Deep in the heart of Finnish Lapland just 200 kilometers above the arctic circle lies Kittilä, a small Finnish town. With temperatures dropping about ten degrees below zero from November on and the season lasting until springtime this northern village is the perfect home for a Snow Village. And with its architectural design and unique constructions of snow and ice, this village proved to be the perfect place to turn Eero Ettala's latest brainchild into reality: A fully shreddable Snow Castle.
Most of the obstacles needed for the tricks already existed in the snow castle, so only minor building and shaping was needed. It was more about moving the ice sculptures and other obstacles from one place to another, rather than creating new ones. The shoot started on the day the snow castle closed its doors from the public, so Eero and the film crew were free to use the icy space as they wanted, without having to fear destroying the features.
“All in all, this project was one of the most memorable ones that I have had the chance to do during my career. I think the result was even better than I dared to hope. The location made it feel very special – it felt as if I was riding in a fairy tale world for a week”, Eero concludes.