Terje Haakonsen

Terje Håkonsen (born 11 October 1974 in Vinje, Norway) is a Norwegian professional snowboarder. He is considered one of the most influential snowboarders in the history of the sport. In the book "The way of the snowboarder", Rob Reed wrote that "Haakonsen took the young sport of snowboarding and revolutionized nearly every aspect of it".

Håkonsen dominated freestyle competitions during the 1990s. He won the International Snowboarding Federation (ISF) World Championship in halfpipe three times: 1993, 1995 and 1997. He won the European Championship in halfpipe each and every time he participated (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1997). Håkonsen won the US Open Halfpipe Finals three times (1992, 1993 and 1995), and the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom seven times (1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2012). He also took victory in the influential Innsbruck Air & Style competition in 1995. In 2007, Håkonsen set the world record for the highest air when he achieved a height of 9.8 metres above the top of the quarterpipe during a qualification round at The Arctic Challenge in Midtstuen, Oslo, with a backside 360.

Håkonsen's flowing style and his proficiency on all types of terrain are what have characterised his snowboarding and have had the greatest impact on the sport. While the foundations of his career were laid in halfpipe competitions, he also established himself as a dominant athlete through films and international snowboard productions. Here he would show his skills freeriding in powder, big mountains and in "big air" competitions — the forerunners to today's slopestyle competitions.

Håkonsen was born and grew up in the mountain village of Åmot in Vinje municipality in Telemark. He is the son of Per Håkonsen from Meråker in Trøndelag and Sidsel Håkonsen from Sørøya in Finnmark. He has an older brother and a younger sister.

As a child, Håkonsen displayed excellent athletic abilities. Apart from participating in athletics, cross country skiing and jumping, he was on the local downhill ski team and football team. Due to his football skills, he was nicknamed "little Maradonna", and it has been claimed that he could have played professionally if he had carried on.

Håkonsen currently lives in Oslo.

The Uvyrdslåmi snowboarding team was founded in the summer of 1987 in Åmot. During the course of the first season, the club took on almost 100 members. Several of them - led by siblings Einar and Åshild Lofthus – quickly established themselves in the snowboarding elite on both the national and international scene. In the autumn of 1987, Håkonsen had his first goes on borrowed boards on the alpine slopes at Rauland and in the fields around his parent’s house in Åmot. In February 1988 he bought his own second hand board, and the month after he participated in the Nordic Championship held at Rauland. Håkonsen won in the junior class, and quickly became part of the team of the Norwegian importer for snowboard manufacturer Burton Snowboards, Elling Balhald. After winning a number of Norwegian competitions in the 1988-1989 season, Håkonsen was invited to meet Craig Kelly at Juvass (Galdhøpiggen Summer Ski Centre). At the time, Kelly was the world's leading and best known snowboarder. Håkonsen has on several occasions said that he regarded Kelly as his mentor. In turn, Kelly saw the boy's potential and put him in touch with his sponsor, Burton Snowboards. At the age of 15, Håkonsen travelled to the USA by himself and negotiated his first professional contracts with Burton and Oakley. Håkonsen completed the final year of lower secondary school and then took the decision, due to the contracts, not to apply to upper secondary school.

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