Nationality - Austrian
Date of Birth: 11 March 1974
Years snowboarding: 13
Sponsors: O’Neill, Nitro, Swans, Autohaus Mühlbacher, Toko

2002 - 7th Olympic Winter Games Halfpipe Saltlake City
2nd FIS WC Japan, 1st FIS WC Ruka Finland,
1st FIS WC Kreischberg FIS WorldChampion Halfpipe
2001 - 1st FIS WC Halfpipe Tignes
2nd Air & Style
1st FIS WC Halfpipe Whistler/Vancouver
2000 - 2nd Gravity Games BX
1999 - 1st ISF Soul City Straight Jump Vienna
1st ISF World Pro Tour Halfpipe Gerlitzen
1st Mad Masters Halfpipe and Boarder-X France
1997
1st Swatch Boardercross Finals Laax

Where will you be spending the 2002/3 season?
When my knee is fine ( I ripped off the ACL of my left knee in September) this winter and I have no problems riding, I will spend most of the season in Europe.

How would you sum up competing at the Olympics?
I only qualified about three weeks before the Olympics. For me it was such a hard way to get there, so it was already very special for me before I even arrived in Salt Lake City. The competition was the best one I have ever done. The weather was wonderful, the audience was amazing and the halfpipe was in a perfect shape. All these circumstances made that event unforgettable for me. The level of the riding was very high and I think it was a great advertisement for our sport.

What does your perfect snowboard look/ride like?
My perfect snowboard should be great for pipe, park and powder. It would be about 154cm long, 24cm wide and very light. The design is very important as well. I think a strong coloured base like yellow or red would be cool, it looks really good on pictures. The top should be simple, but unique.

Does it bother you that the guys still get more press coverage and more prize money in some of the competitions?
If I have a look through snowboard magazines I am always disappointed because they rarely show any girls shots. Of course there is much more extreme, spectacular and hard stuff done by guys, but I know, there are also good pictures of girls, who would be definitely worth showing. But there is not so much support from snowboard magazine to do so. Sad but true! I hope this will change some day.

Do you think there are any differences in the way girls and guys ride?
Every snowboarder has their own style and after so many years of riding you recognise most of them very easily. There are some, who have an aggressive style, others who ride smooth, no matter if they're a girl or a boy. But still the girls riding will always look different from the boys.
There are only a few exceptions, who have a male way of riding, which means very powerful, strong and hardcore.

Is there a tournament or competition result during your career which means more to you than any of the others?
I have been doing so many contests over the past years, which makes it kind of hard to decide. One was definitely the first place in the Boardercross in Laax in 1997. I won a Harely Davidson there and love to ride it now, whenever I have time. I got second twice in the Air & Style Quaterpipe Girls Challenge. The contest took place in Innsbruck and Seefeld, where I live. So all my friends were there, which made it very special to me.

What kind of fitness program do you have to prepare for the snow?
Since I had a spine-injury in January 2000, I have been training in the so called "Olympiastützpunkt Obertauern". That is a training-centre for all different kind of sports. During spring and summer I am mainly training there, during the season I get my plans via e-mail. I am doing a lot of endurance training like biking and running, coordination and stabilisation-exercises, climbing, trampoline and so on.

What's the best piece of snowboarding advice you've been given?
All over these past 10 years as a snowboard-pro I have been given so much advice and help from coaches and friends, I cannot remember which one was the most important.

Is there any where you haven't ridden that you`d still like to go?
I would love to go to New Zealand. I have seen pictures and heard stories from friends who have been there that the landscape is wonderful. If you ride there you have always the ocean in the background. It must be just wonderful.

What are your favourite tunes to listen to when you are riding?
I enjoy riding the most, when I only hear the snow moving and the normal sound of the nature. When you are somewhere riding powder and it is all quiet.

Where is your favourite place to ride?
I have been to a lot of places, which were great to ride. But still I like my home-mountains around Innsbruck and in Tyrol the most. There are many possibilities and different terrain, glaciers, tree runs, powder....I ride with my friends and know the areas.

What`s your idea of the perfect day in the mountains?
Getting up early - catching the first gondola - doing some powder runs - riding in a perfect fun-park after - ending the day with friends in a nice mountain-hut.

Who inspires you?
There are many ways, in which someone could be inspired. I think my parents are very much responsible for who I am and how I live my life. In snowboarding or any other field there are different people, who I respect and admire.

Who are your favourite riders?
One of my favourite riders is Terje with his unique style. Xavier Delerue is also one of the best riders I know. He is a great Boardercrosser, Halfpipe-rider, freerider and used to be very good in alpine as well.

Any rookie girlies you see making it big in the next couple of years?
There are some young girls, like Kelly Clark or Kjersti Buaas, who are very strong riders already now, but will definitely push the girls freestyle riding in the coming years.

Is there anything you´d like to achieve this season? A new trick/contest/place to visit?
I will see, how everything works out with my knee. I had plans to learn new tricks, but I am not so focused on that right now, because first of all I have to get back on snow and fell comfortable again.