Meeting Sami Luhtanen is meeting a snowboarding legend in the making. When DAKINE European team manager, Marco Z., found him three years ago he had no sponsors and didn’t speak a word of English. This year, the ‘Silent Killer’ has been the revelation of the international snowboarding scene, after a jaw-dropping part in Pirate’s latest movie ‘Distorted Reality’.

His contract with DAKINE (his first ever!) opened the door to video production. His baptism in a small Finnish production resulted in such an outstanding part that DAKINE took the leap on to Pirates. When Basti Balser, founder of Pirates Movie Production company, was offered Sami as part of his crew, he had no idea of who this young snowboarder was. Pirates only films with small groups of selected riders, so it took some faith to make the deal happen. Ultimately, the combination of DAKINE’s certainty in Sami’s skills, Pirates’ commitment to the growth of snowboarding and Sami’s unique style resulted in one of the most celebrated video parts this season.

‘Sami’s skate-style influenced approach on riding is hard to match. There are no second thoughts, only full commitment. As the “new” rider on our roster, his riding skills did not only prove that he is here to stay but also that his personality has been a great addition to our crew. Always good for a laugh and constantly motivated. Watch out for Sami in the upcoming years, so far he has only been warming up…..’ – Basti Balser, founder of Pirates Movie Production.

‘I told Basti: “let him ride with you for a week. If he’s not good we’ll find him another project”. A couple of days later, Basti called me asking: “where have you found this alien?!”‘ – Marco Zuchetti, DAKINE EUROPE team manager.

‘Sami is the next big thing coming out of Finland! When you see him ride, you just want to sit back and enjoy the show. He has been raising the bar over the past years and I can’t wait to see what we will see from him in the future!’ – Eero Ettala, professional snowboarder.

Watch the full movie on iTunes here!