Antti Aleksanteri Autti (born March 15, 1985 in Rovaniemi, Finland) is a Finnish snowboarding star who shot to fame when he defeated big-name talents Danny Kass, Andy Finch, and Ross Powers in the Men's SuperPipe at the 2005 Winter X Games to claim the gold. He is the first non-American to win the event. Autti kicked off his final run with back-to-back 1080s, one of the hardest snowboarding tricks, and is only the third snowboarder to land the sequence, behind Kass and Shaun White. His clutch and technical performance sparked the "1080 Revolution" and set a new standard in men's halfpipe competition, where men must throw at least one 1080, if not two back-to-back, in order to do well in contests. Just two weeks earlier, he was crowned double World Champion in Big Air and the halfpipe at the 2005 Snowboarding World Championships in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. March 15 is the 74th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (75th in Leap years). ... This article is about the year. ... City scenery of Rovaniemi in January 2004 Rovaniemi (Roavenjárga in Northern Sami) is the administrative capital and the centre of commerce of Finlands northernmost Province, Lapland. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Daniel Kass at the 2005 US Open Daniel Kass (born September 21, 1982) is a professional snowboarder from Vernon, New Jersey. ... Ross Powers (February 10, 1979- ) is a world champion snowboarder from Stratton, Vermont. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ESPN X Games logo The X Games are an annual multi-sport event with a focus on action sports. ... Shaun Roger White (born September 3, 1986 in San Diego, California) is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder based in Carlsbad, California. ... Halfpipe for snowboarding A halfpipe is a structure used in gravity extreme sports such as snowboarding, skateboarding, freestyle BMX and inline skating. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Whistler can refer to the following: Whistler, British Columbia - the municipality of the 2010 Winter Olympics Alpine events Whistler-Blackcomb - the ski resort that will host the 2010 Winter Olympics Alpine events Whistler (radio) - a very low frequency radio phenomenon. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages none stated in law; English is de facto Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 36 6 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 5th 944,735...

Born to Yrjö and Katariina Autti, Autti hails from Rovaniemi, a 35,000 population city that sits on the Arctic Circle and is considered the gateway to the Lapland region of Finland. Athletic genes run in his family - Autti's younger brother Tuomas is an aspiring downhill skier, and his uncle is Arto Autti, who was a defender on the Finnish National Soccer team. Autti started snowboarding in spring 1995 after he saw someone snowboarding while on a skiing vacation with his family at the Ylläs ski center in Lapland. City scenery of Rovaniemi in January 2004 Rovaniemi (Roavenjárga in Northern Sami) is the administrative capital and the centre of commerce of Finlands northernmost Province, Lapland. ... A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ... National anthem Sámi soga lávlla Languages Sami, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Russian Area ca. ... The downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Members of the US Air Force skiing (and snowboarding) at Keystone Resorts 14th Annual SnoFest An alpine skier Deep powder skiing Skiing is the activity of gliding over snow using skis (originally wooden planks, now usually made from fiberglass or related composites) strapped to the feet with ski bindings. ...

Since he started competing in 2001, Autti has built an impressive competitive resume and has established himself as a rising force in snowboarding with his technical prowess and impeccable style. He won four out of the five World Cup halfpipe competitions he entered in the 2003-2004 season and came in second in the one he did not win, which earned him the title of the 2004 World Cup Halfpipe Runner-up behind his compatriot and good friend Risto Mattila. Autti is also the 2004 WSF World Halfpipe Champion and the 2004 FIS Finnish National Halfpipe Champion. Most recently, he finished second at the 2005 Nippon Open, third at the 2005 U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships and first in Big Air at the Arctic Challenge, the exclusive snowboarding event founded by Terje Haakonsen. He was also awarded Best Tweak for his switch backside 540, which is his favorite trick. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... World Cup is the name of various high-profile international competitions in a variety of sports, particularly team sports. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... World Cup is the name of various high-profile international competitions in a variety of sports, particularly team sports. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in... The International Ski Federation/Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS) is the main international organisation of ski sports. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Arctic Challenge is a snowboarding contest arranged for and by the riders themselves. ... Dean Patrick Wallace of Redcar likes gay sex. ... Frontside and backside are surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding terms that are used to describe how a person approaches an obstacle or performes a certain trick. ...

In April 2005, it was officially announced that Autti will represent Finland at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Because of this honor, he received a piece of land in Rovaniemi, on which he hopes to build a new home. Neve and Gliz, the 2006 Olympics mascots, on display in Turin The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were held in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. ...

Over the summer of 2005, Autti purchased an apartment, which he is still trying to furnish. At the end of July, he competed in Nokia's Totally Board in Taiwan. Autti embarked on Billabong's Freeway Tour in August, which spirits Billabong-sponsored riders to various contests in Australia and New Zealand. He won the Perisher Pipe Cup and took third in the Slopestyle Jam. It was Autti's first time Down Under, and he likes New Zealand's famed Snowpark because it is like a "big playground," and it reminds him of Finland because "you can see everyone from the lift." Australian snowboarders on the Tour, Nick Gregory and Clint Allan, introduced Autti to their country's native wombats and kangaroos and got him addicted to pies.

