Fresh off the premiere tour of Burton’s latest snowboarding film, PAVED, we caught up with longtime Nixon team rider Mikkel Bang to talk about his gear, traveling, and how he put together yet another epic project.
Check out his newest film "LYNX" and the full interview below.
Interview with Mikkel Bang
What’s up Mikkel?! How was this most recent premiere tour for PAVED and where are you at now?
Currently chilling at home in Hemsedal, Norway. About to go out for some night riding!! The Paved tour was a lot of fun. I started the tour in Asia; first Japan, then China and ended the tour in Europe. Tokyo, Osaka, Nagano, Shenzhen, Beijing, ShangHai, Munich, Salzburg, Milan, Zurich and Innsbruck. We would do a premiere, party and travel to the next city day after. Apart from seeing old and new places, good food and socializing, the best part was to see people getting hyped for this winter! Was definitely tired after haha but feel very lucky to have been able to go! And thanks to everyone who came to watch the movie!!
How has the snow been where you’re at? What’s a typical day look like for you right now?
We were off to a pretty good start here in Norway and then it got warm and rained a bit. But we have a solid base so all we need now is some fresh snow so we can start split boarding. Currently I wake up and go ride my home resort Hemsedal every day. This is usually how I prepare before the season before we start filming. Usually I ride in North America but this season is gonna be very different because for the first time in my snowboard career, I am doing a whole winter in Norway. So the next step now is to be patient and wait for some powder and then go out there and hike some mountains :) A normal day then will be go to the location we wanna ride, wake up mad early on sunny days and be out in the mountains riding and filming all day.
You traveled to Alaksa, Canada and Japan on these most recent filming missions. What was your favorite and least favorite (if there was one)?
I honestly can't say I had a least favorite, because we are so damn lucky to be doing this. I mean sometimes there are bad conditions, but those days make the good days so much better!! But out of all those three filming missions I got to say that our trip to Japan might have been my favorite. Rad crew Ben Ferguson and Mark MC Morris. We stayed in Japan for 6 weeks, motivation was high and we snowboarded every day! It just snows so much there, the food is incredible, and the people are polite.
Japan is epic for so many reasons but we want to know what your favorite foods to get over there? What’s your 7-11 or Lawson go-to’s, if you have any?
Love the 7-11 pickled eggs, they come in a bag with soysauce so kind of risky in the backpack but worth it if you make it! At Lawson I got to go with the classic tuna mayo rice triangle. Ben was definitely hitting up the squid jerky haha.
What were the easiest and hardest clips to get in this film?
The easiest clips would be the hall ways in Japan where you are just bouncing thru deep snow, seriously the best though. The hardest clips would be Alaska because everything is so big and scary. There is more than just snowboarding you also got to show respect to the mountains.
How did you pick the music for this film?
I made a few playlists last year and have had a few songs in mind. Then I shared those music ideas with Gabe Langlois and we landed on the songs that made the most sense for this video part. Hope you guys like rock!!
If someone wants to start backcountry riding, what’s the #1 thing they should know and/or do when beginning?
First thing get yourself a beacon, shovel and probe. Practice and get to know your beacon with your friends and never go ride alone! Safety is one of the most important things so we can keep snowboarding. Then go shred some fucking pow.
What’s your set up like? Give us a gear breakdown.
I ride the Burton Custom 170. front angle 25+ back angle -25 and 24 and half inch stance.
What’s your go-to Nixon watch(s) at the moment?
Lately my go to watch has been the Staple, I love a good digital watch. It's simple, feels/looks good on the wrist and fits perfect under my snowboard gloves. Also like the Siren and you can never go wrong with the classic Time Teller.
What’s next on the agenda? Any trips, projects?
Like I mentioned earlier I am going to spend my winter in Norway and split board. Its something I have never done before and I am excited to challenge myself and make a small movie from this side of the earth.
Thank you Mikkel! Any parting words?
Thank you Nixon for the continued support! Also I'd like to give a shout out to Gabe Langlois for editing this full part. Good friend, boarder, filmer and editor!
