Trond Hansen: Indoor toboggan

Norwegian freerider Trond Hansen has landed a contract with Specialized for 2006. Hansen started trials riding at 15 before getting into DH racing and then dirt jumping and freeride. He’s been in the “up and coming” category for a while, and he’s done the rounds of the big freeride events – Adidas Slopestyle, Whistler Crankworx, Red Bull District Ride and so on. And he is, unsurprisingly enough, “stoked” by the deal:

“Specialized was the first brand that came in my mind when I thought of a new bike – they’ve got bikes that I always wanted to ride. I love the P3 for street and dirt riding and the SX Trail is awesome for the slopestyles, but also for a freeride/enduro trip. I used to ride DH races and I would love to do more big mountain riding, the Demo 8 is perfect for that.”

Specialized’s chap in charge of Global Marketing, Kevin Franks, said, “We’re proud that we gained Trond for Specialized. He stands for progressive freeride in Europe. We’re looking forward to his first appearance at Sea Otter in California.”

Specialized joins an impressive roster of sponsors – Marzocchi, Oakley, Fi’zi:k, Giro, Magura, Sixsixone and DaKine. Trond’s 2006 schedule includes the usual range of events and photo and film shoots – he’s currently filming for the forthcoming European freeride film Evermore.