Snowboarding
We Rate One of Snowboarding's Best: Bjorn Leines
Who are the ultimate all-terrain riders? Read Part 5 in our series and see how Leines scores.
Bjorn Leines in Chile
© E-Stone
Once upon a time, there were no snowboarding disciplines — just snowboarding. But as snowboarding evolved, snowboarders diversified. Some headed out into the backcountry, others chased halfpipe podiums, and the rest just adapted their riding to whatever terrain they could find. But despite the increasingly segregated nature of the sport, there will always be a few talented individuals who refuse to specialize, and who will destroy any terrain you put in front of them. These are the true stars of the sport: the ATVs, the Renaissance Riders.
In Part 5, we look at Bjorn Leines, a veteran all-rounder who is still charging hard today.
Bjorn Leines
Bjorn makes huge step-downs like this look easy
© E-Stone
Backcountry: Score 5 out of 5
The backcountry is where Leines has always charged hardest — having relocated to Utah from his flat hometown of Minnesota in the mid '90s, Bjorn Leines and his brother, Erik, soon developed a taste for burly booters, steep-ass chutes and heavy cliff drops. By 2003, Bjorn Leines had established himself firmly at the forefront of the backcountry movement by scoring the ender segment of Forum’s iconic "Video Gangs" movie, which happens to be one of the greatest all-terrain parts ever. But to see Leines at his steep-and-deep best, fast-forward to 2006 and Volcom’s "Escramble" — riding like this never gets old.
Huge Stalefish transfer to wallride redirect
© E-Stone
Park: Score 3/5
To give Leines a three out of five for park skills sounds pretty harsh — after all, this is a guy who was hand-picked by Peter Line to join the legendary Forum 8, perhaps the greatest crew of park riders ever assembled. But then, Leines was always more of a backcountry kicker kind of guy and never really blew up on the contest side of things — although back in 2000 he did score a respectable fourth in slopestyle at X Games.
Bjorn Leines in Chile
© E-Stone
Transition: Score 3/5
Like so many of the riders on this list, Leines may have made his name by delivering outstanding video parts in the backcountry and/or streets, but if you trace his career back to his Minnesota roots, you’ll find he rode a lot of pipe throughout the '90s and even competed at X Games in '98. If you want to see Leines' butter smooth transition skills for yourself, check out his opening part in Forum’s "The Resistance" (it’s on YouTube) — it still holds up today.
FS Boardslide to roof drop
© E-Stone
Urban: Score 5/5
Becoming a member of the Forum 8 in the late '90s gave Leines a unique opportunity to learn from the two best urban riders of the era: JP Walker and Jeremy Jones. And while Leines was never quite as good as those guys on handrails, his fearless, all-in approach and creative use of terrain meant he soon became a respected jibber in his own right. To this day, Leines continues to evolve as an urbanist, ripping harder than most guys half his age and stubbornly refusing to give his knees the retirement they surely deserve.
Y Factor
… As in, “Why this guy?” What makes this rider stand out?
As a member of the original Forum 8 and a rider whose career peaked over a decade ago, at 38, Bjorn Leines is by far the oldest rider on this list — some might say too old. But they’d be wrong. Here’s the thing: While Leines may have long since qualified for legend status, he’s still out there today, riding everything from heavy Alaskan lines to Minnesota jib parks — and he’s still absolutely killing it. Basically, the guy is unstoppable.
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