In the time of COVID-19, a lot of us have found ourselves with an uptick in how much screen time is present in our lives.

If you’re like me, that means a lot of scrolling, and quite a bit of combing through content in search of something that a) I want to watch or listen to, and b) something that will hold my attention. So the #QRS, or the Quarantine ReScreen, marches on. To read more about the origin of the #QRS, click here.

Quarantine ReScreen | Antti Autti | YUKIGUNI – Snowboarding Short Film

Some people search their entire lives to find their place in the world. They look far and wide for meaning and purpose, trying their hand at different occupations and pursuits to find something that fits. For some, the process of searching becomes what they had been looking for the whole time. Then there are those who gravitate toward something from a young age and never look back, knowing their purpose like they know their own name.

A lot of ski and snowboard icons are the latter, and are the kind of people who haven’t been able to separate themselves from the flow of sliding on snow since the first time they experienced it. They make careers from their passion because they couldn’t dream of doing anything else. The industry is full of these people; from star athletes and photographers, to team managers and reps, to boot fitters, lifties, and mountain ops professionals. The shining example of this can be found in any mountain town across the world. Just look for the old, crusty, local who has been first in line on powder days since before you were born. The point being that the dedicated, lifelong skier and/or rider does it for the love of it and not for the paycheck, the sponsors, or the fame. Most who’ve experienced those benefits would, I’m sure, not turn them away, but would continue to ski or snowboard without them.

Antti Autti was born to be a snowboarder. The 35 year old Finnish rider is probably more comfortable sliding sideways down a mountain than walking along a sidewalk. He started snowboarding at age ten in Rovaniemi, Finland at Ounasvaara ski resort. It didn’t take long after that for Autti to surge to the forefront of snowboarding’s competition scene. The half pipe and big air competitor was a standout at events like X-Games, Air + Style, The Arctic Challenge, and The Olympics. That is, until he decided to pivot from competitive snowboarding in pursuit of filming his own projects where he prioritized creative control.

2010 birthed Antti’s quest for freeriding and for creating unique snowboard content that looked different than that of the rest of the industry. He launched his own website and film production company to aid his efforts. Despite leaving the contest scene, Autti maintained sponsorships from the likes of  Haglofs, Shred Optics, Suunto, Spark R and D. He added Jones Snowboards to that list in February of 2020 after departing his former board sponsor, Korua Shapes.

Iisakki Kennilä and Antti dropped their short film “CLOSER” in December of 2018. The project aimed to capture the feeling of powder surfing, and well, it more than succeeded. The artistic influence of Kennilä matched up perfectly with the playful and stylistic flow of Autti. Watching felt like you were there; riding with friends among the billowing sprays of snow. Antti’s surf style emanated prominently throughout the film as well. His playful way of maneuvering through trees, pillows, and powder looks effortless even while spinning and jumping down the mountain. See for yourself.

One year later, almost to the day, the duo released their next snowboarding short film and today’s Quarantine ReScreen feature, “YUKIGUNI“.

“CLOSER” exhibited the palpable energy of big mountain freeriding, and while “YUKIGUNI” channeled the same riding style and editing finesse, it took a different approach. The exuberance radiating throughout “CLOSER” gave way to the simplistic joy of riding powder in the second snowboarding short film from the pair. The film captured the ever sought after combination of flow and float as Antti traveled to, and surfed his way through, serene Japanese landscapes with smile provoking style. His Cab 5 off of the pillow and through the hallway at 4:55 is worth rewatching as many times as you’re willing to admit, and then 10 more.

Iisakki Kennilä and Antti Autti are working on yet another snowboarding short film entitled, “ROAM“. The project was set to release in fall 2020 but has been bumped back to 2021 due to constraints brought on by coronavirus.

Since traveling is a no-go for the time being, you’ll just have to live vicariously through Antti and his snowboard short film series. Happy Wednesday. You’ve made it to the back half of your week. Congrats! In times like these, celebrating the little things seems important. Cultivate your appreciation for simplicity with “YUKIGUNI“.