Standard and Mack Dawg Films followed, which kept him at the forefront of the freeride scene. During the 2005/06 season, Heikki even became a reality TV star on Fuel TV's Sorsa Project. Now settled in the United States with buddies Eero Ettala and Juuso Laivisto, expect further things to come from this smooth and stylish rider.