Niels Schack is one of the young talents at the Burton campus - he lights up the fire and keeps the good vibes commin... when it comes to snowsliding he pulls creative lines, fun tricks and seeks new adventures all a long the way. Make sure to watch his latest endeavor “Loo$e Change: The Road To The East”....to catch a glimpse of what he's capable off.  We were able to catch up with him and hear all about the project in his own words. Don't mind zee french...

Istanbul covered in snow must have been visually trippy.. How did you experience people, spots and different districts?

The city is just so intricate in itself. Full of cats and dogs, small roads, steep streets, and so many different levels make it such a wonderful place to discover. I mean we could see it was a little unorganized because of the fact that it just doesn’t snow like that often, so no one had snow tires so the road were a little hectic. But otherwise, the city just get’s so beautiful, all the mosques and minarets are covered in snow and the colors of the city really stand out, with these amazing cyan blues and oranges. The best part was just cruising on our board on the sidewalks and see peoples faces be so astonished or just excited by the randomness of it all. 

What did you think, when curiosity lead to a whole washing ritual and entering the mosque?

Doing the cleansing was a pure chance; I sat down to look at what was engraved in the wall and interested in what the whole process was about; a man sat next to me and explained everything to me and so generously took us also in the mosque for the prayer. He was a real humble and sweet person. The one thing that really stand’s out about Turkey was the hospitality, like in this example, and many more after that, the Turkish people really have an amazing way of making you feel comfortable and at home. 

I bet that there were some culture clashes in between Turkey, India, Kazakhstan and Japan.. Most memorable moments/ or anecdote? 

Culturally India ( New-Delhi and the Kashmir region) is insane! The wonderful chaos it’s sometimes hard not to be a little overwhelming. But that’s also the best part! It started straight from the airport where they fixed the board bags on taxi’s with AUX cables and from there on this sketchy DIY lifestyle was how it went for the rest of the trip. 

Favorite “How the hell did I get there?” moment?

I guess it’s the day we left from Geneva. Alex Weir (the filmer) and me were about to leave for this 3-month trip with no return and little organization. Just that nervous and excited feeling of doing something you care about. 

Best purchase on the tour?

Sparrow bought this ridiculous hat that is in fact the dress hat for Ottoman emperors and he couldn’t be happier about it!

Best spiritual advice taken from the trip?

Stop eating beef.

What are your travel essentials? And which ones were dead weight on the Loo$e Change trip?

We all had a bagpacks, a board bag and something extra, For an extra I had an acoustic guitar for example but sparrow had an extra luggage with all the tripods, snow shoes… etc 

Got lucky on that one! We also got this Turkish hat from Zéko this real nice man from a kebab shop like a good juju to the trip. Kept it the whole way (not too crushed) and it’s my living room now 

Best way to wake up after a short night?

The best was in Gulmarg Kashmir. There was a cook in the little hut and he would make the morning breakfast with eggs and buttered toast + Some fresh cheese, fruits and jam from the local market it was just the best!

Which skateboarder or videos influenced you?

When I was a kid it was all about Nick Trapasso, the irreproachable nonchalance was just too good! Now there are just too many to name. Skateboarding is what influences me the most in snowboarding and editing. When it comes to visuals influence come mostly from the far too many movies I watch. That’s why I wanted to have Loose Change have a certain unraveling like a normal cinematographic movie. 

Which architectural piece, plaza or building would you love to snowboard or see in a snowpark?

I’d love to shredd an outdoor sculpture museum. A real life sculpture park with unexpected features that are not as obvious and random would be fun a as snowpark. Like in cities, artists built it without the intension of people riding it, but for its visual potential and then we just figure different ways we can use them.

How can snowboarding be more fun?

People love and have fun different ways. For me it’s the whole organization and creative process more then snowboarding itself. That’s how I really came around to loving to snowboard because of the other truly great outlets it provides. After on a more general term I think making it simple is always more fun.

Which tricks are you seeing coming to light with Burton’s upcoming Stepon Binding?  It sounds like it could open up a whole new skateboarding perspective > boneless, one foot, fast plants, .. or simply pushing to cut though somewhere..

For sure!! Well I'll hopefully try it and I'll be able to test all these things! Not so keen on the one foot just cause it seem to be so dangerous for your knees but imagining to air drop and lock in your feet would be insane :)

What means flow to you?

The music that comes out of how you ride.

What brings a smile on your face?

Garlic mushrooms.

How do you stay so sparked & positive?

Surround myself with good people I think.

Let’s say one of your buddies is having a bad day, what do you suggest to do?

Go see Guru Sparrow Knox he is the most upbeat and positive person, it’s very hard to have a bad time with him.

5 Songs that should be on a mixtape to hype the crew?

BadBadNotGood - Confessions

Take five - Dave Brubeck

Sinnerman- Nina Simone

Nabed Nade Ei Piny Ka (Rework) - Owiny Sigoma Band

My boo - Ghost town Dj’s 

What were the first art pieces or moments in your childhood, that inspired you?

Miro has been my favorite artist since I am a kid he was just wild, then after I grew up and then came Matisse, Basquiat, Danny Fox to name a few. Inspiring moments… I don’t know, I always loved breakfast, the smell of butter/jam and chocolate milk, the excited/nervous feeling of what the day was going to bring. These weird nostalgic moments that you keep close to you I think are really inspiring.