Swiss shredder Christian “Hitsch” Haller scored the cover of Issue 18.2, and he had no idea it was coming. Photographer Aaron Blatt and Burton Snowboards Global Team Manager Patrick Dodge surprised him with the news (see the video above). Additionally, Blatt sent us a few behind the scene snaps from the Powder Mountain, UT mission that earned him the coveted front page of the book, and we snagged the clip from One World filmer Alex Adrian.

Here’s what Blatt had to say:

“Christian Haller’s window to film stateside for Burton’s One World was super short as he was deep into his studies at a Swiss architecture school. We were toying with going up to the Pacific Northwest, as he was keen to ride pillows, but wet storms kept us in cold and crispy Utah. We hustled to find some good stuff for him and Anna Gasser to ride all over the Wasatch and Uintas and this feature made his week-long window worthwhile. Afterwards, we ate celebratory sushi and sipped Sapporos, sending him back to Europe satisfied with what he had accomplished in such a tight timeframe.”