Nikolai Schirmer is hot property in the ski world these days. So much so, one comment on our announcement post joked that, "rumor has it, Nikolai Schirmer will hold 60-70% of all brands total freeskiing marketing budgets before the end of the year. Totally insane, but still well deserved!"
Nikolai's video projects are some of the most anticipated releases of each season, raking in over a million views each, and transporting us to some ridiculously beautiful lines in his home of Northern Norway.
We caught up with Nikolai amongst such lines to welcome him to the team.
LB: Hey Nikolai, welcome to the Lé Bent team!
How is your season going so far? Where in the world are you and how are the conditions?
Man it’s been such a good start to the season! I had a round of skiing in the Alps the last weeks of November, and then it’s just been full on winter in Northern-Norway since then. We’re skiing lines that normally don’t fill in till spring.
We saw you’ve been ripping aroundin the Cody Townsend Pro Series Snow Socks. How have you enjoyed wearing them?
The socks are amazing, and for sure the best feel for my skiing I’ve had. The little rubber pieces make them stay in place, and the fit with technical stitching really delivers next level performance. I had never been in a merino wool and bamboo rayon blend before, so I was happy to discover how warm and comfortable they are.
Did you ever think a sock could make such a difference to a day, week, month or season in ski boots?
I didn’t believe it till I could feel it with my own two feet. A whole new world.
Compared to other socks the first thing I notice is that they stay up better. The worst feeling is to have a wrinkly sock giving you shin bang, and Lé Bent really has solved that issue well. I like to go for minimal cushioning in my sock to have maximum contact with my boot, and the power delivery in these are amazing.
Aside from lapping the local hills, it looks like you’ve had your hands full with your latest film project ‘SKI’? Tell us about this film.
It’s the story of when I set out to make a movie about my friend who was training for what I dubbed The Greatest Ski Tour of All Time, and tried to appropriate his 'snow warrior monk' way of life to elevate my own skiing to new heights.
It’s been a crazy ride making my first feature documentary, and to have it on regular cinema distribution in Norway is wild. The Tom Hanks movie is the one next to ours on the ticket page. We’ve had a few screenings internationally already ahead of the Norwegian premiere next week, and I’m happy to hear people enjoy the film so far.
You’ve released some incredible films in the past as well, such asWavy and theEndless Winter Series, which have both gotten over one million views. How does SKI compare to these?
SKI is an evolution of those I’d say. Making videos and movies is a bit like writing, where you develop a style and a rhythm over time, so I think an audience that’s familiar with my previous work will recognize the vibe. But the scale of SKI is just bigger in every way. I think the budget is something like 20x what we had for Wavy.
Wow, that's epic! Aside from the film premiering in January, what projects are you working on this season?
I’m really excited to get back to YouTube vids this season. Making a feature documentary is a (fuck) ton of work, for a relatively small amount of video output - while YouTube is the opposite. And it’s just nice to not have to think of a grand narrative spanning many years, and focus on the here and now on the mountain.
I’ll be working mostly in Norway, but I’ve planned one trip with Lucas Wachs and Sam Favret too. Also chatting with Cody (Townsend) about finally making that YouTube collaboration happen.
I'm sure we're not the only people who would love to see a collab between you guys!
Any long term goals for your skiing or something you’d still like to tick off? Maybe a trip to Australia to ski some ‘real mountains’ could be on the cards?...
I actually spent a full year living in Australia, in Kew, Melbourne, as a kid, and never knew you even had skiing. So yeah, that’s definitely highest up on the to do list career wise. Beyond that I just want to find a little more balance. I have a habit of getting really excited about winter and ending up pretty burned out by the end of them, which is a bummer because spring is generally the best time to ski. So I’m trying to ease into this one a little more.
Well Nikolai, we look forward to following along and seeing all the incredible places you end up this season and beyond! Thanks for taking the time to chat and we’re stoked to have you on the team! Bring on the good times ahead. Yew!
My feet and I thank you for having me!
ABOUT NIKOLAI SCHIRMER
Age:33
● Hometown:Tromsø, Norway
● Home Resort:Kattfjordeidet
● Nationality:Norwegian
● Sponsors:Lé Bent, Black Crows, Julbo, ATK, Scarpa, Polestar, Grivel, OpenSnow and Infinitum.
● Favourite Lé Bent gear:The Cody Townsend Pro Series Snow Sock
● Follow Nikolai here:Instagram and Youtube.
