Professional snowboarder Antti Autti is only 23, but it's been more than three years since his stunning gold medal victory in the super pipe at the 2005 Winter X Games. He skyrocketed to victory with back-to-back 1080s, which of course is a 360 multiplied by three. This is a trick that the other professional snowboarders, from Shaun White on down, were forced to learn in order to remain competitive.
One would think that to succeed at such a young age, Antti Autti is super-competitive. Indeed, he works hard and puts in his practice, but he looks for more than gold medals when he's on tour.
"It would be best if people who throw themselves into snowboarding understood what this sport is about," Autti says. "The competitions alone don't mean everything. There'll always be more of them. In my opinion, the fun going-ons and the smile on your face are a lot more important. Doing well's nice, no doubt about it, but it's important that you don't lose the pleasure of the riding itself in the competing."
Antti Autti was born in Rovamiemi, Finland, which is a city of 55,000 and sits on the Arctic Circle. Needless to say, Autti never was lacking for snow as a child.
Autti was taught first how to ski by his father, Yrjo Autti, a football (soccer) star on the Finnish National Team. He was 10 years old, on a family ski vacation, when he saw somebody snowboarding. He decided he wanted to try snowboarding, and his father and mother (Katariina) were open minded enough to allow him to break tradition. In contrast, his younger brother Tuomas is focused on freestyle skiing.
Antti Autti's first competitions were in 2001, after he turned 16. Despite his flashy 1080s, he is known for technical skills and a smooth style. He has excelled on the half pipe as well as the super pipe, and his favorite trick isn't the 1080, but a switch-backside 540.
Autti looks forward to the 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2006 at Turin, he placed fifth with a controversial, low score that caused booing from the Italian fans. His countryman and teammate who won the third-place bronze, Markku Koski, told reporters that it should have been Autti with the prestigious medal.
Autti also enjoys skateboarding, photography, music and Johnny Depp movies. But despite doing 1080s, he doesn't like airplanes. With his snowboard, says Antti Autti, he's in control.
Sources:
http://www.airbornmag.com/article_details.asp?ID=42
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antti_Autti
http://snowboardermag.com/features/fresh-and-tracked-with-antti-autti/
