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Alexander Rydén

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Rydén
Personal information
NationalitySwedish
Born (1988-12-09) 9 December 1988 (age 35)
Edsåsdalen, Åre Municipality, Sweden
Sport
SportClimbing and skiing

Alexander Rydén (born December 9, 1988,[1] Edsåsdalen) is a Swedish former elite-level climber, gimbal operator, and filmmaker. Rydén is also known as a followcam skier, which involves skiing with a camera next to other athletes.[2]

Early life

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Rydén was born and raised in Edsåsdalen, a small ski resort in Åre Municipality, Jämtland County, northern Sweden. He started filming his friends as a teenager, eventually becoming a professional followcam skier.[3]

Sporting career

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Skiing

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Rydén's skiing career spans 30 years and includes multiple extreme ski descents.[1] His skiing highlights include steep skiing on the Chlyn Wendenstock and Marcelo Couloir,[4] as well as a famous 20m cliff jump in Sweden known as the Högsta, Östra Ravin.[5]

Rock climbing

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Rydén has been a rock climber for 18 years. He has performed in numerous first ascents and competitions at the Swedish elite level. His rock climbing highlights include a 7c+ onsight on Arugliopoulos, a 500m big wall on Presten,[6][7] and a 7c+ first ascent on Via Burrata. He has achieved 40 first ascents between 6c and 7c+, 30 onsights graded 7b+ or harder,[8] and has completed 40 multipitch routes. Rydén has also completed a free solo ascent of Vit November, graded 6c+.[9]

In 2017, Alexander performed a rope swing stunt from Åre Kabinbana in Sweden. This stunt was a fusion of bungee jumping and a high-intensity playground swing and took place at a ski resort. With the help of an aerial circus technician, Rydén executed this massive rope swing from the resort's cable car.[10][11]

Filmmaking and followcam skiing

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Rydén works as a filmmaker and gimbal operator.[12] As a filmmaker, he has collaborated with Moncler, Ford, Red Bull, GoPro, Thule, Discovery, Visa, Peak Performance, Sunrise, Cake, and others.

His filmmaking credits[13] include serving as a camera operator for the skiing documentaries Shades of Winter: Between (2016)[14] and Aksel (2021).[15]

Rydén is noted for being a followcam skier, which involves skiing with a camera next to other skiers.[12] He has followed athletes such as Shawn White, Marco Odermatt, Axel Lund Svindal, Henrik Windstedt, and Kristoffer Turdell with a camera, capturing their performances in sports documentaries and feature films.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Alexander Rydén". head.com. 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  2. ^ Skovron, Zack (2020-02-12). "Video: BC Follow-Camming with Henrik Windstedt and Alexander Rydén". Teton Gravity Research. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  3. ^ a b Rydén, Alexander (2018-09-26). "Alexander: The Flying Cameraman". Red Bull. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  4. ^ "Dubbelextremt i Engelberg: Chlyn Wendenstock & Marcello Couloir". Freeride (in Swedish). 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  5. ^ "Tag along Alexander Rydén on the deepest day in Sweden, ever". Red Bull. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  6. ^ Alström, Marcus (2018-06-18). "Climbing Presten". Red Bull. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  7. ^ "Ny svensk film från Lofotens mest ikoniska klippa Presten". Freeride (in Swedish). 2018-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  8. ^ "8a+ av Alexander Rydén på Kalymnos". 8a.nu News. 2023-04-14. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  9. ^ "Klättrar Utan rep". YouTube. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  10. ^ Wennberg, Erik (2017-09-06). "Watch this guys epic rope swing from a ski lift". Red Bull. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  11. ^ "Alexander Rydén är i full sving". Freeride (in Swedish). 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  12. ^ a b Skier video challenge. Powder.com.
  13. ^ "Alexander Rydén". IMDb. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  14. ^ "Shades of Winter: Between (2016)". IMDb. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  15. ^ "Aksel (2021)". IMDb. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
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