Brusti: 5 Favourite Pics From 'Barely Made It'
In this special guest post, one of European snowboarding's most influential photographers chooses five faves from his recent career retrospective.
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I’m calling it: my pal Patrick ‘Brusti’ Armbruster is one of the most influential photographers and filmers in European snowboarding of the last 30 years.
If you’ve listened to my episode 043 conversation with Brusti, you’ll know the story: how he picked up a camera back in the early 90s, and subsequently had a ringside seat for most of the key developments in European snowboarding through the 90s and 00s.
Rice, de Marchi, Muller; Brusti was the lensman in the background documenting their rise, and has the stories and scars to prove it.
Factor in his work as a filmer with Absinthe, and the evidence is clear that Brusti been one of European snowboarding’s key tastemakers for over two decades now, with an unerring eye for talent and the platform to help that talent perform to their fullest potential.
Whether you realise it or now, this man is largely responsible for the perception of that period in European snowboarding history as a true golden age. He’s also one of the good ones, charming, funny, friendly and generous.
I’ve know Brusti for years, and he’s been talking about making a book for almost as long as I’ve known him. Last year, he finally finished it - Barely Made It, a ridiculously comprehensive overview of this entire period.
And in this week’s blog, Brusti has chosen five of his favourite pics from this period, with the stories to match.
As a bonus, Brusti will be manning the trenches below the line and answering any questions you might have about this legendary, debauched period of snowboarding history.
We’ll also be giving away a copy of Barely Made It and my own Looking Sideways Vol. 1 to the best question or comment from a paid subscriber, so get ya thinking caps on.
1. Nicolas Müller, Riksgränsen, April 2000
When Drew Stevenson and I planned to produce one of the first European Snowboard movies in 1999, we put together a list of riders that we felt represented the best and most versatile freestyle riding Europe had to offer. A few years earlier, I had met a 14-year-old Nicolas Müller whose riding style was just from another planet. By the time we started shooting, he was the youngest on our list. Towards the end of winter 99/00, we embarked on a last filming mission to Riksgränsen in Sweden, where we had planned to film his part. Sledding, shaping hips, and jumps was the plan. Part of the crew was Dani Sappa, as well as Iker Fernandez. I remember Nicolas' dad dropped him off at the Zurich airport and gave me the hint to take good care of his son.
We hit one of those weather windows that sort of grounded us for a week inside the hotel. Fog, rain, snow, wind—whenever it cleared a bit, we went out searching for spots and started to shape a kicker but always returned shortly after to our hotel room without actually riding the spots. When the day of our departure came, we had about 5 spots ready, which were unridden. The weather forecast was uncertain, but there was a chance of a short window on the day we initially booked our flights back. Iker didn't want to risk changing his flight, so he left. The rest of us postponed our journeys home by a day.
When the alarm rang on this 25th of April 2000, the sun was, to all our surprises, shining. While we waved Iker goodbye, we jumped on our sleds. Within the next 6 hours, we rallied from one spot to the next. Dani Sappa and especially Nicolas Müller landed their tricks first tries on each spot, followed up by another 2-3 shots on each spot. When the clouds set back in and it started to snow, we basically had shot each spot and got some key moments for their parts.
When we returned to the hotel, we found a pre-built road gap jump next to the hotel, which came as a bonus. While it started snowing, we started hitting it, and both Nicolas and Dani got another 1-2 shots right there, turning a frustrating week into a very productive one and ending the season with a bang.
Nicolas basically filmed his entire first snowboard movie part ever within that day— which was his 18th birthday. We had a blast that evening in the club of the hotel.
2. Michi Albin & Johan Olofsson, Vancouver, 1998
During the late '90s, Johan Olofsson from Sweden was one of snowboarding's big icons, while Michi Albin from Switzerland was the up-and-coming star in the freestyle world, dominating all the big air events he entered. Both were surrounded by a special aura.
I had this idea for a picture where Michi and Johan would tower over the city of Vancouver, a city I happened to pass through for the first time on my way to Whistler. The plan was to do a triple exposure on a single image or slide. First, I shot seven stills of Vancouver's skyline at night with my analog camera and rewound the film. A week later, when I saw Michi again, I put the same film back in and shot seven portraits of him with a blue flash. I rewound the film once more, and when I ran into Johan, I put the same roll of film back in and took another seven portraits of him with a blue flash. Needless to say, it was all guesswork, trying to frame them correctly in the shot.
