Ylfa Rúnarsdóttir is one of those special spirits that only comes around every once in a while. She grew up in Iceland but lives in Sweden. I wonder if there’s something in their water because Ylfa has got this electric energy. It’s contagious and allows you to see the goodness in yourself. She’s a mirror that pulls you in, and she is as sweet as the bright blue candy she ingests frequently.
I met her while filming for the second Uninvited movie. It didn’t take long to realize how talented and creative she was on and off her snowboard. She would see such unique spots, like a one-foot gap over a pile of garbage with nails sticking out, or prop up a picnic table after a ledge to add another hit in the line. Her brain is always firing. You can’t help but start to match her levels and come up with equally wild ideas. Being around that type of energy makes you feel like anything is possible.
I always get excited to see her new projects come out because the thought and detail that goes into her snowboarding is a magical storm of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. It makes one wonder if we are watching snowboarding or art.
Intro and Interview by Naima Antolin
Can you speak to cows?
[Laughs] I would love to be fluent, but for now I’m at a beginner level.
How does one learn to speak to cows? Is it something that all Icelandic people know how to do?
This is a Swedish thing called kulning. It is actually really beautiful, sort of like screams or singing. It’s a technique from hundreds of years ago, used by the cow farmers and herds to communicate with the cows and other farmers in the area. It’s a bit like yodeling—just a beautiful version.
Do you remember the first photo you ever had published in a magazine?
Sadly, it’s a bit of a blur. I don’t know exactly which one came out first. I feel like a lot of things were happening at the same time for me. Although, I do remember the feeling of having a photo in a big magazine for the first time: unreal, overwhelming, and so exciting. It felt like I was getting some kind of approval, that thinking about snowboarding 24/7 wasn’t just insane but was actually appreciated by others.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget what you have accomplished because we are always looking to the next thing, how do you stay grounded in this world of comparison and overstimulation?
It really is. Sometimes it all moves so fast, and at other times everything feels like it stands still. I think the drastic opposites feel the craziest. One day you’re feeling like a rockstar at a premiere and the next you’re at home wondering if you will ever create something that you are fully proud of. I think I just try to be present in whatever is happening and be proud of my effort rather than the outcome.
Speaking of staying present in what is happening, I know you’ve been dealing with an achilles injury from last spring. Can you share any coping mechanisms that you’ve found helpful throughout the recovery process?
Yes, it’s a painful and long process. I think the most helpful thing has been surrounding myself with good people. I have been learning how to ask for and accept help from others, both physically, mentally, and financially. It’s a hard thing to do when you are used to being extremely independent.
What is your opinion on snowboarders versus people who snowboard?
I think that people who snowboard become snowboarders when they start caring about the community equally as much as the activity.
What does caring about the community mean to you?
I think to me it means trying to pass on the feelings of stoke and appreciation you feel when you snowboard onto others. It can look different for everyone. A few examples could be buying from snowboarder-driven companies, showing up to events, watching the videos that come out, buying the magazines, nerding out about tricks and trends, giving someone your used gear to get them into snowboarding, and talking to other snowboarders you meet at the hill. Thinking about snowboarding when you are not snowboarding. Basically just those who nerd out about snowboarding and care for it to exist as a community and not just an outlet for the personal ego.
Can one exist without the other?
I don’t think so.
How so?
I think that everyone that starts snowboarding is a person who snowboards and will hopefully become a snowboarder.
Now that you are in the snowboarding community, what is your main goal?
My goal is to keep having the drive to initiate and create platforms to stay in this wonderful bubble that snowboarding is, for as long as it gives me a purpose and I enjoy it.
Has your recent achilles injury changed or amplified that drive to create a platform in snowboarding?
I don’t necessarily think so. I have always had big visions of what I wanted to do since I really got into snowboarding. But I do think that an injury has opened my schedule for doing things I haven’t felt like I had time for until now, like hosting an event which Maria [Thomsen] and I are working on planning at the moment.
What’s up with this snowboard event you two are doing?
We are planning this event called S.N.U.S. (Scandinavian Nations Urban Show). We are gathering street riders from the Scandinavian countries (Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland and Denmark) in an invitational event. There are so many incredible snowboarders in Scandinavia and many don’t get invited to rail jams or other events around the world, so we felt like hyping up the scene and doing something sick for people to be a part of!
That’s so rad. What was it like attending a school in a country where you didn’t speak the language?
It was so fun. I was so ready for an adventure. I had no one to speak Icelandic to there, so that kept me focused on trying in Swedish. Swedish is a language I had barely heard before moving there. I made friends fast and we could make fun of my mistakes and incorrect translations so it made it a whole lot easier.
How did a Swedish snowboard school influence your riding early on? Are there lessons that have stayed with you?
I loved it there. It was not really a snowboarding school, it was actually just a normal high school where we did the national studies, and we had a winter sports program. There were only two snowboarders in my class, me and Zenja [Potapov]. At the program, we helped build and shape the snow park at the little local hill, which was a really good lesson. But the biggest lesson was probably just moving away from home by myself at a really young age to a country where I did not understand the language. I think it taught me to be independent and to understand that things happen because you make them happen yourself.
