There’s something so infectious about the style Ylfa Rúnarsdóttir brings to her riding. Her video parts give off a hefty amount of energy that coalesces her fiery bag of tricks and eye for aesthetics. Born in Iceland and influenced to make the move to Sweden by fellow Icelanders, Halldor and Eiki Helgason, Ylfa has found her place in the European snowboard scene and is standing her ground. Her video parts in The Uninvited series and 2022’s Hot Coco have turned the heads of many, and as a member of the Burton team, last season she took a trip to Japan to film for Blooom, a Burton team video that premieres widely at Burton flagship stores on Friday, October 13th (though her part has already won acclaim from the High Five Festival as Best Female Athlete). While Ylfa is working on healing an injury over in Sweden, waiting for Blooom to premier in Europe, she gave us a quick recap on the season and what goes into her video parts. – Ally Watson
Hey Ylfa, how’s it going? Where are you right now?
I am currently in my hometown Falun, Sweden.
How was your summer?
Summer was different! I have been dealing with a major injury. I tore my Achilles tendon in the end of last season and for the most part of the summer I had to take it easy and let it heal. Now I’m finally walking again without the crutches and doing my rehab and getting back mobility every day. I have, of course, had some wonderful moments with my friends and family in the summer and they have really been there for me. Although, this has been quite a challenge for me for sure.
Glad to hear you are healing up. Are you looking forward to premier season?
Yes! I love gathering the community! I have been a part of hosting premiers in Stockholm for the past three years now and I can’t imagine my fall without it. It is honestly the only time of year I meet some of my friends within snowboarding. Everyone is so spread out in winter, especially those who are into filming.
Your project from last season, Blooom, is kicking off. How are you feeling about it?
I’m excited to see it! I love reliving the trip through the big screen. I haven’t really seen any of it since we were on the trip.
The premier in Stockholm will be a big one, you are premiering with We are Losers 2 and Melter 3, are you stoked?
Yeah, we love to gather the films that have Swedes/Finns that have been filming for projects in the same weekend. Sweden is such a big country, so it’s better that everyone travels down to Stockholm for one big weekend rather than spreading it out. So there will be premiers and parties on both the Friday and Saturday. It’s the ultimate hype-up weekend for the Swedish snowboard scene. It’s a good crew that we have going! It’s gonna be a wild night!
After filming for Hot Coco last season, how was it filming with more of the Burton crew?
It was awesome. I love all of these people and we always have a really good time when we hang out, so it was a no brainer to do a trip together!
Where did you do most of your filming?
I went on a trip to Japan with the crew! Some of them also did trips in Helsinki and Sweden, but at that time I was out in the powder in Revelstoke with other friends!
You talk a lot about spot selection and finding spots that are aesthetically pleasing and creative. What went into your spot selection for Blooom?
I looked for colors…as I always do! Whoever has been to Japan to try and film streets knows that it is the ultimate test to be productive and make anything happen. You have to get creative for areas because you get kicked out of almost everywhere. That also means sometimes you just have to settle for a spot because it is the only one that seems like you can get away with hitting a couple of times. And sometimes, even settling for a trick that you know is gonna work out right away because you will get kicked out within fifteen minutes or so from when you start hitting the spot.
What inspires your vision when filming a part? Anything outside of snowboarding?
I feel like I don’t really reflect on where I get the drive and motivation for filming. I just do it because I love it and I think about it all the time. But I guess I get inspiration unconsciously from all over. Mostly from the environment, like when I see spots and possibilities as I go. From people and snowboarding. But also, probably from all things that make me feel happy and capable like colors, landscapes, music and the sun, to name a few.
Who’s the MVP of the crew?
All of them!
What’s your travel routine when filming?
I’m not really a routine person, so it all depends on the crew and the trip. But I’m always on top of my shit. I want to be productive and have as much fun on a trip as possible! I’d rather sleep less on a trip to do more shit and just recharge and sleep after the trip/winter is over.
What’s up for this coming season? Where will you be? Do you have any projects in the works yet?
I have too many ideas. But healing my body comes first, so I’m taking reasonable steps to not disappoint myself. But now I’m hosting the premiere as well as showing up to premieres. There’s the Burton Fall Bash. Me and Maria Thomsen are hosting an event in December and that is enough to focus on for now!
