Rab athlete Krister Kopala wins ‘Line of the Year’ by Mountains on Stage

Norwegian Rab athlete and snowboarder Krister Kopala has won the ‘Line of the Year’ by Mountains on Stage.

Krister won the award for the first snowboard descent of Jiehkkevárri South Face in the Lyngen Alps, Norway. Together with his friends Finn Hovem and Jacob Wester, Krister rode the line in May 2022.

This was the second descent and first decent of a snowboarder. The first descent was made by Finn Hovem and Rab ambassador Eivind Jacobsen in April 2020.

The line on the South side of Jiehkkevárri is considered one of the steepest and most demanding ever to have been ridden on skis and snowboards in Norway. With exposed ridge traverses, hidden rocks, and perilous no fall zones, the project allowed no margin for error.

The Line of the Year winners were selected among seven runs in competition, mixed steep skiing, freeride and freestyle in a public voting process. The three winning lines will be screened at the final Paris show of the Mountains on Stage film tour.

Riding the South Face of Jiehkkevárri was part of Krister’s project to ski some of the most challenging lines on each aspect of the mountain. It is documented in the film “The White Giant”, which will premiere at Rab’s channels in January 2023.

Watch The White Giant Trailer HERE.

Header image: Jiehkkevárri South Face. Credit: Anders Vest