Mads Jonsson on the guitar | Photo: Geoff Andruik

There are few that go as big as Mads Jonsson, and by few we mean just that, like two or three dudes, maybe. Raising the level of what it means to punt it, his beasting on the snow is just one aspect of this Norwegian’s lust for life. However, beyond world record airs and timeless style, he often sails the same boat as the rest of us. Here’s what happens when Mads hangs with…

Terje Håkonsen

This one time we were in Japan at a traditional Burton promo party for the opening of one of their stores. We were in this huge club in Tokyo, we had our own VIP section and things were good. At some point in the evening though I decided I wanted to go check some stuff out beyond the club. I think it was like my second or third time ever on a trip with Haakon, and I remember, when I got up to scope the scene he gave me this really funky look, like, “You shouldn’t be doing this. Do you even know where you are little dude?”

I was pretty young at the time and thought nothing of it. I was just going to roll out, get into some shit and then come back. Again, he gave me this look, but I was drunk and happy so it didn’t register.

So I hit the streets for a few without much incident before deciding I wanted back in the club. I got back up to the bouncer and was trying to weasel my way back in but this guy was NOT having any of it. “Mad Jonsson, who? Burton what?” He could give a shit. So I started to get a little verbal, if you know what I mean. But this was not helping matters at all and it was escalating in the wrong way…. for me.

From there the verbal abuse quickly turned into a close combat scenario where a big dude that was probably 6’ 8” was handling a little Norwegian dude that was probably 5’ 8”. I remember being lifted up off the ground in a one handed chokehold by this animal as he was yelling, “You are NOT coming back in! I don’t car who you are!” I was literally a second away from being severely punished when out of nowhere Terje appeared.

It was definitely a bit of a big brother scene because at that time he didn’t know me that well, but he knew that I was going down bad shaft. I don’t know where he came from, but he dragged me back in to the party after somehow making peace with the crazy bouncer. Still, he couldn’t save me from the embarrassment of showing up the next morning to breakfast with the crew explaining why I had this giant black and blue eye.

Johan Olofsson

It was quite few years between encounters with Johan, but a few years ago we somehow got paired up in Valdez. And he was there to Noboard! That was a special scenario. It was my first time ever going up there, so I didn’t know what to expect. The weather was pretty Alaskan you could say, so while everyone else was sitting around bumming, Johan was as pumped as ever taking me on drives and exploring all of the little hole in the wall places around town.

After a week of waiting though we got to ride. It was funny to see him rolling around with his noboard and the looks people were giving us. But you gotta remember, Johan is a very respected dude up there. If it were anybody else they would have not let him get on that helicopter with a board that had no bindings – no way! Just to see his confidence and his positive outlook was pretty neat because all of the guides were trying to talk him down from riding that thing. But the way he explained how he was going to assess the mountains he wanted to ride gave the guides the confidence to let him roll. To see how he took control was nothing short of impressive. Every zone we hit had some sort of avalanche activity too and to see him manage that on his noboard was beyond what I can explain. He definitely knew what he was doing and had a plan in his head already.

It was crazy because he rode some lines without bindings that I didn’t even want to really snowboard down. Who better to show you the ropes! It was the first time he had been there in many years so it was pretty humbling to see the “return of the king” so to speak. Respect!

Romain De Marchi

This one is from WAY back in the days of Hemsedal when Romain was riding for Airwalk.
Like the good ol’ days when everyone was partying and shredding like you just don’t see anymore and of course Romain was leading the herd.

I must have been like fifteen and Romain was absolutely one of the guys I was most timid of just because of his nature. He was super over the top and one of those guys that it would be hard to approach if you didn’t know him, like me.

One night, as luck would have it, I was standing behind him at the bar waiting for a beer when someone gave me a shot. As soon as I threw it back I felt everything happen at once, and I had to puke. So the slim chance that it was, the guy who scared me the most is the one I decided to barf on. I had no control at that point and I let go all over his shoulder, but it being loud and crazy in there he didn’t notice.

As the seconds turned into hours, I’m staring at his puke shoulder thinking I should get it over with and meet my maker sooner than later. So I give him a little tap on the shoulder, “Dude… I know you don’t really know me but… I’m Mads and… um… I kind of puked on your shoulder…” He got so pissed off and started hitting the bar, throwing a little fit. My buddies that knew him came over and calmed him down but not before he threw the puke shit at me and stormed off.

Well, being the good little snowboarder that I was I brought the sweater back home and washed it up for him. Yeah, as if it wasn’t embarrassing enough to come clean that night, it was even worse having to approach him with his sweater the next day. Ever since then, well, we’ve gotten along great!

This article was featured in Volume 8 Issue 2.
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