Yodobashi Xtreme: The Time I Stood in Front of the Camera in Kaunertal

Usually I’m behind the camera, filming other people. On Yodobashi Xtreme it was the other way around: I was the lead, the downhill skater in the spot. And honestly – I loved it.

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How I got into the project

Zooom Productions were looking for a downhill skateboarder for their new campaign. While searching, they came across Felix Rupitsch, the head of BigMountainSkate. They called him: “Do you know someone who skates down in a very stylish way and looks good for a commercial?” They actually put it like that. Felix called me, and the rest is history.

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Prep: board, outfit, training

First, the equipment. My Rayne Genesis skateboard had to match the Yodobashi Xtreme branding – all black with a red X. I worked in two layers: black foil as a base, then the red X as a sticker on top. Zooom supplied everything, even a full outfit for the shoot and a new custom-painted helmet. Then I brought the board technically up to date and put in a few training sessions.

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Location: Loser became Kaunertal at the last minute

Loser was the original plan, a very technical, fast track. At the last minute the location changed, and we went to Kaunertal instead, because the scenery up there is even better – almost like the Wild West, far from civilization.

Skating there is a different beast, though. The harsh asphalt in Kaunertal is hard to ride, especially at speed. Picture going down at 80 to 90 km/h on the straights, 60 to 70 through the curves, and then the whole board starts shaking. That was funky.

Then there’s the altitude: the road climbs to 2,409 meters, and we shot most of the time at 2,200. When you live at 800 or 900 meters, go that high and do sport all day, the air gets thin. I really noticed my muscles tiring earlier than usual.

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A follow car made of a t-shirt and tape

Zooom Productions did the filming: Lukas as director, Heike as project manager, Ulrich as chief mechanic, Felix secured the road, and Pablo took the close-ups – as a second skater next to me and as the follow-car driver.

A follow car films the skater from behind as he rides down the road. Only we didn’t have a camera mount for the car. So Ulrich, Pablo and I got creative: a t-shirt, a lot of tape – and the camera stuck to the front of the car. Madness, but it worked.

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My highlight? The cows.

Before every run we had to make sure there were no cows on the road. On the first day I promptly skated over a cow patty – right before the planned close-ups of me holding the board. There are even pictures of Pablo and me cleaning it afterwards.

The second highlight: the food. Halfway down the Kaunertal glacier road there’s a hut right above the lake, a beautiful spot with delicious Austrian food. Afterwards we were completely stuffed – ice cream, schnitzel and fries.

A truly great experience. The whole production was warm and welcoming, with such cool people. I’m glad I got to be part of it.

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So long,
Nikolay Keller