Milestone by Erro Ettala

 by Eero Ettala

A living legacy of snowboarding.

Words Stella Pentti

Eero Ettala holds a special place in the world of snowboarding and in the hearts of many riders. Known for his resilience and unmatched work ethic, Eero is not only one of the hardest-working snowboarders but also one of the most genuine people we’ve had the pleasure of meeting. With an X-Games gold medal and countless mind-blowing video parts under his belt, Eero has faced numerous injuries throughout his career – along with the mental challenges that come with them – yet he’s continued to persevere, leaving his mark on snowboarding.

Attending the Milestone premiere in Helsinki was a heartwarming experience. Hundreds of people gathered to support and celebrate Eero’s film and 40th birthday. The cheers and laughs were loud, and the emotional connection of the audience was palpable, as was the deep respect for Eero and the incredible career he’s built despite the setbacks that could have made him give up on his dream. But no — he’s still here. And nowhere near quitting.

We caught up with Eero to talk about Milestone, his long snowboarding career, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind.

Filming Milestone

After three years of dedicated filming, Milestone reveals the capabilities of the human body at age 40. Eero Ettala hopes his latest film will inspire snowboarders to continue their passion as long as they can. Yet, the journey wasn’t smooth — what began as a casual idea from Rene Rinnekangas evolved into one of the most iconic snowboard films to date. “Initially, I wasn’t set on the idea; I had just wrapped up Ender and announced it would be my last video part,” Eero shares. “But as I reflected on the experience of filming Ender, with thoughts of battling time and proving I could still ride at a high level, I realized I wanted Milestone to be about proving something to myself.”

It started with Eero tagging along with longtime friend Antti Jussila, to see if he could gather some content that was good enough for the edit. If not, the idea was just to share them on social media and never say a word to anyone about attempting to film another part. However, as he reviewed the footage, he felt happy with the content he was gathering. Before he knew it, he had enough footage to put together half a part, “Soon, I had enough for half a part, and from there, I became a bit pickier about what spots and tricks I still wanted to nail for it,” Eero says. “It became this super motivational process, and it was nice to realize that this motivation came from within.”

The first two years were about tackling large, challenging spots, while the final year took a more technical, skate-inspired approach. “It completed the whole Milestone edit in a nice way, but I also feel like my snowboarding has changed during these three years while allowing me to find my vision of things, realize what I actually wanted to do and film for the part”, he reflects.

On top of the physical demands, Eero had to balance fatherhood as well as the personal challenge of proving to himself he could still ride at a professional level. He reflects back on the journey, “It’s been good to notice that if your head is in the right place, it compensates for many other things that might not be as strong.”

Leaving a Legacy

Eero hopes Milestone will motivate older snowboarders to keep riding as they age, as he was inspired by skateboarding legends like Lance Mountain and Christian Hosoi. “In snowboarding, you’re often forgotten if you don’t release clips regularly. Milestone reminds the industry that older riders have stories that run deeper, adding value to the sport,” he explains. For Eero, Milestone stands as his proudest accomplishment. “It speaks for how long I’ve been able to do this at my current level, even though my body has taken quite a few hits along the way. I’m proud that we could see this through, and the result was exactly what I had hoped for, if not a bit better…”

Looking Back

Reflecting on his long career as a professional snowboarder, Eero seems to have found his happy place in snowboarding. “When I released Ender, I was mentally ready to retire from professional snowboarding,” he recalls. “But when the film came out, my sponsors loved it and told me that if I wanted to keep riding, they’d support me 100% without putting any pressure on me.” With the freedom to ride on his own terms, Eero reignited the same passion he had as a kid. “I was doing it for myself again, purely for the love of snowboarding.”

As a husband and father, Eero now enjoys his time on snow without the pressure to learn something new every time he straps in. Instead, he focuses on re-learning old tricks or simply doing what feels good. “I’ve found this inner peace that I don’t have to be the best in the world anymore. I don’t have to go massive or do the most technical tricks out there; I can just go into my comfort zone and do the things that make me feel good. I think this has been one of the biggest realizations that, fundamentally, snowboarding is about having fun, and that’s the whole reason I started in the first place.” he explains. “I wish people would see and remember me as a snowboarder who’s always enjoyed snowboarding and has been doing it for the right reasons, doing it for myself.”

The Future of Snowboarding

After a long, fulfilling career and countless lessons learned, Eero is eager to give back to snowboarding. By screening Milestone in a family-friendly setting, he hopes to “show young people and their parents what snowboarding is really about — fun.” He hopes this will make people realize that snowboarding isn’t something you can only do to a certain point in your life; it is something you can keep pursuing as long as your body allows you to.

Happy with where snowboarding is today, Eero feels positive about the current state of snowboarding, seeing young riders out there doing it for the pure enjoyment of it, doing it for themselves. “I don’t want to believe that anyone starts snowboarding because they’re aiming to make it to the Olympics, but if you progress to the level that you think you could make it to the Olympics, you might go down that route.”

Watching Olympic snowboarding as someone who’s never snowboarded doesn’t necessarily spark the feeling of “Oh hey, that looks fun. I want to give that a go.” If you’ve never strapped in and see someone doing a triple cork, it’s doubtful that it will inspire you to buy your first snowboard… But when your love and enjoyment for riding shines through, that will hopefully inspire more people to get involved, and social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram work as huge platforms for showcasing what snowboarding is truly about — translating the fun-ness of it onto our screens, “It’s so important that the roots of snowboarding are still there, the roots related to filming and the visual perspective.”

Lessons Learned

Looking back at his long, impressive career, Eero’s greatest lesson has been to trust his own path and avoid over-comparing himself to others. “There will always be someone who can do what you want to do, just a bit better,” he says. “It’s essential to look at the bigger picture and think, ‘This is how I want to ride.’” Following others too closely means always being one step behind, but when you find the courage to take snowboarding — or anything in life — in your own direction, that’s when you stand out and start breaking new ground.

It’s easy to get swept up in comparisons and lose your own voice, he admits. While it’s valuable to be inspired by others, at some point, you have to carve your own path if you want to make a true impact. “The scene doesn’t need another Eero Ettala; it needs new faces and personalities. That’s what really matters.”

What’s next?

With all his injuries, Eero often felt like snowboarding might be taken away from him for good, yet he always found his way back to it. Through that, he also learned to appreciate it a lot more. “Before my injuries, I took it for granted that I could go riding, but once the injuries started piling up, I realized this might not be forever.” He reflects, “Over the years, I’ve started to realize what an amazing life I’ve been given the chance to live, what incredible people I have met through snowboarding, and how much I’ve been able to travel. I’m truly thankful for everything snowboarding has given me and what it will keep on giving me.”

With Milestone, Eero hopes to show that snowboarding knows no age limit-that it’s about the passion and drive within you. “I realized that this will not be over for a while, and it’s up to me to see how far I can take this. Now, it’s time to write the next chapter…”