Autti kicked off the 2005-2006 World Cup season with third and first place finishes in Valle Nevado, Chile in September. He followed it in October with a second place podium in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saas-Fee is a Swiss village and tourism centre in the Saas-Valley in the Wallis mountains. ...

During Finland's Annual Skiexpo in November 2005, Autti was awarded Rider of the Year by Slammer Magazine's Riders of the Year Awards. He received the most votes in a readers internet poll. He also finished ninth in Finland's annual Sports Athlete of the Year poll, voted on by sports magazine journalists.

Before the end of 2005, Autti competed in the X-Trail Jam in Japan and finished fifth in the quarterpipe and fourth in the straight jump. For his banner year, he was invited to Finland's President's Ball in December, an annual banquet honoring all of the elite athletes, politicians, celebrities, and public figures in Finland. Autti attended the event with Mattila, where they met the President, Tarja Halonen -- who was re-elected for a second term on January 29, 2006 -- and her husband Pentti Arajävi. Tarja Kaarina Halonen (born December 24, 1943) is the President of Finland. ...

Autti competed in the Burton European Open in Laax, Switzerland in January 2006, taking second place in slopestyle. Two days later, riding with a bruised rib, he finished fourth in the halfpipe. Laax is a commune in the circle of Ilanz in Grisons, Switzerland. ... January 2006 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → 31 January 2006 (Tuesday) U.S. President George W. Bush delivers the State of the Union Address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). ...

At the 2006 Winter X Games, the extremely icy pipe proved to be hazardous to numerous riders, including Autti, and he came up short in his defense of his gold medal, finishing sixth.

Two weeks later at the 2006 Winter Olympics, despite a near-flawless run, Autti finished fifth with a controversial low score of 39.1 that elicited plenty of "boo's" from fans in the stands. Bronze medalist and teammate Markku Koski felt the same way, stating it should have been Autti on the podium. Markku Koski Markku Koski (born October 15, 1981) is a professional snowboarder from Sievias, Finland. ...

After a two week stay in Japan, Autti returned to the top of the podium at the Vans Cup at Tahoe in March and pocketed $20,000. Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is one of the deepest (1645 feet/501 m), largest and highest (6229 feet/1898 m), and bluest lakes in the United States. ...

Autti finished the season with a sixth place finish in the quarterpipe and 10th place finishes in the halfpipe and slopestyle at the 2006 U.S. Open.

Off the snow, Autti, who speaks Finnish, English and Swedish, enjoys skateboarding, photography, Salmiakki, movies (especially Johnny Depp films) and music. Some of his favorite artists include Turbonegro, The Hellacopters, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, David Bowie, Social Distortion, The Datsuns and Mötley Crüe. He listened to Mötley Crüe's "Kickstart My Heart" -- which he dubs "probably the best song ever" -- during his gold medal-winning run at the 2005 X Games. Autti's favorite drink is scotch without rocks, and he says he would be a bartender if he were not a snowboarder. He says he cannot define himself as an athlete in the traditional sense because "in my opinon I'm a snowboarder and my own person." The best part of being a professional snowboarder, he feels, is traveling around the world, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A skateboarder performing a frontside lipslide. ... Photography is the process of making pictures by means of the action of light. ... A Finnish brand of salmiakki (left) and a Danish one (right). ... Johnny Depp as Donnie Brasco, 1997 John Johnny Christopher Depp II (b. ... Turbonegro (Turboneger in Norway) is a Norwegian band who combine heavy metal, rock and punk music into a non-politically-correct version of punk. ... The Hellacopters is a Swedish band formed in 1994 which plays hard fast rock. ... Led Zeppelin was a British rock band, formed in 1968, and consisting of Jimmy Page ( acoustic guitar, electric guitar), Robert Plant (lead vocals, harmonica), John Bonham (drums, percussion), and John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin). ... The Doors, Legacy (Clockwise from top right): Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek The Doors (formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California) were a popular and influential American rock band. ... David Bowie (born David Robert Hayward-Jones on 8 January 1947) is an English rock singer, musician and actor. ... Social Distortion (often known as Social D) is an influential punk rock band that formed in the late 1970s and is still together today. ... The Datsuns are a rock band from Cambridge, New Zealand. ... Mötley Crüe (pronounced as mott-ley crew) is an American heavy metal/Glam Metal band whose members include Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil. ...

Always calm, cool, and collected, Autti tries not to stress himself out too much if he is not riding well because he believes it is important to not lose the fun of snowboarding, echoing his advice to future shredders: "It'd be best if people that throw themselves into snowboarding understood what this sport is about. The competitions alone don't mean everything. There'll always be more of them. In my opinion, the fun going-ons and the smile on your face are a lot more important. Doing well's nice, no doubt about it, but it's important that you don't lose the pleasure of the riding itself in the competing."

Autti is sponsored by *Flow, Billabong, Dakine, Von Zipper, Nokia, Giro and Swix. Flow logo The Flow binding system is a proprietary snowboard binding system, used to attach a riders feet to the snowboard. ... Billabong - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Nokia Corporation NYSE: NOK is one of the worlds largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers. ...

External links

• Transworld Snowboarding Interview November 2005
• NBC Olympics Profile