I was on a Transworld Snowboarding shred trip to Iceland with the likes of Jesse Fox, Leanne Pelosi, Gaetan Chanut, Paavo Tikkanen and Scott Serfas five years ago when we first stumbled across Eiki and his crew of rail assailants. I remember looking at Jesse after watching these kids ride for about three minutes and knew he was thinking the same thing: snowboarding was in big trouble!

Sure enough the snowboard world has been turned upside down over the last 12 months as this 21 year-old Icelandic native's skills have come into the spotlight. With a nomination for TWS Reader's Choice alongside Scotty Lago and Travis Rice (perhaps you've heard of them?), and winning the Snowboarder Magazine Rookie of the Year title, Eiki is definitely here to stay. I spoke with Eiki while he was waiting at the Portland airport for a flight to Vancouver, heading up to the Camp of Champions in Whistler. I first asked where he was living these days and he answered, "Nowhere, kind of. Just on the road..."

"When I first got to witness  Eiki ride, there was no ‘maybe' or ‘could be' in my mind. He was going to be a rookie of the year, he was going to have ender, ender video parts, he was going to light up message boards, and have kids wanting to ride just like him. His natural talent was so obvious it just left our crew laughing at how good he was. Maybe his outlook, his attitude, would have been different if he had grown up in a snowboard Mecca, with all the razzle-dazzle of industry media. That being said, Icelandic Eiki is the most humble, appreciative, thankful snowboarder I've met; a true professional with a head on his shoulders and his priorities in check. Oh, and his family took us into their island home, fed us lamb they had raised, and rotten shark with desert. It was the best and worst thing I've ever tasted and I'll never forget that." -- Jesse Fox, ex-Rome pro rider.

"Eiki has true natural talent. It doesn't matter what it is that he is riding, he excels. Every time I shoot with him he seems to pull out some crazy maneuver to hype the crew." -- Scott Serfas, Photographer Extraordinaire

What has gone on in the last five years since I first met you?
Right after we met, Jesse [Fox] hooked me up with Rome SDS and I just started riding and traveling. Everything started happening from there. Rome hooked me up with a travel budget right away. That was pretty sweet. Soon after that Oakley did the same.

Was it tough to get recognized first in Iceland and then to make the move globally?
Oh yeah, we didn't have anything to snowboard on really. There were no parks and shit, so we would always hit street rails. Then when I was 16 we moved to Sweden to go to the snowboard school. I moved there with two of my friends, Gulli [Gudmundson] and Viktor [Hjartarson], the guys you met in Iceland. We went over there so we could snowboard a lot and go to school. After that I started to get recognized in Sweden first and then Europe, and eventually America. The last two seasons I have been in the States pretty much all year... almost four months so far this year.

After all these years chasing snow and couch surfing, what went through your head when you were nominated alongside Scotty Lago and Travis Rice for Reader's Choice?
I got a phone call, and was told that I was nominated for the Reader's Choice award and I didn't believe it. Then I went on the Transworld site and saw it and I got so stoked, even though I knew T-Rice was gonna win. But it looks like I'm doing something right and that's a super good feeling

Who do you spend most of your time with in North America?
There are a few different people. Like last year it was the Rome crew and this year, the People crew. It's just random. Totally random, pretty much.

Does being on the road start to get to you after a while?
No way, I love it. I get to see the world!

So you are en route to Camp of Champs, what do you have on the go up there?
We have a signature session there this week, and then the People crew are having a week after that, so I am staying up there for two weeks. Hopefully we will get some good weather. I was filming with People this year, along with the Rome team.

Who are you staying with up there?
We have a house for the signature session... It's me, Eero Ettala, Todd Richards, Austin Smith and a bunch of other good guys. It should be really fun. After that I go home and spend the rest of the summer there. I might go to Australia or something for Style Wars, maybe. I haven't decided yet.

Hey, how is your little brother, Haldor?
Oh man, he's doing good! He got hooked up with DC and he's filming with Standard Films this year. He's getting almost too good... [laughing]  Riding with him I'm like, "Damn!" [laughing]

So what do you think is in your parent's Icelandic blood that bred such snowboarding robots?
I don't know! My dad used to be a gymnast when he was young and then he coached football for a school. Maybe that's why... I was always trying to find sports that I was into. I tried pretty much everything... gymnastics? Not for me. I tried soccer because my older brother does it, nope, not for me. Handball? Nope. Then I found skateboarding and I was like, "Yup, that's something for me." And then snowboarding came because the snow came.

You grew up hitting rails in Iceland because you didn't really have any other options and now you are out in the backcountry. Has it been a pretty tough transition?
Yeah, I've been having a hard time in the backcountry. It's super hard, but it's so fun It is definitely way more work than going to film street rails. I have a truck and a snowmobile now, so I'm ready for next season. Last year I borrowed the snowmobile, but I crashed it three days later. So I ended up buying it and just fixed it. It was ready for the end of the winter so it is fresh for next season. I left them in Reno at my friend's place.

What about for next year?
The plan is that Rome is going to make another team movie, so I guess I will have another Rome part. I will just see what happens... I don't like to make plans Whatever happens, happens. [laughs]

Eiki proudly rides for Rome SDS, Oakley outerwear and eyewear, Skull Candy, DVS, Frontline streetwear and Kaleidoscope skateboards.

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Related:
Nice Try (09/10 People teaser)
Rome Team Terror At Windell's
They Came From... (09/10 Factor Films teaser)