(from issue 25.2)

How does living in one of the flattest countries on earth, the Netherlands, affect your mental health as a snowboarder? When I hear Diggles claim that “the earth is flat, but our boards aren’t”, I wonder. I’m not sure how much time the Bataleon brains spent in the infamous Dutch coffee shops before deciding to call their new movie “Flat Earth,” but I say it was plenty enough because we dig it!

PHOTOS: ALEX ROBERTS

For snowboarders, flat is just another word for boring. That said, for us, it makes it kind of hard to imagine our world as flat as a DVD. I’ll just go on and speak for everyone here, but as long as we can find hills and mountains to ride on, we can’t care less about its actual shape. 

However, despite centuries of scientific discoveries, more and more people seem to question the roundness of the earth again. In fact, the Flat Earth Society Manifest claims they have members all around the globe. That is a verified fact. But, a fact isn’t quite the truth, though.

Is truth all that matters when it comes down to defining our world? Or is it the control of it? First of all, what is the truth, really, if not a set of individual or collective beliefs more or less proven by human brains, language, and interpretations? After a bit of research, I discovered that what we’re seeing today, with the thickening of this surprising flat earth movement, is widely a reminiscence of the good old Science vs Religion debate, often shaping into something close to a Christian uncle and an Atheist teenager arguing over a Christmas dinner. 

I suppose it all comes down to faith and beliefs, then. Where it gets a little tricky is that information is power. I suppose our very own beliefs are the only power we can really control as individuals. That is why I believe that as long as you tolerate the faiths of others, you can believe whatever makes your time on Earth easier. If you think our planet is shaped like a bowling ball, spinning and flying at an incredible speed, then, good for you. If it’s not a planet to you, and you want to think we live in a giant decorative snowball and the governments are hiding “the truth” from us, so be it. 

Personally, I think the shape of our world can be whatever it wants to be and can change even. What matters is what we decide to do while we’re on it and not how it actually is. As Alex Klerud puts it, always remember that “Life is not flat, it’s a fucking rollercoaster!” In the meantime, we can still snowboard on Earth, and that’s what matters for now. If I were you, I’d do just like the Bataleon team and have as many thoughts as you want about: “Flat Earth”.

Watch 'Flat Earth' by Bataleon snowboards here: