Return

WORDS Alba Pardo | Photos Celia Miller

The latest project from Torstein Horgmo and ShredBots merges natural landscapes with human-made features to spark inspiration and creativity.

It doesn’t matter how legendary I tell you Torstein and his riding and vision are, you probably already know, and if you don’t, you should. But like any creative genius with a super-human snowboarding talent, he doesn’t stop at great or even epic, he needs to pursue the next level up. However, one person alone — no matter how gifted — can only do so much, so the real breakthrough often happens when a group of mad visionaries get together and are able to build a well-oiled crew. 

That is when the unimaginable happens. If you allow me (which you will because you can’t stop me!) I’ll go further and say that once a star is able to support and hold space for others, magic becomes reality. But don’t take my word for it — take Torstein’s, Celia Miller’s, Tim Manning’s, Gabriel Kocher’s and Mons Røisland’s as they just entered the group chat…

THE CONCEPT OF RETURN

“This movie is all about our love for riding powder and jumping into powder by building some truly unique features in new locations. 

Together with one of the best park builders in the world right now, Chares Beckinsale, we came up with this concept five years ago for our ShredBots film ‘Light’, to bring a snowcat to the backcountry and drum up as many jumps and hits as possible. Not only building kickers, but landings too, and do multiple features in a row.  And once built, wait for the snow to fall so we could ride and film everything raw in untouched powder. Basically, the idea is to combine the best of mother nature with the best of human nature. Light was our test run for this concept, proving that it was possible. We learned a lot from that year, so this time, we wanted to go all in.

I used to love the simplicity of just riding, filming my part, and then handing the project off to an editor while I took on a more supervisory role. But this time, for the first time, I’m right here in the editing bay, watching it all come together and working on the music. Honestly, this is the part I’m enjoying the most — it’s the most complete piece I’ve ever created. 

Even while riding, it was different this time. Most days, I found myself stepping back to watch the other riders, making sure they had the best experience and that everyone felt part of something special. My own riding shifted from focusing on quantity to quality, leaving behind that old urge to dominate every session with my own shots. It was a whole new approach, and I think it made for something truly unique.

I have to say that the dynamic within the crew and the overall vibe blew my expectations out of the water. I couldn’t have asked for a better hard-working group. Everything flowed super well, everybody was positive and, most importantly, nobody got hurt. Everyone seemed to be really motivated and fired up to give the project everything they had.”- TORSTEIN

WHY RETURN IS IMPORTANT, AND WHY THIS CREW IS SO SPECIAL

“In a world dominated by short, instant content, it’s important that we preserve the value of longer format snowboard films because they capture the essence of the sport in a way short clips simply can’t. These films allow us to tell deeper stories, showcase athletes’ journeys, and capture the connection between riders, nature, and adventure. As a community, we need to support and invest in these projects, from sharing them across platforms to attending premieres and events. Collaborating with brands and athletes to create meaningful, story-driven content will help keep the longer format alive and inspire the next generation. It’s these films that document not just tricks but the progression and culture of snowboarding.” – TIM

“Tor and I just hope this film can inspire a spark within, not only in snowboarding but in a way that reminds everyone to keep alive the passion for what they love. There are endless ways to look at things, to find creative sparks in life. Whether you’re a snowboarder, photographer, musician, filmmaker, or artist, it’s vital to focus on what truly matters to you. It’s a personal journey.” – CELIA

“For me, this project is about growth – pushing my own limits, exploring what drives me, and finding my personal expression of snowboarding as art. This time, I wanted to support other riders, giving them space to shine while deepening my own understanding of what goes into a project like this. It’s an opportunity to inspire, to create something meaningful, and to showcase the magic of snowboarding.” – TORSTEIN

“Tor has this unique vision of transforming ordinary slopes into beautiful art, which I strive to highlight with my flying. I love adding scale to my shots to compliment the riding as best I can. A lot of modern-day FPV flying gets lost in flashy camera moves and orbits. Our story is different, we’re just a bunch of humans vibing out in the forest, creating our interpretation of the world through the language of snowboarding.” – GAB

“What I love most about working with the ShredBots crew is the progressive mindset each day. Without saying a word, there’s a mutual understanding that each athlete will push themselves to a new level they may not have reached before. Then something amazing happens – guys like Torstein, Mons, Raibu, Mikey Ciccareli, Brandon Cocard, and Brandon Davis, who’ve already proven themselves at the highest levels, start critiquing and supporting each other to turn new ideas into reality. If someone struggles with a landing, the others jump in with valuable, experience-driven feedback right there on the hill.”

