Krister Kopala’s film ‘The White Giant’ had its initial showing on February 1st on Rab’s YouTube channel. Krister, a Rab athleet and specialized splitboarder from Norway, is featured in the movie doing some of the most challenging runs at Jiehkkevárri, Norway’s highest and most isolated peak in the Lyngen Alps.

Last year, Krister spent his season conquering some of the most difficult routes on Jiehkkevárri. Boasting an enormous 1,100 vertical meters of rock, ice, snow and no-fall areas, the South Face was undoubtedly the most daunting line of all. ‘The White Giant’ captures Krister’s excursion up this remarkable mountain and his mission to ski the steepest trails he’s ever encountered.

Line of the Year

Krister’s ride of Jiehkkevárri’s South Face also won this year’s Mountains On Stage ‘Line of the Year’. The line is considered one of the steepest and most demanding ever to have been ridden in Norway and it was the first ever descent made on a splitboard.

Watch the movie

Want to hear more about Krister?

Head over to Rab’s Mountain People podcast where Krister talks of cutting-edge descents (including his latest film ‘The White Giant’), and his journey from the speed of freeride snowboarding to more nuanced technical steep snowboarding where the consequences of one mistake can be fatal. As well as the continual learning and challenge of finding the courage to turn back when conditions seem uncertain.

Krister’s story about his descent of Jiehkkevárri’s South Face is available at Rab’s Basecamp Blog.