Paavo Tikkanen is tweaked. Aley-oop back seven nose grab, tweaked all the way to the bank! He loves electronics, house music, exclamation points, and is about as close as you can come to a human cartoon—in a fun, Finnish sort of way. Paavo has had a rough time dealing with injuries—but being nursed back to health by Ms. Reef Canada can’t be that bad, we could all be so fortunate. Make sure to check out the wild Finn and the rest of his friends in Whiteout Films’,The Big Blind—Evan
Board: Endeavor Paavo 157
Bindings: SP Brotherhood
Angles: 21 front —9 back
Stance Width: 23 inches
Forward Lean: A tiny bit
Special tuning:
I rotate my highbacks so that they line up with the heel edge of my board.
Sponsors:
Endeavor, Volcom, Drop, DVS, Utopia, SP, Wildcats
Evan: What have you been up to over summer—do you do anything special to get ready for the season?
Paavo: I’ve been playing a lot of golf, and skating as much as possible—almost everyday. Other than that, I’ve been working out with a personal trainer trying to get healthy.
How was winter?
Not so good, the snow conditions were really bad in Whistler, and I had a couple injuries in the middle of the season that took me out for a long time. I filmed early on and then again at the end of the season. I only had a few days back with good snow, so I had a hard time filling my video part. In the end it came together okay, but it could have been a lot better. Hopefully, next year we’ll have more snow and better riding.
Any big plans for next year?
No big plans, I’m going to do a few contests, go to Europe—mostly filming and taking pictures.
Where did you grow up riding?
Talma, Finland.
Who did you look up to most when you were coming up there?
Coming up it was Terje, Juha Tenkku, Sebu, Jamie Lynn, Peter Line … but mostly Joni Malmi cause that’s who I rode with everyday!
Who do you look up to most now?
I look up to my best friends—Iikka Backstrom, Eero Niemela, Wille Yli-Luoma, Jussi Oksanen and Joni Malmi.
When did you make the move out to Whistler?
I first came out four years ago. I made the trip there every winter while I was riding for Rossignol.
How did Endeavor come about?
I already knew Max Jenke, we’d snowboard together, and he’d always talked about starting his own snowboard company. I liked his ideas and I really wanted to be a part of something new. With a big snowboard company riders go to meetings to talk about graphics and shapes, they want your opinions but they have to go through so many people that nothing ever happens. With Endeavor it’s just us. We can do whatever we want—if I want a happy face on my board I’m going to have it.
Favorite thing about Canada?
It would have to be the mountains! I also like the nature here, it’s a lot like Finland. Vancouver by the ocean is just like Helsinki—lots of forest.
Favorite thing about Finland?
Summer! It’s really nice over there in the summertime when it’s not cold and dark. The days are long and it’s just beautiful.
Where do you see yourself five years from now? Five years from now … still riding, making Endeavor bigger, and making clothing! I’ve always wanted to make clothing, that’s what I went to school for, I love it!
What school?
I went to this Finnish design school, but I never finished. I only went there for a year and skipped all my classes except the clothing ones—when I started snowboarding seriously I didn’t have time anymore.
What do you think about the war in Iraq?
I think it’s super wack! I don’t like that kinda’ shit, I think Bush is full of shit—but what the hell do I know?
Finn.
Here is a nice picture of Lindsey, Paavo’s girl. Send us a photo of you and your girl and the best five submissions are getting Paavisu T’s courtesyy of Endeavor Snowboards. It has to be a pick of you and your girl—not just some photo you downloaded off the web! We’ll post the winning-est shots up here on the site
Hit us up:
mygirlishotterthanpaavos@gmail.com
Watch the Whiteout teaser, just because!