“Torstein, having been in the game for so long, not only earns respect from the athletes but also from people like myself, Gab707, Nori, Celia, and Craig, all of whom want to help document and showcase the sport in the best possible way. This collaboration is what keeps me passionate about my work. I can’t thank Torstein enough for including me — I’m honored to be part of the ShredBots community.” – TIM 

“Honored is an understatement! I’ve looked up to Torstein and idolized him since I started snowboarding. He’s been a good friend for years now, and riding with him just blows my mind. He’s probably the most invested snowboarder I know — just truly lives for it. What I’m probably happiest about on this project is that Torstein trusted me to be a part of it and that I didn’t completely blow it! I definitely felt some pressure being the least experienced guy out there and felt a bit in over my head at times, but the crew and people a part of this project are so incredible, and from the first day of shooting it has been a blast.” – MONS

WHAT IT REALLY TAKES TO GET THERE — BEHIND THE SCENES OF RETURN 

“We knew that more building time and a bigger window to ride everything would set us up for success. Jeff Pensiero, who runs Baldface Lodge near Nelson BC, is also one the people who’s made this all possible, giving us access to his terrain and helping really bring it to life.

I would say probably the biggest challenge this time around was dealing with funding the project and making sure we had enough support to complete it in the way I envisioned it. Which honestly was kind of a roller coaster of emotions throughout the season. We had a lot of delays and roadblocks we didn’t anticipate, which was very stressful to say the least but, in the end, I realized it all became a huge lesson for me in learning how to let go of my expectations and coming back to the reality of things.” – TORSTEIN

“It’s like the 10,000-hour rule — nothing happens overnight. It’s years of learning and trial-and-error to build the skills you need to work professionally in this field. My experience in production over the last decade, plus two decades in snowboarding, was like this unintentional education that got me to a point where I can say, ‘Yeah, we can make this happen.’ But like any movie or photo project, the final product is just a tiny piece of the work that goes into planning, preparing, and creating it. You’re pulling together specs, writing pitch decks, making calls, building budgets, planning locations and logistics, and pulling together a crew that can actually handle the demands.

Take our shoot in Japan, for example. We’d drive four hours a day, then hike up steep slopes through meter-deep powder with the crew carrying 60lb packs, hauling 8K RED cams, batteries, everything, in freezing conditions. There aren’t many people who have the skills, gear, and stamina to pull that off. And for the second part of the project, Jeff Pensiero gave us the go-ahead to head into Baldface Valhalla and build whatever we wanted, but we needed everything to line up to make that happen. We had to ship a specialized winch cat across the country for building landings that could handle the size of these jumps, bring in Charles Beckinsale — who’s about the only person who can handle that terrain and move snow from avalanche paths to create massive setups — and then just hope for the snow to come and cover our builds.

The gamble in snowboarding is always the weather. You never know if you’ll get the snow, or if it’ll clear long enough to get the shots you need. So, that’s always stressful, but you learn to adapt — and most action sports people are built for that flexibility. There’s always a way around it.

The post—production was even more intense than pre-planning. Originally, we didn’t plan to do much of a tour, but as the film took shape, Tor and I felt, ‘this has to be seen on the big screen.’ Watching it in a theater with a custom-scored soundtrack hits totally different than watching it at home. So, we started piecing together a list of where we wanted to show it, and each venue needed a different setup, promotion, ticketing, advertising, and giveaways to make it feel full for the audience. 

There are endless little details that make up the full picture. Each piece on its own isn’t huge, but they all have to come together to make the final film.” – CELIA

LESSONS LEARNT WHILST WORKING ON RETURN

“Working on Return has been a highlight of my filmmaking journey, and I’ve learned so much from collaborating with this level of talent. One key lesson is that when you bring together a group of like-minded experts, even the toughest challenges seem manageable. The ‘I don’t know’ questions get answered, the best memories are made, and the biggest problems shrink because nothing can stand in the way of a united crew out in the middle of nowhere, sharing the same goals and experiences.

Oh, and a Japanese Bigfoot might actually exist…” – TIM

“I’m really thankful for the journey we’ve had with Tor and some of the guys. I started off filming snowboarding with little to no appropriate gear, couldn’t see anything, drones getting wet and falling out of the sky kind of vibe. Over the years, I’ve learned to make my own drones and customize the whole kit to be super-efficient in the backcountry. Nowadays, it feels so good to be just like, ‘Hey let’s try an Anto toe edge shot’ and we know exactly what we’re doing and get the shot on the next try. The drones and setups are really a distillation of all our ideas and visions for the shots over the years. That allowed us to be super efficient and get clips in a short amount of time.” – GAB

“What I have learnt is to not take on so much personally, and budget more to hire more helping hands. But I think time is the one thing I would want to have more of for a project that is so close to our hearts. Not having the time pressure of specific deadlines or trying to cram too much in too little space just doesn’t always allow for what is fully needed when you are trying to express a creative vision. The next project will be at least a two-year deal!” – CELIA

“There were so many firsts for me on this project that I enjoyed so much: Filming in Japan, sledding bottomless pow, hitting huge backcountry kickers, helli-boarding and meeting a lot of great people along the way, but what I have learnt is being patient in the backcountry and not pushing it no matter what and just do what feels natural.” – MONS

“The biggest lesson I learned from this project is that I need to stop wasting energy trying to convince other people to believe in me and rather spend that energy remembering that I believe in myself…” – TORSTEIN