Andreas Ygre Wiig needs no introduction from us. Homeboy is one of the most recognizable and respected riders in the game and there is a reason for that. Andreas is the consummate professional, blasting out legendary video parts, winning huge contests and progressing the sport beyond what most thought possible with both class and style. This past season the 29-year old Viking made a big splash on the sponsor front, switching from Nitro to Forum, despite dealing with a nagging ankle injury for most of the winter. We caught up with Andreas late last week to see what's going on in his world.

Hi Andreas, describe yourself in 5 words to our readers.
Distracted, determined, chill, radical, awesome.
This could have easily been a cover shot... Åre, Sweden

So how is your transition to Forum going?
The transition has gone really well. I knew some of the people there and a lot of the riders from before, so it's been easy to "fit in".

How is it riding with that crew? Who kills it? Who is the biggest weirdo?

It's fun to ride with them since they are super motivated and know how to get it done. At the same time they are all really cool to hang out with. Just from watching their video last year, you can tell they are all working hard to make their project be as successful as it is. John Jackson has been killing it this year as well, so I'm looking forward to watching his part. Some of the other riders have really good stuff as well! Most alternative: Peter Line. In a good way.
Textbook rodeo 9 over a monster gap, check out the flawless arms and perfect landing

Are you filming for the new Forum movie? How is it going, Video of the Year again?
I busted my ankle at the X-games in January, and since then I haven't been able to ride. So I haven't been able to film this year since my ankle has taken forever to heal up. Not much you can do about injuries sometimes. This year I was super excited to film for their project, and it's hard not to be able to. I went on a film trip to Canada a little bit more than a month ago, but it was too early to make it happen. But I hope Forum puts out Video of the Year again!
All those sucker holes in the clouds sure do make for a pretty picture

Who was your favorite rider from the Forum 8 days?
Peter Line.

Why do people call you Mandreas?
Because I'm a man with a capital M, haha.
I wouldn't step to Mandreas if I were you...

You are a pretty solid dude, we definitely wouldn't mess with you... How often do you snap boards?
Me, snap boards? Never.

Alley-oop front 3 tail snatch in Trysil

You actually snapped some guy's arm while arm-wrestling a while back, tell us about that story.
That happened when I was riding for Jeenyus and filming for Videogangs. This big guy who worked for Forum wanted to arm-wrestle me really bad on a trip in Big Bear, but I didn't want to. Finally I gave in and we started arm wrestling. All the people on that trip gathered around a table and started yelling and hyping us up. I went all in from the second we started arm wrestling, and I got his hand almost all the way down to the table right away. But he managed to keep his arm in that position forever and refused to lose. Finally his upper arm snapped with a loud noise: CRACK!, and he turned dead silent and white. His upper arm was twisted in half and I felt so bad. So be careful if you arm-wrestle, haha.
Backcountry back 3 in Folgefonna

You were hosting TAC live on Norwegian TV recently, how did it go? Do you feel comfortable in front of the camera?
It went well I think, I hope people thought the same. I felt comfortable in front of the camera, and I wasn't really nervous. On the day of the final I have to admit I was a little hung over though, but I think I still managed to pull it off.
The midnight sun up in the northern parts of Norway does some pretty amazing things to the heavens, BS 180 melon stomper over a blood red sky

Which is the most commercial advertisement you have ever been in?
That would be an ad I did for Taco Bell with Marc Frank some years ago. The marketing agency was pretty clueless about snowboarding. They strapped us into harnesses and we had to pretend to boardslide some fences inside a Taco Bell restaurant. Funny stuff.

Is your acting career ready to go once you get off the white wave?
Gotta have a plan B, right?
Like I said, look at that sky... Lens flare FTW!

Would you rather do a street rail or clip Torstein's toe nails?
I would rather eat shit on a street rail!

Speaking of toe nails, big ups on your Matix signature sock, them shits are my favorite socks! So basically you've got signature everything, how involved are you with the products you endorse?
I spend a lot of time helping to design my signature stuff, from the first idea to the final product. It's fun to have so much involvement in my signature stuff. Thanks for the big ups! Never change those socks....
Corked out cannon blast in Varingskollen

What motivates you?
Good friends to ride with motivates me the most for sure. It's way easier to get motivated if you're in a good crew with a good vibe. I'm also motivated to always get better at snowboarding and make the best out of things.

What scares you?
Injuries scare me for sure, especially now that I'm injured. It helps that I'll be pretty much healed up soon though. Otherwise, big step downs are always scary, either in the park or in the backcountry.
Andreas manages to escape the clutches of the Evil Tree of Darkness with a savage spin

What kind of rider do you want to be remembered as?
I would like to be remembered as a powerful rider who was able to manage both the contest and the filming aspect of snowboarding. And as a rider that always was motivated to have fun and make the best out of the chances I had.

Are you more impressed with a double poke method or a double cork 10?
If you can incorporate the double poke into the double cork I'll be really impressed.
Minishredding is the best shit ever, Andreas Andrechting the night away...

Final thoughts?
Hope everyone had a super good season. I look forward to start riding again this summer! Have a good summer everyone!

Piss off!

All photos by Frode Sandbech