WORDS: HARRY MITCHELL THOMPSON PORTRAITS: SAMI TUORINIEMI

ONBOARD SAILED THE SEVEN SEAS IN SEARCH OF THE PIRATES NEW SHIP HOOKED AND THEIR ARCH BRIGAND DANNY LARSEN. READ ON TO FIND OUT MORE

he Pirates set sail last decade as a small bunch of up and coming European guys who enjoyed riding together with a couple of 8mm cameras from their parents attics. They started shooting mainly on the continent, but as their status and recognition as one of the snowboarding worlds powerhouses grew, so did their empire. To be part of the team, gnarly shredding is a basic requirement and every rider has sacks full of the stuff, but each Pirate brings something unique to the crew. And when it comes to being unique, Danny Larsen (a selfconfessed son of the northern darkness) has that base well and truly covered. Danny has an artistic streak which courses through his Norwegian veins like a hot knife through butter, a Pirates board through fresh powder, like the Jolly Rogers rudder cuts through the open sea. When hes not ripping up the mountain he can usually be found drawing images that represent a dead-end tour into a disturbed mind. He isnt exactly sure which genre his fine-detail art falls into, but he is sure years of listening to music that scares Christians is responsible. Along with his ferocious metal music inspired riding style, Danny brings a calming vibe to the group with his everpresent smile and fun loving mentality. He also thinks that to make the best snowboarding video there has to be a massive diversity in the style of riding, and Danny constantly focuses a lot of energy on putting his own personal twist on everything he does. Danny - now entering his fifth season as a Pirate wishes the story of how he joined the team was one of extravagance and mystery, involving a bonfire and an old Norse ritual but it wasnt. It was just a regular conversation. Being on the team allows him to spend most days on the mountain with his best friends and dress up in pirate clobber every now and again. But with this comes great responsibility: Danny and The Pirates are doing their darndest to compete with whats going on across the pond, ensuring the European flag is flying high in the charge for snowboarding progression. Larsen notes an aspect of the Pirates own personal progression has been the ability to attract new riders each season resulting not only in diversifying the groups attitude towards snowboarding but also gradually fading out the amount of reggae music coming from the films something Danny is particularly stoked about. The standard of riding has also shot through the roof, which has seen this tight group of friends expand into an international brotherhood of dirt bags that all share the same passion for snowboarding. Fresh young talent such as the Helgason brothers debuting on the new film, combined with the experience and gnar of veteran Pirates: Gigi Rf, Marco Feichtner and
Ollie ollie ollie oi oi oi Photo: Jerom Tanon

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Shiver mtimbers thats a fine method Photo: Jerom Tanon

Take that you brute of a concrete post Photo: Jerom Tanon

Bjorn Hartweger (to name but a few) highlight the wealth of talent on offer in front of camera. On the other side of the camera theres a whole host of production staff, filmers and photographers ranging from old school European Pirates such as Basti Balser, Flo Eckhardt and Ludschi right the way through to some young punks with a keen eye, some of which are even American There are seven films in total, spanning from the dastardly named debut Shoot Your Friends in 2002 right the way through to last seasons Jolly Roger. As well as the seven snowboard films, there is the Boardbagged trilogy: three films documenting the lifestyle of The Pirates when they dont have a plank stuck to their feet. The Pirates third film I Remember is where their artistic side comes flooding through, in the form of a 100 page art book made up of photos and drawings from The Pirate riders, photographers, film crew and friends. This is now tradition. With every Pirate movie purchased comes 100 pages of their art (an incentive for those fans not illegally downloading the movie). Danny treats his snowboarding like any true artist, he believes it cant be judged or quantified in terms of facts and figures. I have a hard time understanding why people stress so much about whos best in snowboarding, it would be like trying to figure out which musician is the best, it just doesnt make sense to me. I think its cool to see something you wont expect both in art and snowboarding, and thats kind of what Im
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trying to do. The Pirates have extended their collective love for all things art and pure through to their choice of film (minus the intros). They refuse to shoot in the modern digital format, instead shooting their first five films in 8mm and then moving on to 16mm analog film resulting in a warmer, more wholesome product. Dannys also a big fan of The Pirates trademark analog look: It just feels more authentic somehow. When asked about the future of The Pirates filming techniques, the Pirate Larsen told me of the different technologies theyd tried out, saying: who knows what the future might bring. But the most important thing to Danny and the Pirates is: the riding and how to make it look as good as possible, whether thats done with film or digital is a matter of taste. But as of now we feel that 16mm looks cooler. The Pirates movies have all been special in their own way, and the newest conquest is no different. Hooked has a very jibbery pokery feel to it, moreso than their other films and Danny puts it down to the riders influence. The team felt like including more action from not only cities, but they buttered the hell out of the mountain as well. Theres still plenty of the usual backcountry wizardry, and everything of course shot in stunning 16mm analog film. Their new film saw the Pirates journey across the majority of the continents last season, but Dannys favorite spot was right here in Europe; a pillow line in Avoriaz - the likes of which he had never rode before. This appears to be a theme for Danny and
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Takin a dip with crails Photo: Jerom Tanon

the Pirates in Hooked. Not just hitting the same kicker, trying harder spins or flips, but ripping up totally new spots altogether. Danny and the Pirates went in search of different ways to ride their board, and on terrain they didnt initially know what to do with. Danny recalls this is what got him totally stoked when watching a snowboard vid as a kid: I have tiny hope that people will get the same feeling when they watch my part [in Hooked]. Danny has seen pirates come and go in his four seasons with the company and as each season of filming comes to an end, Dannys impressive catalog of bangers becomes more and more impressive. The Norwegian is a truly talented snowboarder, and his second love is also heating up with the launch of his own design company by the name of Vinter (Norwegian name for winter). And to top things off hes been doing some design work for his sponsors. So keep your eyes peeled for Danny Larsen graphics next season. At the time of writing, Danny is en route to Chile for some snap time with his friends at K2. So expect some epic shots coming back from South America with the Pirate. As for the rest of season, well Danny cant see himself rocking the pipe or big air comps. As mentioned before, Danny much prefers life on the hill being rewarded by praise for and from friends instead of by points and podiums.

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