LAST UPDATED MARCH 9, 2015
The reigning World Snowboarding tour champion in both the Slopestyle and the overall standings, Stale has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the freestyle snowboarding world.
Hailing from Norway – a veritable snowboarder factory of a country – Sandbech has topped his countrymen for a couple of years now.
No Stale Sandbech bio would be complete without wondering whether he may just be the best freestyle snowboarder around at the moment.
| QUICK FACTS |
| Age: 21 |
| Stance: Goofy |
| Nationality: Norwegian |
| Height: 178cm |
| Disciplines: Freestyle (Slopestyle, Big Air & Half Pipe) |
| Resides: Oslo, Norway |
The Best All-Round Freestyler?
Not only did he top the world rankings at the end of last season, he was 2nd in those same rankings at the end of the 2012/2013 season and was again 1st in the 2011/2012 season! Add to this impressive run his Silver medal at the Sochi Olympics and there is a pretty compelling case to give him that no.1 label.
Currently (as at March 9th, 2015) Stale sits second on the World Snowboard Tour points list and is sitting 5th in the Slopestyle pro series rankings (formerly World Snowboard tour rankings).
Perhaps Stale’s appearance in the 2010 Olympics (the youngest Norwegian competitor at that Olympics and the youngest for 82 years), helped his nerves in the 2014 edition – if this kid has nerves!
| Year | Olympics (Half Pipe) | Olympics (Slopestyle) |
| 2010 | 29TH | no event |
| 2014 | dne | SILVER |
Strongest in the Slopestyle and Big Air events, he is also no slug on the Half Pipe and it’s this all-round ability that has “the golden kid” topping or close to the top of the ranks for the past three years.
| Year | Aspen (Slopestyle) | Aspen (Big Air) | Tignes (Slopestyle) | Tignes (Half Pipe) |
| 2011 | 9TH | dne | 6TH | 12TH |
| 2012 | 11TH | 8TH | 4TH | dne |
| 2013 | 11TH | BRONZE | 8TH | dne |
| 2014 | BRONZE | BRONZE | cancelled | cancelled |
| 2015 | SILVER | 5TH | – | – |
Even going back to when Stale was just 16 he managed to end the 2009/2010 season in 6th place. Check out the graph below to get a visual illustration of just how consistently good he has been in the last 6 years. And he’s still only 21!
Recent Events
I the 2015 edition of the Winter X games a couple of months back Stale was able to take out the Silver in the Slopestyle – his best finish in an X games so far. He was also 5th in the Big Air.
In the just completed Burton US Open Sandbech competed in the Slopestyle and finished in a disappointing (by his lofty standards) 9th.
The Future Ahead
Whilst it is fair to say that this is a young man’s sport he still has plenty of years left in him, at just 21, to add to his already bulging resume.
Sandbech’s Winter X games medal tally hasn’t been particularly fruitful (somewhat rectified with his Silver in the Slopestyle in the recent 2015 edition) despite his undeniable talent and his undeniable achievements everywhere else in the sport. There is the feeling that it is only a matter of time before this changes and I’m sure he will be looking to rectify the relative lack of success on that particular stage.
Is he the best around at the moment? Maybe you’ve got to give the Slopestyle crown to Mark McMorris at the moment, is there a better all rounder? Any other comments, questions or feedback, as always, very welcome.
I have never snowboarded but I’m still young, so hopefully sometime in my life I get to ( I would have to go abroad to do it). Great website very interesting stuff.
Hi Jason. You should definitely try it. Just be warned – it can be addicting! Thanks for commenting
Seems like Stale has a good future ahead of him. He’s still young and has a lot going for him. Only time will tell. Great article about Stale Sandbech.
Hey Evelyn. Thanks for your comments! He’s definitely got a great future and already achieved so much.
Nice site , never tried snowboarding only seen it on tv but it looks like fun. 🙂
Hi Amanda. Thanks for your comments!
Nice Post! I never snowboarded in my life, sadly I watch it only on TV. I like the sport the flying has to feel great. Keep up the good work, like you niche. Kevin
Hey Kevin. Thanks for the comments. That flying feeling is great! I’ve only experienced it on a small scale compared to the what the pros are doing but even small jumps are pretty exhilarating!