Terje Håkonsen facts for kids

Terje Håkonsen (born October 11, 1974) is a famous Norwegian snowboarder. Many people think he is one of the most important snowboarders ever. Rob Reed wrote in his book The way of the snowboarder that Håkonsen completely changed the sport of snowboarding.

Terje Håkonsen was amazing at freestyle competitions in the 1990s. He won the International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) World Championship in halfpipe three times (1993, 1995, and 1997). He also won the European Championship in halfpipe every time he competed (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997). Håkonsen won the US Open Halfpipe Finals three times (1992, 1993, and 1995). He also won the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom seven times (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2012). In 1995, he won the important Innsbruck Air & Style competition. In 2007, Håkonsen set a world record for the highest jump. He jumped 9.8 meters (about 32 feet) above the top of a quarterpipe. This happened during a competition called The Arctic Challenge in Oslo.

Håkonsen's smooth style and his skill on all kinds of snow made him special. These qualities had a huge impact on snowboarding. Even though he started his career in halfpipe competitions, he also became famous through films. These films showed him freeriding in deep powder snow, on big mountains, and in "big air" competitions. These "big air" events were like the slopestyle competitions we see today.

Terje Håkonsen's Early Life

Håkonsen was born and grew up in a mountain village called Åmot. This village is in Vinje Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. His father, Per Håkonsen, was from Meråker Municipality. His mother, Sidsel Håkonsen, was from Sørøya. Terje has an older brother and a younger sister.

As a child, Håkonsen was very good at sports. He did athletics, cross-country skiing, and ski jumping. He was also on the local downhill ski team and football team. People called him "little Maradonna" because he was so good at football. Some even said he could have become a professional football player.

Today, Håkonsen lives in Oslo, Norway.

Terje Håkonsen's Snowboarding Career

The Uvyrdslåmi snowboarding team started in Åmot in 1987. Soon, almost 100 people joined the club. Many of them, like Einar and Åshild Lofthus, became top snowboarders in Norway and around the world. In late 1987, Håkonsen tried snowboarding for the first time. He used borrowed boards on the slopes at Rauland and near his parents' home. In February 1988, he bought his own used board. The next month, he won the junior class at the Nordic Championship in Rauland. He quickly joined the team for Burton Snowboards, a big snowboard company.

After winning many Norwegian competitions in 1988-1989, Håkonsen met Craig Kelly. Kelly was the best and most famous snowboarder in the world at that time. Håkonsen has often said that Kelly was his mentor, like a guide or teacher. Kelly saw Håkonsen's talent and connected him with his own sponsors, Burton Snowboards. When he was just 15, Håkonsen traveled to the USA by himself. He signed his first professional contracts with Burton and Oakley. Because of these contracts, Håkonsen decided not to go to high school after finishing middle school.

Håkonsen started his international career in February 1990. He placed fifth in halfpipe at the World Cup in St. Moritz. A month later, he got more attention by finishing fifth in halfpipe at the US Open. He also came fifth in both halfpipe and moguls at the world championships in Breckenridge that year. This was the last time moguls were part of snowboarding competitions.

At first, Håkonsen competed in both freestyle and alpine snowboarding. His sponsors wanted him to do all types of competitions. But Håkonsen decided to focus only on halfpipe and freeriding in 1990-1991. He had stopped alpine skiing because he didn't like the strict rules. He felt alpine snowboarding was similar. To protest, he started using a freestyle board in alpine events. His last alpine competition was the European championship in 1991. He came fourth in parallel slalom using the same board he used to win the halfpipe.

In the years that followed, Håkonsen was the best in freestyle snowboarding. In 1991-1992, he won 14 international competitions in a row. People said he was the first snowboarder to become a "rock-star hero" during this time. The 1994 season was the last time Håkonsen tried to win the overall world cup. He felt there was too much focus on competitions and not enough time for freeriding.

Håkonsen was in many snowboarding films. In 1996, Volcom made a film about him called Subjekt Haakonsen. They followed it with The Haakonsen Faktor in 1999. In 2005, he was in the documentary First Descent. In this film, he was the first person to snowboard down peak 7601 in Alaska.

When the halfpipe became an Olympic event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Håkonsen did not take part in the tryouts. Håkonsen and many other snowboarders were unhappy with the Olympic committee. They were upset because the International Ski Federation (FIS) was chosen to organize the event. Snowboarders felt their own group, the ISF, should have been in charge. Håkonsen believed this was unfair to the sport.

Terje Håkonsen's Life After Competing

Terje Håkonsen never officially stopped competing. But he appeared in fewer competitions in the late 1990s. He didn't like the usual competition style. So, in 2000, he created his own competition called The Arctic Challenge. His main idea was that the competition should be set up by snowboarders, for snowboarders. In 2002, The Arctic Challenge and other events started the Ticket to Ride World Snowboard tour. This tour is now known as the World Snowboard tour. It is the biggest and most important international snowboard tour in the world.

Håkonsen is still a professional snowboarder today. He spends most of his time making films and working with his sponsors. But he still sometimes competes. In 2012, he won the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom for the seventh time. In the same year, he came fifth in the quarterpipe and won "highest air" at the snowboarding world championships in Oslo. In March 2015, he won the Sudden Rush Banked Slalom in Laax, Switzerland.

In 2015, Håkonsen made some comments on Twitter that caused a lot of discussion. These comments were about professional skier Gus Kenworthy. Many people in the snowboard community, including other professional snowboarders, criticized Håkonsen's comments. In an interview later, Håkonsen said he was misunderstood and that "some people are thin-skinned." He did not apologize for his remarks.

In Norway, Håkonsen has recently spoken out about organic food and healthy eating. He has done this through interviews, TV shows, and newspaper articles. He also did not support Oslo's plan to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. In September 2014, he took part in a live TV debate about this topic.

Helping Others

Håkonsen also helps with things outside of snowboarding. He started two groups with Jan Chr. Sundt, who is a person who gives money to good causes. These groups are Funkisstiftelsen and Greener Events. The Funkisstiftelsen foundation helps people with physical disabilities enjoy activities in the snow. Greener Events helps all kinds of sports and cultural events be more friendly to the environment.

Awards and Prizes

• Mickey Mouse club Hall of fame 1991
• Rider of the year, Transworld's snowboarding reader's awards, 1998
• Piperider of the year, Transworld's snowboarding reader's awards, 1999
• Best overall rider, Transworld's snowboarding reader's awards, 2000
• Best Overall rider, Transworld's snowboarding reader's awards, 2001
• Reader's choice, Transworld's snowboarding reader's awards, 2001
• NEA Snowboarding award, 2001
• Standout of the year, Transworld's snowboarding reader's awards, 2008
• Vinje Municipality Cultural Prize 2009

Films and TV Shows

Terje Håkonsen has appeared in many snowboarding films and TV shows. Here are a few:

• Subjekt Haakonsen (1996)
• The Haakonsen Faktor (1999)
• First Descent (2005)
• That's It, That's All (2008)
• Standing Sideways (2011)
• Supervention (2013)
• Snowboarding For Me (2014)

See also

In Spanish: Terje Håkonsen para niños