Interview with Johan Malmbeck  – Love letter to winter

Johan Malmbeck’s story is a testament to the joy of winter. Growing up far from mountains, he spent his childhood mornings building igloos and this love of snow evolved into a relentless pursuit of skiing excellence. From the couloirs of Tignes’ to the pro parks of Val Thorens, Johan has dedicated his life to the slopes. He finds purpose in the connection between nature and sport, carving out moments of pure joy and fulfilment in the heart of winter.

Want to know what Johan’s wearing in the upcoming photos? Check out the Fawk ski jacket and Arch ski pants – gear that combines performance and style perfectly for the backcountry and the slopes.

Hey Johan, let’s dive straight into the interview. What’s your earliest memory of winter?

I remember waking up as a child and looking outside to see if there was a lot of snow, and I’d run downstairs to put on winter clothes and build an igloo on the lawn. I would call a friend and go play around in the snow all day.

The cool thing about this is that it technically hasn't changed at all, even in my 30s. I will still wake up in the morning, look outside to see how much snow we got overnight, call a friend, and go play around in the snow all day—only now we do it on skis.

We can completely relate! If you were to write a love letter to Winter, what would you say?

It's really a love-hate relationship.  Sometimes, winter gives us a lot of snow but also strong winds, making it dangerous to be out there. Or we are forecast a bunch of snow but then it changes, the temperatures go up, and we get rain instead. Winter is seasonal, coming and going and I have to adapt my life accordingly because I can't live without it, but I can’t also focus all I have on it. 

It makes it difficult for someone like me who grew up far away from the mountains, who can’t just go ‘home’ when the snow starts falling, who needs to spend the whole year saving up money to enjoy winter the way I want to. The one thing in life that I'm really good at I get to do for 5 months of the year. The rest of the time I'm fumbling around, trying to figure out where I belong in the world. So I will make my letter short… “I love you winter, I wish we could spend more time together.”

So many of us can relate to that and wish we could spend more time with winter. Thinking back over your time on the mountain, what would be your favorite skiing memory?

I remember my third winter in Val d'Isere. We decided to ski the famous couloirs in Tignes, which are truly impressive. With only three winters of skiing under my belt, I wasn’t very experienced. The snow was great, and as we reached the top, my buddy dropped into a chute and disappeared. My other friend thought it was too crazy and skied around, leaving me alone above the Tufs couloirs.

I made my way to the chute I planned to ski, seeing the massive cliff walls below and realizing this had to be my line—the toughest on the face. I dropped in; it was steep, with sluff pouring down around me. For the first time, I had to think about sluff management. Surrounded by sheer cliffs and a pull that could drag me down, the world seemed to shrink. There was only the snow, my skis, and where to place the next turn. It's a special feeling of presence in the body, in the mind. A lucid way to live, with a clear purpose.

Can you think back to a moment on the slopes that made you realise you’re hooked on skiing?

The first winter I spent living in Val Thorens. I think that winter must have had insane snowfall. In those [early] days, I progressed so much, and everything was new. Every other line I skied was "the best line I ever skied". But it wasn't just the best line I ever skied, it was the coolest thing I ever did in my life. It was my first cliff drop, my first couloir, my first backflip and my first frontflip. I was 19 years old and I felt like I could do anything.

That does sound pretty unforgettable and we can totally understand why that moment had you hooked! How would you describe your perfect day on the slopes — where are you, and who are you with?

My perfect day on the slopes is shared with anyone with the same mindset, who sees the mountains the same way. Someone who looks at a mountain and finds that little gap where a skier might just be able to squeeze through, or that little lip that should be good for a big jump if you come in with a lot of speed. Good snow, bad snow, good weather, bad weather, resort, backcountry — it all depends on who you share it with.

How do you prepare for the winter season, both mentally and physically?

I prepare physically by working out. Skateboarding is great, but I also go to the gym a lot. I train some tricks on trampolines. In summer I do a lot of cliff-jumping, practising flips and tricks and getting that same feeling when preparing for a big ski line. Thinking it through in my head and committing to it. Getting back up to try again if I fail.

What’s one piece of gear or equipment you can’t live without during winter?

Everything I'm wearing and keeping in my backpack. But a bit of a weird one is my binoculars. I keep them in my hip pocket on the backpack and find myself bringing them out constantly. They’re great for getting a better look at a face and snow conditions, if there a big cornice on the top, are there any tracks from other skiers… Very useful.

How does using your MONTEC gear enhance your skiing experience?

My Montec thermals keep me warm all day, along with the jacket and bib pants. The buff keeps my face warm while still allowing me to breathe and it doesn’t fog up my goggles. The bib pants together with the jacket keep all the snow out (not that I would ever crash though) and most importantly, I look cool.

How has your relationship with winter and skiing changed over the years?

It really hasn't changed a lot! I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, any normal jobs or careers are out of the question because I keep quitting all my jobs as soon as winter comes around.

The need to escape south Sweden and move somewhere with real winter, real snow, real mountains and people who understand me won’t ever stop. So I will need to find a way to make that part of my life more permanent.

How do you stay motivated to keep skiing, even during challenging conditions or moments?

When I studied healthcare we had a word that I keep coming back to: ‘KASAM’, which is short for ‘Känsla av sammanhang’, which means ‘sense of coherence’ in English. It's just the idea that you need to surround yourself with a world that gives you this sense of coherence — that you know you have a purpose here, that you are somehow important. And I only get this in the world of skiing.

So challenging moments are something I rarely experience in the world of skiing because that's where I have a my sense of coherence. It's out there in the ‘real’ world that I struggle.

Finally, can you tell us your favorite place to ski and why it holds a special place in your heart?

Tignes has been a very special place to me. It's kind of situated in this bowl surrounded by huge mountains everywhere. It's apparently one of those ‘ugly’ French ski resorts but I really like it. I like the tall apartment buildings and the ski-in, ski-out set-up. You can ski right down to your apartment and you can walk to the lift in five minutes. If you wanna ski just one run in an afternoon you can do that. No bus to wait for, it's not gonna take you an hour to get to the top of the lift. And there are so many good lines everywhere you look. And it is always sunny in the village. From early morning to late afternoon. So after a day of skiing, or on a day where you decided not to ski, you can always enjoy the sun and being outside.

You can keep up with Johan Malmbeck's incredible adventures on Instagram.