Hanna Hrund Thor, known as Hundi to near, nearest, dearest and pretty much everyone in the scene; is an Icelandic snowboarder, making a name for herself thanks to her fearless talent, charisma and above all - infectious enthusiasm for life.
Hanna Hrund Thor, known as Hundi to near, nearest, dearest and pretty much everyone in the scene; is an Icelandic snowboarder, making a name for herself thanks to her fearless talent, charisma and above all - infectious enthusiasm for life. When she’s not throwing herself down kink rails, you’ll find her with a shovel in hand as part of the LAAX shapers crew where she resides. Never one to not stay busy, last winter she filmed her first full video part for "We are Losers 2", also taking first place at DIYX Innsbruck 2022 and the Vans Hi-Standard LAAX. With those feathers in her cap, it's no surprise that she has been nominated as Rookie of the Year by both Torment and Slush Magazine. With such momentum behind her, and as part of our on-going series with the women of Vans, we picked up the phone and dialed.
What have you been up to recently?
It’s been a colourful season to say the least, with a bunch of ups and downs. I’ve been working for Snowpark LAAX, going on trips and going to some epic events. Unfortunately I managed to break my ribs a couple of times this season, so I have been having to take some time to recharge and take care of my physical and mental health. However this has led to me and my co-worker Ann-Sofie Sandström (Sohvi) - along with help from the Snowpark LAAX crew – putting together an event here in LAAX, which went down March 23-24.
What does it mean to you to be a female snowboarder in your community today?
It’s sick. When I started snowboarding I only knew a couple of girls that were riding. Seeing now that there are so many amazing women riding and so many up-and-coming riders that are ripping so hard - it fills my heart. The level of riding is absolutely insane, and I am so proud to be a part of it.
How do you see your local women’s community evolving?
It is evolving so fast! there are so many more women and girls getting involved and not being afraid to take the space they deserve. There is definitely space for improvement though. It’s important to involve everyone and make room for opportunities that they feel like they earned because of who they are and their talent and not just because they are women. Women are awesome and we shouldn’t be involved just because brands need women on the team. But I am hyped that brands are making more effort to look out for women, because it’s more than time to do so.
Is it important for you to be a role model in your community?
Well, it wasn’t really my intention. I never really thought I’d be where I am at in my life to be honest, so I didn’t put much thought into it. If I am by now though, then I am honored! It all happened so fast and I’d like to be a role model in a sense that you are enough just as you are. I make mistakes and I am in no way perfect, it’s impossible to strive for perfection.
Who are your role models?
There are a lot of people I take inspiration from and I could keep counting them infinitely since there are so many insanely talented and amazing people out there. There’s one that stands out since we didn’t have many girls snowboarding back home in Iceland when I started. She was the sickest, doing rail jams in Sweden, hitting street and just being the biggest G ever. She is of course, Ylfa Rúnarsdóttir.
How do you see the global women’s community evolving?
It’s evolving so fast actually, with contests making an amazing effort to have equal pay and by involving women more and giving them opportunities to be known. We need to make an effort to see people, just because they aren’t based in America for example, that doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve the same opportunities. It’s definitely harder to be noticed anywhere outside America so I think we can make more effort to bring up opportunities for the ladies that can’t afford to make it out there. We saw it at The Uninvited, there is so much talent and so much love around here in Europe and I bet there is in other places too, it’s definitely going in the right direction.
What advice would you give to girl’s starting out snowboarding?
Do you! Don’t care about what anyone thinks. Everyone fails and I have the utmost respect for you if you are out there and trying. Even if you came home after your day and you didn’t land shit. You still tried and that’s admirable. Also don’t be afraid to make it known that you are there, don’t shy away. Take up space and just be yourself, the right people will recognize that and respect it. Being real and honest about who you are is the realest and sickest shit I can think of.
Any final words?
Keep ripping and keep sending it, keep uplifting people around you and stop comparing women to men. We aren’t in a competition on who’s better. We all just out here trying do the best we can. Much love.
