Mattias Fredriksson is a household name in the skiing world, so it’s no surprise that he contributes to 50-plus magazines worldwide, including the not-so-ski-like Swedish Gourmet. From his hometown of Åre, Sweden, Fredriksson says he tries to “show the beautiful environment with epic action and get people inspired to shred.” We think his photos do just that. Skiing Magazine contributor Katie Matteson spoke to Fredriksson about his shot of Oscar Scherlin handplanting in Åre, Sweden, which made it into the magazine's annual “Best Shots of the Year” photo gallery (December 2008).
SKIING: Where was this shot taken?
We built a quarterpipe in a back bowl in Åre and sessioned it for about an hour. I was standing right next to the lip and felt his poles scraping my back and head on the way up. He fell on me once, pretty sketchy.
SKIING: What time of day was it taken?
It was right after sunset, about 10 p.m. This angle took us three tries to get. I got many cool shots, just handplants all session. That was our plan when we went up.
SKIING: Any tips for getting a shot like this?
Snap lots of photos and you will get good shots.
SKIING: What were the challenges with the shots?
The big flash was on remote so we had one try per handplant, one click on the camera. That’s challenging. Oscar was close to me too, which makes the framing hard.
SKIING: What were the snow conditions like?
It was powder – not super deep but good enough. But it was the powder that gave it that depth, which is one of the things I like most about this photo.












