Kareem El Rafie is a rail marauder and kicker crusher that has been in the shredosphere for a few snow cycles now. See where this Swede with plenty of swagger is at with his life, what the future's looking like with his Frontline project and filming, he lets off a little steam about the past, and of course plenty of general banter about bish, bash, boardin'. Enjoy!

What up, dude? What's new?
I'm good, homie. Just at home in Stockholm, chillin', working out a bit, riding ice rink rails and gettin' ready for the season.

How did the Frontline Jam go down this year? Are the Helgason bros just going to take over your comp?
It went good... I was really stoked. The level of riding was just amazing and everyone had the sickest time. Our rail jam has never been about winning, it's about everyone having fun together. Also, everyone wins cash in the finals when they stomp something sick, instead of just one winner taking it all. But the Helgason's claimed the title for the past three years now. First winner was Fredu, then Eiki 2 years in a row and now Halldor. But what can you say about them brothers… They're on their own level of snowboarding and people are just now realizing how far they push the limits.
Kareem inspecting the set up at this year's Frontline Rail Jam in Stockholm Photo: Anders Neuman

How has Frontline evolved over the years?
It started off just as a small friends crew. We printed our own tees and made some stickers. Our crew grew and our clothing advanced and a full-on streetwear line started shaping up. We're still pretty young and underground, as we are a small brand without any investors. We're just taking it step by step, but I know for sure that if I cut down on snowboardin' and put more time into it we would grow way faster, but right now snowboardin' is just too damn fun...

What's in store for the future of Frontline?
Well, we're gonna keep workin' on spreadin' our love, hehe... Try to get a bit better on the business side and build up a good distribution network into more countries. Thing is, wherever we sell our clothes we sell out, so we just gotta get better at getting our clothes out to them shops. (Click here to download the 09/10 Frontline catalog.)

Keepin' it street Photo: Anders Neuman

How have things changed since leaving Forum? What really happened over there?
I've gotten this question sooo many times and it's a pretty long answer but I'll try to keep it short. Basically I always rode for Forum Europe, which was managed way different than the States. Jon W, the European team manager, saw my potential and helped me out. He pushed as much as he could, which I'm forever grateful for. But in the end, it was Forum US who has the last word and makes all the decisions.

Anyways, with Forum I killed it as much as I could but never got the same support, opportunities and priority as the US riders. I got some sick shots in "That" and "First Chair, Last Call" but not close to what it could have been if they hadn't cut a bunch of my shots just cause other riders also had shots at the same spots. And if I could had traveled as much as the others and had the same priority, there would have been a lot more bangers.

It was a fun time and I made some good friends, but at the same time it was pretty competitive, which was pretty new for me. Other riders claimed spots and tricks and suddenly you couldn't ride the way you wanted and do what you wanted cause someone else "claimed it", especially when you take into consideration that I had found most of the spots we hit.

After the "That" era, Burton came in and changed up the brand direction. That's when Devun, JP Walker, Iikka and Lauri left, which pretty much said everything about the new ownership. Then last year, when "Forum or Against 'Em" was filmed, the new team managers started keeping me out of team trips and photo shoots, lying and making up excuses... I just got more and more over it. I filmed that year on my own with Factor Films and Sugarshack, which by the way turned out to be pretty sick parts. I was hoping Forum would use some of my footage but they just ignored me. So I said "fuck you" and left...

That was the same year the TM's started hating on Travis Kennedy and so when his contract ran out they just fired him straight up, after all that he had done for Forum... But hey, it is what it is. That's just how the snowboarding industry works. Ever wondered why so many great riders like Scotty Wittlake and Travis Parker just walked away at the peak of their careers?

Some serious rubber-necking in the peanut gallery as Kareem roasts a rodeo

If you could ride for any board company which would it be?
It would definitely be a pure, 100% snowboard company with soul, focused on the roots of snowboarding and what's good for it, not only profit. A company that's not afraid to go its own way if it's needed and not follow the mainstream hype. Not too easy to find nowadays, but a few brands that seem dope are Ride, Capita, Stepchild, Lib Tech, Bataleon and a few others.

Any good things to say about They Came From... and your part in the project?
It's sick how this production company has grown through the years. Big ups to Petter, who built it up from scratch pretty much by himself, and kept making sick movies throughout the years. (Even if we don't always get along so well...hehe.) My part though, this year is kinda what it is, it's all filmed in Oslo on 2 rail trips. Later I flew to the States to hang with MFM and film for "Hard to Earn" but I tore my MCL on the first backcountry trip we did and was out for the rest of the season. It's kinda like every year, I get some rails and jibs done early in the season and just never get a good chance to really ride powder and backcountry, which I wanna focus on more for once. I think a lot of people don't think I can jump, but it's just a bit easier to film rails when you grew up in a city and have one of the world's best urban playgrounds in your backyard!

Gap backlip over the kink on this pretty little pic by Anders Neuman

What can we expect from you this season?
Like I said, I'm gonna send it on some sick rails and urban jibs in my city. Then I'm gonna try to ride as much pow as possible. I wanna go Chillertal and soul shred some pow with my homies Benny W, Peter K, Werni S, Reini R and them boys. Then I wanna spend some time in Whistler and hang with my boys over there, really get to explore the backcountry and ride my sled, which I didn't even get to use last year. But in general I'm gonna work harder than ever, I just wanna have that season where I get at least half of my thoughts, ideas and tricks on what snowboarding is for me and how I wanna do it on film...

