Born in the Northeastern corner of Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Stephan Jende struggled with dyslexia as a child. Frustrated in school, he found the symbiotic relationship between art, skating and snowboarding to be a comforting outlet through which he could truly express himself. The visual world became his most coherent world. 

“I started out watching skate movies and emulating the professionals with my friends—we made mini edits and had a crew,” Stephan says. “When it came to snowboarding I was never a good rail rider or jumper, so picking up the camera gave me a purpose. The early days of shooting at Troll [Trollhaugen, WI], I would just go on a weekend and find angles in the park. I was still pretty shy and timid, especially when it came to my riding, so it allowed me to open up and meet new people.”…

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While filming for The 1817 Movie, a handful of us drove to Chicoutimi, just above Quebec City. I’m pretty sure I caught the flu on that trip. I shot this Ethan Deiss frontside 180 and then crawled into a hole back at the house. Everyone calls this spot “the Ruins.” I forget what the original building was for, but it fills up with snow every year because there’s no roof over it.