Skateboarders have always looked at their surroundings creatively. In the ‘70s, empty swimming pools took the place of overhead sets for skateboarders when the ocean didn’t allow them to surf. In the years to follow, city architecture and infrastructure created new potential for sliding, gapping, and grinding. Skaters keep reinventing what we think is possible for everyday surfaces and structures, and the desire to discover new spots and unique approaches have become a central aspect of skateboarding.
In Jørn Nyseth Ranem’s short film “Northbound,” he continues this tradition by traveling outside of the city to explore skateboarding in nature. Ranem and four skateboarders arrive at the frozen coast of Norway, where they find that subzero temperatures have turned the sandy beach rock solid. It’s a surprisingly perfect surface to skate — proving once again how skateboarders change our interpretation of everyday surroundings. So check out the film below and read Jørn’s insight into the filmmaking process. It’s sure to impress.
Where did the idea for this film come from? When did you first realize that you could skate on frozen sand?
I got the idea four years before it was set in motion. I was out surfing in northern Norway on one of the coldest days of the year — when I came back up on shore, I noticed that the cold weather had turned the sand rock solid and the idea was born. After some years, the idea had been in the back of my head, and it grew bigger and bigger each time I thought about it. After a while, the idea had evolved from just skating directly on the sand to also trying to build a full-scale miniramp.
How cold does it need to be to skate on sand? Is there a perfect temperature?The perfect temperature is as cold as possible! When we filmed, the temperatures were between zero and -10° C at the lowest. The temperatures never drop very low by the coast and that is why this project was so difficult to do. If we traveled just 15 minutes by car inland it was 10-15 degrees colder. You never know how the weather behaves by the coast. We checked the weather forecast constantly and had the skaters and the crew on standby the whole winter. It was really scary to start the project — we had no idea If the weather would be on our side and if the forecast would be accurate. In January, we had the right temperatures to do the project, and we decided to go for it.
Where in Norway did you film? How did you decide on the location?
We wanted to show the contrast between urban skateboarding and nature in this film, so we shot on the clean and remote beaches of the Lofoten Islands. We could have traveled even farther north, but the Lofoten Islands have the most spectacular mountains and beaches that I know about in Norway. I also spent a lot of time up there and knew people that could help us find the best locations.
The scenery was amazing. I really enjoyed how the landscape and environment felt like just as much of a character in the film as the skaters. Skaters spend most of their time in urban locations — how did it feel to shoot a film like this in nature?The cold and sand made it very challenging for the skaters. Tricks they could normally stomp with their eyes closed took them 10-20 tries with the different conditions. The griptape was covered with ice and sand, the trucks got really stiff from the cold so the skaters basically didn’t have any board feel. But then again, it made it so much cooler to stick a basic trick. I think this project was a very special experience for all of us, especially the skaters. They enjoyed the silence and solitude of the place. You didn’t bother to check your phone all the time, and it was easier to be in the moment.
“Skateboarders are used to going out of their comfort zone and they’re always eager to try new things. That´s why they are so good at skateboarding, and why they love to be a part of these kinds of projects.”
The four skaters you filmed with are all amazing. How did you link up with them? What’s the skate scene like in Norway these days? How did they react when you approached them with the video’s concept?The skate scene in Norway is pretty good these days: many skaters are doing well in international competitions and having segments in the biggest skate films of the year. I watched a lot of skate films to find the skaters that I thought had the coolest style and personality for this kind of a project. After making my “top 10” list, I pitched the idea to them and asked if they wanted to meet and hear more about the project. And after some months I had three of the best skaters in Norway joining the project! Didrik Galasso was the last skater to be involved. He was a really good friend of Hermann Stene and heard about the project right before we left for filming. Didrik called me and asked if he could tag along. I´m so glad he called me, because the film would not be the same if he did not show up!
In the beginning, people were really skeptical about the whole idea. Everyone thought it was a cool idea, but they were unsure if it was going to work in real life. But when I met the skateboarders and showed them a small test I had done the winter before, everyone got really stoked. Skateboarders are used to going out of their comfort zone and they’re always eager to try new things. That´s why they are so good at skateboarding, and why they love to be a part of these kinds of projects.
The lighting creates such a unique look for the film’s atmosphere. How many hours of daylight were you working with each day? How many different sessions did you guys shoot?The amazing thing about traveling north is that the light is so different there. In summer the sun never sets and in winter the sun never rises. The last days we were shooting, we could see the sun for a few minutes before it went under the horizon again. It felt so good to have the warm sunlight hit your face after so many weeks without it. I think we had light from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.. So we did not have too many hours every day to film. We had 10 days of filming. Some days we got a lot of skating, but some days were stormy and too warm.
Alright, I have a bunch of questions about that sand miniramp. How many people worked on it and how did you shape it so perfectly? Four people built the ramp and we spent two days working on it before the whole crew and skaters arrived. To build it, we made a framework out of wood and filled that with sand and freshwater. The weather was changing constantly, which made filming the miniramp scene a struggle. The original plan was to make the ramp with perfectly straight lines, but the temperature never got low enough to freeze it solid, so the edges collapsed a bit. In retrospect, it looked so much cooler than a perfect build would have because it actually looks like sand and not like a concrete block. We were lucky and managed to film on the miniramp the last day. A few days later, a big storm came in and washed the whole ramp away so we were really lucky!
That’s awesome. Seeing the ramp washed back into the ocean was such a perfect ending. Thanks, Jørn! If you’d like to see more of the amazing films that have premiered on Vimeo, check out our past Staff Pick Premieres here.