Kareem winds up the rotations as another good Blackcomb glacier session winds down Photo: James Holm

Are rails getting old? Do you prefer powder these days?
Hell no!! Rails are probably the newest and freshest aspect of snowboarding. It's progressing so much right now and will keep doing so in the future. It's sick how the bar is raised every season and all new tricks always come up. But for sure just soul shredding pow is easier on your body than getting broken off on a rail, but why choose one or the other when you can have it all? I don't really get riders who limit themselves to only one type of snowboarding. I mean, it's all sweet, even if you're better at some things than others. Pow, rails, park, hips, pipe, quarterpipe, natural terrain, pistes, it's all sweet except maybe that gay slalom shit, but I mean, if it makes your day, good for you. As long as you stay off them skis...hehehe.

James Holm staying warm in the car but still keeping the finger on the trigger, Kareem BS 5-0 in STHLM

When you crash on a virgin kicker landing what do you think to yourself?
Well, at that point there ain't much you can do. It sucks to kind of ruin the landing but next hit is fo sho gonna be easier, when you got the airtime and speed dialed...

Right before you drop in on a rail what do you tell yourself?
It depends on the rail for sure, if it's got some gnarly feature like a huge drop or nasty stairs or something you always wanna avoid going there. With street rails there's usually something sketchy you gotta think about avoiding or not hitting, so you gotta be smart to not get hurt.

Serious skills on skinny ass rails Photo: Anders Neuman

Do you think seeing someone else do a trick first makes it easier for you to do it as well? Do you ever come up with completely original trick ideas?
For sure, if someone's done it before you you know it's possible, and if you see it you can visualize easier in your head how to do it. I guess it's pretty hard to come up with completely new tricks but for sure you see something new every year. Like for example when I started tapping houses and walls after rails, I felt I  was introducing it to snowboarding. Since then I've seen people doing it all over but probably someone's done it before me, even if I didn't know about it...hehe.

Change-ups on rails? Tech or Spastic?
For me it's important that you see the rider has full control and really locks in each part of the trick he is doing, no matter what it is. I think it's pretty sketchy when people just spin as fast as they can with no control. But that's a personal thing. I have to say I'm not really into rail dancing…

A photographer's dream outfit... switch nosepresser Photo: Anders Neuman

What is your next wacky thing you're gonna jib after snowboarding indoor swimming pools and stall dropping into stairwells with opposite way run outs?
Of course I won't tell you, cause I wanna get 'em done first...hehe. But I got some pretty sick ideas in my head on how to ride my snowboard and on what... Just gotta find out how much of it I can pull off and find the right spots for each trick. Stay tuned and see for yourselves!

Oddest session ever, snowboarding in an indoor pool before almost getting eating by the falling locker Photo: Øystein Kvanneid

You're pretty good about keeping to your style while many are suddenly getting tighter clothes and narrower stances, think you might ever get some tight jeans and a leather jacket and re-market yourself?
Hell no!! Neva eva will you see me riding in tight pants or some new trendy style... I've been riding XXL since I started and will keep doin' it. I remember coming up in Sweden as a kid, I was rocking the baggiest clothes and a huge duck stance before it became trendy and everyone was laughin' at me. Then a bit later everyone changed up to the baggy style. Your clothing style should be your personal style, stick to what you think is comfortable no matter what the latest hype is. But I mean, people change, so if their style does too that's just how it goes... I'm stoked though, less people rock baggy clothes nowadays so I can feel more original...hehe.

Are you getting involved in anything else besides snowboarding?
Well, with Frontline I get involved in a lot of other stuff too, like business, events, production, sales, organizing parties, etc. We also sponsor musicians and artists, which is a part of Frontline that I would like to get into way more.

Slam dunk that junk! Front board to flat Photo: Frode Sandbech

Smoke weed everyday?
Naah, couldn't pull it off and function well. I know a bunch of people that do but I like to stay clear-headed to have a full perspective. It's like booze, you gotta know your own limits and what's good for you or not.

Something about snowboarding that has to change?
Damn, I could go on and on about this question cause I'm sad to see that snowboarding is slipping further and further away from where it should be heading. But basically the snowboard industry is getting too obsessed with making money and taking it mainstream with the Olympics, the FIS World Cup, soulless competitions, TV shows, etc. All this robs the main beauty and most valuable source of snowboarding: CREATIVITY. Creativity is what separates us from them. When snowboarding loses its creativity it loses its soul. It becomes just like any other sport where the focus lies in winning, points and doing the most technical stunts possible.

I never liked competitions that much, cause I feel snowboarding can't really be judged, when it is it usually ends up being about who can spin the most and still hold their grab. Every trick in snowboarding is dope. It's all about how you do it and and on what. You can't win a contest with a switch straight air, a FS 180 or a back tail, even though when they are done the right way on the right feature it can be the sickest shit ever...

Nowadays it just feels that snowboarding is heading towards competitions and double corks, probably soon triple corks and what's the most "extreme" thing you can do. Instead of focusing more on filming, where the riders can express their snowboarding, ideas for tricks, style, creativity and riding what they want, how they want. Where they can inspire kids to think outside the box and create their own vision of snowboarding and have fun with it instead of focusing on winning comps and being "the best".

Floating one off the hip at Camp of Champions Photo: James Holm

The last dream you remember...
It was about girls. You can probably figure out the rest... hehe.

So who are your sponsors at the moment.
The ones that really support me are Spy, Sound, FrontLine, DVS and Junkyard. I also get flow from Skullcandy, Stepchild, 32, Dakine and Väsjöbacken.

Any last words?
Jah Bless.