Some ski films are built around progression, consequences, and lines that need explanation. LATTJO isn’t one of them. Directed and filmed by Stockholm-based skier and filmmaker Edvin Zetterström, the project focuses on friendship, curiosity, and the quiet joy that keeps people returning to the mountains after the chase for recognition fades.
Shot in Japan and rooted in a tight-knit group of friends, LATTJO captures skiing not as performance, but as shared experience. We caught up with Edvin Zetterström to talk about the meaning behind the word lattjo, why Japan continues to reshape his perspective, and how stepping away from expectation has helped him rediscover what makes skiing fun in the first place.
Edvin ZetterströmHey Edvin, tell us a bit about yourself and how LATTJO came to be. What are you chasing these days?
Hey I’m Edvin, a 27-year-old skier, filmmaker, and producer/director from Stockholm, Sweden. I’ve always been interested in storytelling through different visuals: movies, video games, and photography. I started creating videos from my trips while I was in high school, and was experimenting with After Effects and 3D modelling. My original plan was to do one ski season and start studying to become an engineer. Turns out being a ski bum was pretty fun, so I did a few more and continued to create videos during my ski seasons in Whistler, Chamonix and Hakuba.
Since then I’ve had some different jobs like marketing and e-commerce manager, working at an agency, etc., all centered around sports, skiing and media production. I just recently started my own company and hope to build something creative, community-driven and fun. My dream is to keep going on adventures, experiencing new cultures and places and being out in nature, all while capturing it in my own way and hopefully inspiring others to do the same.
The film is built around a single word: LATTJO. What did that word mean to you when the project first took shape?
The plan for the movie was always that it was going to be centred around joy and the freedom that skiing brings to our group. We all know each other through skiing and the skiing community of Alpingaraget in Stockholm. But LATTJO didn’t come into the picture until after we got home from Japan. However, lattjo is a word that we quite frequently use within the group and fits very well to describe each person in our group. For me lattjo means that something is relaxed and enjoyable and fits me very well.
Japan feels central to the tone of the film. What is it about being there, culturally or physically, that brings out something different in people’s skiing?
Ever since I visited Japan in 2019 I’ve been blessed. It’s hard to put into words what makes skiing in Japan such a unique experience. The insane amounts of snow are obviously a good start, but the cultural experiences with the food and people is what keeps me coming back. Our group previously had a few different trips to locations such as Revelstoke, the Alps, and Lyngen, with let’s just call it sub-optimal snow conditions, so when winter came around, everyone was quite keen on getting to ski some powder, and my direct suggestion was, of course, Japan.
It was very fun and interesting to see the reaction of my friends getting to experience Japan for the first time. It’s a different lifestyle for sure compared to the usual apres and vibrant social life that the Alps offer. Japan is much slower, quieter and peaceful. It leaves room for reflection, thought and makes you work for your skiing.
From volcanic alpine terrain to tight forest lines, the environments shift constantly. How did that variety shape your approach to movement and creativity while filming?
I love contrast, so I was always looking at new places that could add to the movie and create something different to what you usually see from Japan. The group was also very keen to explore the bigger mountains of Japan and draw bigger lines. So it felt quite natural to explore everything that was around us and make the most of each location and the conditions we were presented with.
LATTJO feels deeply communal. Who were the key people around you during filming, and how did that shared energy shape the final film?
LATTJO is a visual manifesto dedicated to all the things our group loves about skiing and each member in our group brings their unique skillset and energy to the group. And even though LATTJO has no voice over and there’s barely any talking in it, I still feel like you get to know the group and the viewer can join us on our experience in Japan. So big shout out and love to Gustav Reuterskiöld, Emil Enström, Pontus Malmberg and Felix Carlsson, the trip and the movie would not have been the same without any of you. Also, a massive thanks to all the friends we made and met along the way and to Alpingaraget, your support means a lot.
As a filmer, how do you balance documenting what’s happening with subtly guiding the moment without breaking its authenticity?
As a filmer it’s always easier to plan what you are going to shoot and how you want it to look. But as a skier or a member in the group, getting to experience these things is much more fun when it happens organically. Since this project was an extension of our group I took the decision to keep things pretty open and adapt on the go depending on what we ended up doing. We did have some locations and things we wanted to do and have in the movie so there I could do some planning and try and explain my vision to the rest of the group, but I also love experimenting and trying new things for the first time.
I think one of the most important things to get good at when filming skiing is being able to communicate with the skiers, understand how they ski and how they want to approach a line or an obstacle and then try to find your creative twist on how you’re going to capture that.
Japan often has a way of reframing perspective. Did this trip change how you look at skiing, or at life back home?
I realized a long time ago that I wasn’t going to become the best skier and I wouldn’t be able to ski the absolute craziest lines and be at the top of the sport. And in a world filled with social media pushing the craziest clips down your throat 24/7 it’s hard to step back and focus on doing your own thing. I think LATTJO was super important in that sense that it proved having fun with friends is just as enjoyable and fun to watch as the crazy skiing movies are.
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What do you hope a younger skier feels after watching LATTJO?
I hope they feel inspired to ski and experience more with their friends and hope LATTJO can act as a bridge to young skiers and filmmakers getting out there and creating stuff. In my opinion the ski movie scene is stiff, filled with the same thing packaged differently every year from the big actors. We need more authentic and unique movie from independent filmmakers that act as a contrast to the traditional ski movie.
When filming starts to feel like work rather than play, how do you personally reset?
This is a hard one, I don’t know if I have this one figured out. Feels like I always carry a camera with me so it’s hard to decide what is work and what is play. But it’s very easy to look online and feel like you’re not doing cool enough stuff and you start to try and copy others instead of focusing on doing what you actually want to do and create. So trying to step away from that and just trying to be in the present moment and enjoying the creative process.
Looking back now, is there a single image or moment that best represents what LATTJO is about?
So much to choose from but the frame before the outro starts with Gustav, Felix, Emil and Pontus sitting in the trunk of our car after a long day of touring and skiing laughing and soaking in the day and everything we got to experience. It’s a great frame and for me really captures the joy that skiing brings and getting to share that with friends in a place like Japan really is a blessing.
Has this project influenced how you want to approach future films or trips?
It has definitely inspired me to have more fun, regardless if it’s a trip, a project or a paid shoot. I think authentic joy is the key and for me it’s what has helped me to create my best pieces. I feel the most creative when I’m inspired and having fun so that’s something I’ll keep on doing more.
LATTJO is ______
a reminder to relax and have more fun.
In a landscape where ski media often rewards excess, LATTJO stands as a quiet offering. It doesn’t try to redefine skiing or push its limits; it just reminds us why we started in the first place. Through shared turns, long days, and unplanned moments, Edvin and his crew show that joy doesn’t need to be loud to be meaningful.
LATTJO is a reminder to relax, slow down, and have more fun. Put your comfy pants on for this one:
Chris FureyEditorial Writer
I’m an extreme sport athlete focused on speedflying, foiling, wakesurfing, skiing, and climbing. I’m deeply interested in extreme sports films, videos, and media; especially the role storytelling plays in capturing progression, risk, and the realities behind heavy moments.
AloJapan.com