Ståle Sandbech

"I want to go to the Olympics and to the X Games for sure but riding around snowboarding with friends all year is the most sick" - Ståle

Ståle may be 17, but his attitude to snowboarding is pure mature professionalism - knowing he'd make the sport his career at just 9 years old. Voted Norwegian snowboarder of the year at 16, he's an incredible talent with butter-smooth style, and the latest prince to join Norway's prestigious royal circle of uber pros: Terje Haakonsen, Andreas Wiig, Daniel Franck, JP Solberg, Torstein Horgmo, Mikkel Bang et al.

Little brother to renowned photographer Frode, the Rykkinn-born, Oslo-based rider is hyped to tear up the TTR this season - with equally honed freestyle talents on Oslo street rails, massive booters to Olympic superpipes. With obvious ability and fearlessness, Ståle's natural talent bagged him an invite to the legendary Arctic Challenge event - from Terje himself - in 2007 when he was just 14, and every year since.

With incredible video parts and magazine covers locked before he's officially finished puberty, Ståle's set to become Norway's next shred superstar, with some already impressive wins on his CV, and currently fourth in the TTR rankings - giving riders ten years his senior a real scare.

Last season Ståle just missed out on the podium for the US and European Open - but for 2010/11, has already come fourth for the Freesyle.CH in Zurich and second at the FIS Big Air contest at Relentless Freeze, London. Pretty incredible when you realise he's juggling a career as one of the most exciting young snowboard talents on the planet with finishing school, while being down to earth, polite and dedicated to his friends.

Keep up with Ståle on @burn Twitter and Facebook.com/burn. Click here to have a look at some behind-the-scenes snaps from the filming of Ståle's film. Epic stuff.

Find Ståle on Facebook

Stats:

Name: Ståle Sandbech

Age: 18Riding since: age 8
Hometown: Rykkinn, Norway

Favourite trick: Inspiration: Mikkel Bang, Terje Haakonsen and Andreas Wiig

Sponsors:
Burn // Oakley Apparel & Eyewear // Rome Snowboards // 32 Boots // Etnies // Session Boardshop