CHARACTERS
KNUT ELIASSEN A
s I approached people to talk about Nitro’s Knut Eliassen almost everyone had a story that started with “this is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen…” or “you won’t believe this…” and if you know Knut you probably have a similar story. Also if you know Knut and do have a similar story it will also probably be unprintable like some of the other antics I heard as I was asking around. Knut is funny, very funny, a class clown type of guy, and if you have seen his footage from Variety Pack’s Not Bad (this part is one of my all-time favorite parts), Actionhorse’s Pony Tail, or Videograss’s Retrospect you’ve definitely seen that persona shine so you know what I am referring to. If you are lucky enough to know Knut Eliassen you probably would not, and I mean this with all due respect, use the word professional when you first describe him. That’s not because he is in any way UNprofessional, but ask anyone to describe Knut and they will tell you about his sense of humor, his quick wit, and of course his complete devotion to snowboarding. It is after you get to know him that you realize that this easy-going guy with the big smile and mouth to match definitely has his business/professional persona as well, and it is just as sharp as his sense of humor. Knut has a lot on his plate as team manager, marketing guru, and email monkey at Salt Lake’s Foundry Distribution home to the North American wing of Nitro snowboards and L1 outerwear. Still when you ask Knut about his position at Nitro even he himself doesn’t even give the nod to his professionalism and hard work. Despite his involvement with the Nitro family as a rider for nearly a decade Knut attributes his current job more to right place/right time and a bit of luck. “I was with Nitro and the position of team manager came up. Having a long history with the owners, a degree, as well as industry support I guess they just trusted me” he says. It was a big step for Knut who had graduated college in Norway with a finance degree and was perfectly happy to get a “normal” job. “I moved to Salt Lake after graduating college and had connections with this investment firm out here. I thought OK I will start working in finance and still be able to snowboard on the weekends or whatever”. It goes without saying however that Team Manager at Nitro was the better option. “I was lucky as shit to be able to do this from just being some dude in snowboarding. This is obviously a hundred times better than that other life.”
WORDS BY DANIEL COCHRANE PHOTOS BY STEVEN STONE