Scroll Call: An End of Season Chat With Clemens Millauer

Internet fans dissecting rail tricks and judges judging slopestyle runs mean a lot of screen time for Clemens Millauer

A rarity among the pros, this Austrian ripper comfortably throws triples on the competition track and fires up the generators to film urban video clips. Pushing his holds to the limit or smashing his way out of difficult rail spots, Clemens leads the European freestyle scene with effortless style and technical passion.

So, what's your summer usually like?

This summer I had a bit more free time since I wasn’t editing a film like I have the past two years. I always start my day with skateboarding—then I’ll hit the gym for a quick workout. I honestly wouldn’t go to the gym if I didn’t get to skate first; it balances the fun out. We live close to a lake, so I spend time swimming or wake surfing. But after a month or two, summer starts to feel long, and I’m already looking forward to heading to Australia. Riding there is one of the best parts of the year—soft snow, spring conditions, all the homies and no contests—just snowboarding for fun.

You're currently recovering from an injury, what happened?

Urgh. I went with Anna (Gasser) to XGames as a birthday present for her—usually, I just support her from home, but she always seems to get injured there so I wanted to support in person. She landed her cab triple and won Big Air. The next morning, I tried to film a follow-cam clip of her run. I’m a bit of a perfectionist with filming, so I didn’t want to just follow over the knuckles. Everyone said the last jump was slow, so I figured I’d be fine but I caught up to her way quicker than expected, and mid-air I realized, ''okay, I’m dead''. I still did Spring Battle and World Champs, so the season had some highlights, but that was definitely a bit of a reality check.

Your Spring Battle entry was insane, how many tries did it take?

Good question. I was working on this trick and just couldn’t get close—it felt so far off. I started feeling bad because Ian was standing there filming, and I kept falling off the rail super early. I think it took me around 40 tries to finally land it. I was hiking twice as fast as everyone just to make up for how long it was taking. Then Anna rolled up, did her trick first try, and I was standing there sweating my ass off like noooo way!

You said you usually spend your summer editing. Is this for Schnitzel Time?

Yeah and I always underestimate how much work it actually is to make a full movie. It gets a little stressful—trying to plan good trips, get enough shots—but I’m really lucky to be part of a crew like this. Guys like Gigi (Ruf) and Werni (Stock) are so experienced. Riding with them has taught me a lot—especially in the backcountry. I feel confident on jumps, but when it comes to picking lines and riding natural terrain, I’ve learned so much just watching how they move through the mountains. I love being able to film both powder and street. If the snow’s bad in the mountains, there’s usually a city somewhere that’s firing. When you're not competing, your mindset totally shifts—you're always thinking, ''Where can I get a clip?'' It can be frustrating during slow periods, but when you stack a few clips in a week, it’s honestly the best feeling. For me, it’s more rewarding than winning a contest—knowing that it’ll come together in a movie released in fall is such a payoff.

What are you enjoying more, filming or editing?

It’s hard to say—both have their moments. Editing can be really fun, especially when you’re working on a part and find the perf