Back then, it would often take weeks, sometimes even months, to finally see your developed pictures after coming back from endless travels. I remember the moment when I looked at these slides and saw that one of the seven images had come out perfect—it felt like winning the lottery.
3. Terje Haakonsen, Lofoten, 2000
In the late '90s, Terje Haakonsen felt that half-pipe riding needed to reach the next level. At the same time, the FIS had just made snowboarding an Olympic discipline, essentially stabbing the official snowboard federation—the ISF—in the back. The future of contest riding was uncertain, so Terje took matters into his own hands and initiated the Arctic Challenge. This competition was inspired by surf events, where the riders had more say in every aspect, particularly the format and timing, to showcase their best performances. Receiving an invitation from Terje was more than an honoor; it was a given that you'd follow up on it. We all began planning our trips north to Norway's Arctic wilderness, specifically to one of the Lofoten Islands.
The setup alone was mind-blowing. A pipe and quarter-pipe of a size that nobody had ever seen before were constructed on a rather small hill close to the ocean. The fact that people on this remote island could put together such a massive snow structure was astonishing.
What followed was a week of amazing experiences all around—surfing, fishing on the ocean, forming friendships, and, of course, great riding. A who's who of snowboarding showed up, creating an unforgettable spirit.
On the day the quarter-pipe contest took place, the level of riding soared to new heights. This shot of Terje's backside air was the highest a quarter-pipe had seen to that day. The stunning backdrop of the ocean added perfectly to the scene.
4. Romain de Marchi, Tokyo X-Trail, 2001
After Toyota successfully launched their own big air contest in Sapporo a few years earlier, Reto Lamm devised a plan to set up an even bigger competition in Japan's capital, with Nissan as the main sponsor. The rivalry among Japan's leading car companies was on.
The Nissan XTrail event was born and took place at the Tokyo Dome, an indoor arena that drew over 50,000 spectators. Fans came to see the best riders of the time perform against an unforgettable backdrop. To this day, it's probably the snowboarding event with the most spectators. The organization made sure to treat the riders royally. Every night featured a different exciting program, and by the time the event took place, adrenaline levels were through the roof.
The Sunday night afterparty served as the culmination of it all, and only a few lucky individuals were invited to the venue. Romain de Marchi and Michi Albin cheered into the crowd, marking an amazing end to the first X-Trail event that put Tokyo on the map for snowboard competitions. Every rider wanted to be part of it in the following years.
5. Fredrik ‘Prippa’ Hedman, European Open, Livigno, 2001
The Burton European Open was a staple on the annual snowboard calendar 20 years ago. The event took place in the idyllic village of Livigno, just south of the Swiss border. It was a week filled with great riding—pipe, park, and freeriding in between—shared with whoever you happened to cross paths with on the snowboard tour. Back then, the world tour felt like a big school class that would reconvene every other weekend in a different location. Alongside the riders, the media, especially now-defunct snowboard print magazines, were always a part of the scene. Each of these magazines hosted legendary parties during the events, with Pleasure magazine's moto parties being a must-attend for everyone.
During competition days, things occasionally got a bit loose as well. I remember standing at the pipe while it was being prepped for the halfpipe competition when suddenly there was a commotion. Banners started disappearing—can you imagine sponsor banners being taken down just before a pipe contest nowadays? All because something entirely unplanned started happening, with no security measures and no one having any idea what was going on.
The roar of a snowmobile filled the air, and this crazy Swedish guy, who had driven all the way from Sweden with his truck and trailer, had the audacious idea of jumping over the pipe. After some quick shovel work next to the coping, Fredrik 'Pripa' Hedman raced toward the pipe and launched himself and the sled across it. The stunt was surreal. After four or five jumps, the guerrilla act was over, and the competition resumed. Nicolas Müller ended up winning the European Open halfpipe event that year.
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Got any thoughts on Brusti’s pics? Let me know:
Does anyone know which video the footage from the first photo ended up being in? Would love to watch Muller first part ❤️