pic by Andy Kuljis

Last year Ana Rumiha narrowly missed out on a podium place at the Nikita Chickita contest when she placed fourth. No such problems this year - Ana won the event in Serfaus and picked up 1000 euros and a one-year Nikita contract as a result.

Ana has been talking to Nikita about her day and what winning the even means to her...

"I think I first found out about Nikita Chickita on the Internet last year and four of my friends were ready to go straight away. Last year's contest was the most fun one I've ever been on, so I decided to come back again this year.

Just the night before I was supposed to set off for Serfaus, I was considering not going, due to the bad weather report and pretty high travel expenses, but I woke up next morning full of good energy and I had that travel itch.

I called my friends, Anja and Andy and told them that we had to go. It doesn't take much to convince them. So that was it, three happy friends went to Serfaus.

As the competition morning was kind of cold and snowy I wasn't too motivated to jump around right away, but that's why I love Nikita Chickita. You can ride however and whenever you want, no pressure. In the qualifiers I couldn't do a single trick I wanted to, so I was just hoping to get in to the finals and be able to ride the park for the rest of the day.

pic by Andy Kuljis

And then the sun came out and Nikita Chickita was again the best contest of the year for me. No bibs, no starting positions, no tension. It felt like a normal day in a perfectly shaped park except there were only good girl riders and I could have had the whole park for myself whenever I wanted.

Because of all the positive atmosphere I was relaxed and I had so much fun from the beginning ‘til the end of the contest. I think it's really difficult to make a contest where the riders can have all the freedom they need and can do whatever is on their mind. This one makes me feel free and that's how I comprehend snowboarding.

It was great that we had a snowcat driving us up the hill because the girls had to wait for each other and watch each other ride, so there was a really nice and friendly feeling among us.

I also got to know some great girls there, cuz it's not every day that I meet people with same interests and same passion for snowboarding and skateboarding as me.

So... I had some funny runs in the finals and I guess the judges liked it, but I sure wasn't expecting to win. I have to admit that I was really stoked when I found out, especially when I remebered that I almost nearly didn’t go!

Nikita Chickita is still my favorite contest. I wouldn't even call it a contest, it's more like a gathering for the girls who want to have fun, ride and show each other what's new in the female snowboard world."