When he was just 16 years of age, young Norwegian Torstein Horgmo started to receive attention by winning the Burton European Open Junior Jam 2004 followed by the Air & Style Rookie Challenge in 2005. Shortly after, he barely missed the podium with his fourth place at the 5Star BEO 2006, which pushed him even more to win his first ever TTR title just a week after by claiming the Slopestyle at the 5Star O’Neill Pro Freestyle in Avoriaz, France. The same season he got a personal invitation by Terje to ride at the legendary Arctic Challenge and finished in 10th.

In 2006, Horgmo received his chance to compete in the main event at the TTR 6Star Nokia Air & Style, where he stomped super clean FS 10s and impressed fans and judges alike. Unfortunately, in February of that year he cracked his spine and couldn’t compete in any other competition for the rest of the 06/07 season. The injury may have put him out of action for a while but such was Horgmo’s determination that in 2007 he exploded back onto the competitive circuit looking more styled out and focused than ever. In 2007, the 20 year old spin machine from Trondheim, seemed to have fully recovered and unleashed a series of top results at all the big Southern Hemisphere events, Winning the 5Star Abominable Snowjam Slopestyle in the States, and clearly dominating the 3Star Oakley Stylewars.

Two more top results down under gave him a solid foundation going into the Northern Hemisphere part of the tour, where he put in strong performances across the board, finishing up in the TTR Top 10.

So far in the 2008/09 season, Torstein has posted some sick results downunder, taking out the 5Star Burton Australian Open Slopestyle, and scoring a second place finish at the 4Star Oakley Stylewars, events which always seem to favour him. Torstein is a serious contender on the Tour, able to float 7s and 10s with clean, undeniable style. Torstein has proved that not even a broken back can hold him down and there’s no doubt he’ll be sticking around in the Top 10 this season, looking to improve on last years results.

Interview (November 30th 2007, Munich, GER)

Where are you from and how long have you been riding?

I’m from Trondheim Norway, I’m  20 years old. Been riding for 8 years. It’s not getting any less fun than when I started!Take us through your 06/07 TTR Season. Last season, the 06/07 was not so good for me, I did the Air & Style before Christmas and that was way fun. I got knocked out by Hampus, but it was still a good experience. Right after Christmas going into the Burton European open in Laax, I kind of went too far on a jump and broke my back, so that was it for the winter part of the season. I kind of got back a bit quicker than I expected. I wanted to for sure but everybody else expected it to be longer. I came back after three months and was back in April in the states shooting again. So that went pretty quick. But for the TTR Season, I didn’t really have the best of luck with me.

What is the TTR, in your eyes, doing for snowboarding?

For myself I feel the TTR Tour is a good way for up and coming riders to show themselves, I guess it’s been pretty big in Europe, and that’s what I did, just starting out and signing up for some contests and ended up getting invited to most of them, I feel fortunate for that. That’s what the whole tour mean’s to me.

So this year, you’re off to a great start in the TTR Season. Tell us about that.

I’ve been riding a lot this summer, since I was chilling enough this past winter, I wanted to do a lot of riding this summer and fall. I went to Mt Hood, and Australia, and Norway and New Zealand. And did all different kinds of shooting. You can check that out in the DC video that’s coming out soon, or is it already out? It’s coming out soon. Haha. This is the first contest (Air & Style) so I’ve been kind of taking it easy right now just riding mellow and taking stuff slow and playing by ear. I went to Mt. Hood and I won a car and some cash a couple titles, the abominable snow jam. That was a good first experience for Mt. Hood I hadn’t been there before and that was fun as hell! And I went back home for a couple weeks and then I went first to Australia, for the Australian Open and got 2nd there in the slopestyle and fourth in the pipe, that was fun, then I went to falls creek for Stylewars and went home with that title as well. Didn’t really expect any of it but, it kind of happened. It’s been fun though shredding, I haven’t been shredding as much in the off season before so it’s been a good experience for sure.

Explain what being a professional Snowboarder consists of in the current season. What will you be doing?