What is your favorite color and do you feel like colors play a part in how you carry yourself through life?
Yellow is my color. It brings me a calm, yet energetic and bright feeling. I have a strong connection to colors. I have always been very drawn to colors and seeing colors in life, people, circumstances and feelings. To me, using colors is a good way to explain things and experiences. I think they help me express myself.
Speaking of colors, have you ever matched your outfit to the street spot you were hitting?
[Laughs] I have not done that on purpose, but I am very drawn to colors in street spots. There are always the clips I am drawn to in other people’s videos and finding something pretty; a colorful spot is always a standout for me at the end of the winter.
Do you remember the first street spot you ever hit, what did you have to do to make it happen?
Probably a staircase next to my old elementary school. Funny enough, the winter I got my first snowboard I filmed a “street video,” before I had ever been to a ski resort. From the idea to the execution, I was figuring it out step by step and was very influenced by skateboarding. I got my brother to help me get speed for things and to film it.
That’s cool to hear. Do you have a standout spot or trick from a snowboard movie that lives rent free in your mind?
A lot! The first few that come to mind are, the pink kink rail with the green snake on the end from Ben [Egan] in Where Do We Go. The blue waterslide in Sami’s [Luhtanen] ender in 2016, and a clip of Rene [Rinnekangas] at a beautiful spot that is yet to come out! Won’t spoil what it is.
What does it take to win the one and only Torment Rail Gardens rail jam? I seem to recall there being face paint involved.
[Laughs] Face paint is a necessity. I feel like there are no good parties unless someone is in for laughs. For me, I think what it took to win was exactly what it was: an extremely relaxed format that genuinely feels like no one is in it to win it. I thrive when it feels like everyone is in it for the adrenaline, party and each other’s company.
Regardless of winning or losing, you’ve never been a big fan of competing in rail jams or competitions. Why is that?
Not sure, I just don’t really feel good about the competitive vibe. I think I don’t like the feeling of wanting to do better than someone else. I just want to do my best and not compare myself to anyone else.
Do you have a favorite place that you’ve filmed snowboarding, either in the streets or backcountry? Or is it more about the people and not the location?
I don’t really have a single favorite. I fall in love really easily, so there are a lot of favorite places out there. The most recent spot I fell in love with would be Japan.
So you fell in love with Japan while filming for Blooom.What’s up with that project and why was your time in Japan so special?
Blooom is a video directed by Niels Shack and Colt Morgan. We went on a trip to Japan with the Burton street team. It was so much fun. I got to film with so many people for the first time and explore the Japanese dream. My hope for the video is to pause people’s day for a minute to daydream about snowboarding.
What’s the biggest difference in American and European cultures in your eyes?
Public transport is a huge thing in everyday life in Europe. I don’t feel like it is as common to use in the States. Americans are generally easier to approach and Europeans keep more to themselves at first. Nudity is way more normal in Europe ,and sexualizing nudity is very American to me. Small talk and trash talk was most likely invented in America. Europe feels more like a team sport and America is like an individual sport.
Do you have a preferred form of transportation?
I think traveling by train is the best.
Why train?
You just surrender to the process. You can’t do anything to rush the travel or slow it down. It is a comforting thought that everything is going to happen exactly the way it should happen. The more practical reasons being freedom within the trip, you can walk around, get a beverage at the bistro and meet interesting people, or just enjoy the views at the back of the train. It stops occasionally for a couple of minutes and you can take a breath of fresh air. If you are traveling with friends, it feels like your trip has already started. You can face each other, play games, and hang without one person being stuck behind the wheel.
I heard your mom helps you find spots? Does she use
Google Earth?
Ha! She is at a level of comfort where you just type in to Google: big staircases near me.
Have you hit any spots that she has found?
No, this was kind of just one scenario when she sent me a spot. I would like it to sound like she does it all the time because I find it really funny. It was when me, Maria and Nora [Beck] were filming for Hot Coco in Reykjavik and the spot was a total dreamer so no, I did not hit it [laughs].
If you didn’t find snowboarding what would you have done?
I would have kept skateboarding, and I would have for sure been living in Reykjavik. I found skateboarding before I started snowboarding, and it was the only thing I could think about. As for work, I probably would have finished my studies to be a graphic designer. I started at an art school, only one year, because as a kid my dream job was making commercials.
Do you see yourself meshing your love for graphic design with snowboarding any time soon?
For sure. I could be into that.
I know you’re a huge advocate for salted black licorice so what would you do if salted black licorice became extinct?
I would probably pass on the legend, and tell tales about the good old days of black licorice.
Where’s your happy place?
Strapped into a snowboard.
What’s next for you?
More physiotherapy and rehabilitation for my achilles, Blooom premieres and releases, Burton Fall Bash, and of course the S.N.U.S. event that Maria and I are hosting in Sweden soon.
