'I'm still figuring it out': Rinnekangas keeps renegade spirit alive heading into third Olympic season

When the innovative Finnish snowboard star Rene Rinnekangas isn’t competing or filming ground-breaking video parts, you can find him plotting his next urban shred mission or plotting the music he would like to use in his next video project.

When he is competing, the 25-year-old puts in every effort to bring his creative riding – as featured in his acclaimed snowboard film project ‘Heaven’ – to events such as the FIS World Cup circuit, World Championships and the X Games.

Even with eight World Cup seasons, two Olympic Winter Games, and a slopestyle bronze medal from the Aspen 2021 FIS Park & Pipe World Championships to his credit, Rinnekangas is still trying to figure out ways to balance the creative, renegade riding style he loves with the technical requirements of top level competition.

“Thank God I’m not the judge (laughs),” Rinnekangas said in Engadin after failing to qualify for the men’s big air final. Days earlier he had finished 11th in the men’s 16-man slopestyle final.

“I’m still trying to figure it out. I’m trying to push the creative way in my riding, but I don’t say that’s the right way. I completely respect people spinning 2160s and doing insane tricks.

“I mean, I can’t do those tricks, so I’m trying to find my own way.”

Since making his professional debut in 2016, Rinnekangas has accumulated one World Cup big air podium in 2021, World Championships slopestyle bronze in 2021, and four X Games medals – including X Games bronze medals in slopestyle and big air in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

The Finnish rider also won the 2020 edition of the highly coveted X Games Real Snow competition for best urban snowboarding video – as well as the fan favorite vote – with an explosive submission that saw him sliding down roofs, launching off walls, and stomping perhaps the first hand-drag double cork in urban snowboard history.

Rinnekangas acknowledged that being creative on a snowboard does not always result in points on the judges’ scoresheets.

“In today’s snowboarding the level is so high that you really need to put a lot of time for the big tricks, and it’s hard.

“I’m really trying to do some weird tricks, but it’s really hard to get those super good and get good points out of it.”

When he does get his outside-the-box tricks super good, however, the results can be magical, as with the critically difficult switch double backside rodeo nose grab which helped propel him to his Aspen 2021 slopestyle bronze medal win.

Outside of competition, Rinnekangas still likes to focus on filming and is looking forward to working on another video project to follow ‘Heaven’ – no mean feat when you consider that ‘Heaven’ is one of the most widely acclaimed snowboard videos of the decade so far.

When he has time, the 25-year-old also enjoys playing bass with Katfish, the punk band that his older brother Riko started.

“It’s mostly in the summer time that I get to play with them, because during the winter time I’m super busy,” he said.

“I like old rock and roll and that’s always been close to my heart.”

Even though his schedule doesn’t always allow for live music, Rinnekangas is quick to forefront music as an intrinsic part of his snowboarding.

“Music is a massive part of snowboarding. Filming is still the biggest thing, in my opinion, in snowboarding. The whole video part is all about riding and mixing it with good music and how do you put those clips together.”

Away from the snow-covered mountains and unconventional rooftops where he plies his trade, Rinnekangas enjoys working on his golf game.

“It’s the hardest sport in the world I think,” he said.

“It just brings you back to the ground. One day you think you can play golf, but the next day you understand that ‘no, I suck’ (laughs).”

Slowing down to play golf also helps Rinnekangas with his high octane snowboarding.

“I think it’s good for snowboarding, playing golf and just battling yourself,” he said.

“You can think about playing golf and snowboarding the same way – you need to get in the flow state to play good or ride good. It’s a lot about the mind game.”