If I don’t get injured, this week I’ll be doing the Air & Style, and the following week flying to Tokyo for the X-Trail Jam. And maybe go straight to the east of Canada to do some filming of just street rails. Then for Christmas I’ll go back home for family. In January I’ll be out in Colorado for a couple contests then go straight to Tahoe and start filming. Hopefully that goes will with no injuries maybe a couple more contests, maybe that’s about it for the season. I’ll try and get as much done as possible and have as much fun as I can, going to a lot of new places and gaining some experience.

How can you explain the addictiveness of snowboarding and what that feeling means to you?

If you’ve ever strapped in for the first time and you get that first feeling of standing up and making it down the hill. I still get that feeling a lot and that’s why I keep doing it. It drives you, that whole rush. I wouldn’t replace it with anything else. It’s just….you gotta figure it out for yourself….you know what I’m talking about. If you’ve done it before…taking a pow turn and having a good day on the hill with your friends that’s why I keep doing it. It’s just…I dunno…it drives me crazy if I don’t do it I guess. I sit there at home and I can’t stop thinking about it.

What’s your favourite rush? Is it hitting a kicker? Slashing pow? Standing on the podium?

I don’t have an answer for that. You can’t compare it. Winning a contest and getting that kind of experience and that kind of “rush” is totally different than a good day on the hill with your friends and a few perfect pow turns. It’s just little things that keep you going. Those days on the hill with your friends, you have a bunch of smaller experiences that build up and keep you going. That’s one part of it. And if you do well in a contest it stokes you out so much you want to go do it again! You need to go all out on all fronts.

Is there a downside in your lifestyle and to professional snowboarding?

Well if you get hurt, I don’t have that steady job at home and I see all my friends going to work, and living that kind of life, and I sit there and feel kind of useless and can’t do shit. That’s definitely a down side and if you’re sitting there in one spot for too long and not getting to do anything good, cause of the weather, you’re stuck. What I try and do is change location…. That’s a downside - if you get stuck.

What do you like to do outside of snowboarding?

If I’m not snowboarding I like to go skateboarding. I wouldn’t consider myself I good skateboarder but I can at least have fun with it especially with friends. Whatever I do I try to do it with people I know because it just makes it a lot better. I’m not much of a golfer but I hit up the driving range a few times every now and then. And Xbox… I’m pretty good at Xbox. Hahaha. I played a lot of Xbox while my back was injured haha. I sure enjoy playing it.

Apart from the tour, do you concentrate on filming? Explain the process of trying to make a good film part.

You just have to think a lot of what you want to do and what kind of tricks you want to get on film. When you have a session with your friends and you’re filming and trying to get a good trick, and you know what you did to get it, and then you see the final product and you see yourself in that video you get to say to yourself “hey, I did that! That was me!” You feel like it’s an accomplishment to get a full video part of your tricks for others to see. It’s a good feeling and that’s what keeps me hungry for it. I want to get bigger and better tricks and cooler video parts and what not you know? And you’re out there the process is you travel, you go with the film crew, you get out there and you set up and do what you want to do and it ends up on film and that’s a good feeling for sure! When you see the final product and you know where you’ve been and how you did it. It’s all good. I like that.

What would it mean to you to win the TTR World Snowboard Tour?

I dunno I guess I’ll have to find out! I know what it feels like to win a contest and it’s an awesome feeling and I guess winning the TTR Tour is not going to be less of a feeling. It would for sure be crazy. This tour thing is getting more and more popular and here you have all these crazy riders and top dogs from all over the world coming here and it’s getting bigger and bigger. If you win the TTR tour you’re not good at just one thing, you’re an overall sick rider and I give my props and hands down to whoever wins the tour for sure. Props to that guy!

Any words of wisdom?

Go as fast you can, close your eyes, and hope for the best!

Shout outs! Who would you like to thank?

Everybody who helped me get back on my feet after my injury my family my friends, my sponsors – they all know who they are - thanks a lot! And thanks to you guys.