Gian Simmen

Gian Simmen

Biography:

Gian Simmen is the guy who snuck in through the back door only to become one of snowboarding's most respected and successful riders. Originally from Chur, Switzerland, Gian first tried his hand at snowboarding at the tender age of 12. Some 9 years later, Gian decided to turn pro before soaring into the record books at the age of 21 with his first major win – at the world's first ever Snowboarding Olympic Halfpipe event at Nagano in 1998. The young star of Swiss snowboarding went from Olympic Champion to two-time World Halfpipe Champion and scooped every major accolade in between. Forging his own brand of progressive riding that is as versatile as a Swiss Army penknife, Gian is always a class act to watch. With an authentic arsenal of tricks, Gian continues to bank the results at the highest level. Gian's constant quest for the best riding conditions has seen him pin-balling between the US, Europe, and Canada each year. In 2006, Gian competed in his third successive Olympic Games. To that, we doff our caps.

Photos:
Doku '08
Latest on Gian Simmen: related products: Interview

- What was the highlight of your year?
"Qualifing for the Olymics for the third time. It was a big surprise to me after I have torn my acl in march 2005. the whole Olympic was an expirence because I was enjoing it with out any pressure. It was cool to see theree Olympics on three different continents."
 
- What tricks/lines are you working on right now?
"I try to improve on my backcountry skills. Try to ride bigger lines and get more educated in avalanche safety. In the pipe I work on my 1080 and on the kicker on some more different spins."
 
- Any big plans for 2006/07 season?
"Shooting lots of photos and film a good videopart. Also I will try to push my level in every kind of terrain. One of the main goals is to ride more unique stuff."
 
- Who do you most enjoy riding with on the O'Neill team and why?
"I like riding with Gimpel a lot he has a good eye for kicker spots and he always stomps his tricks. Also I like to ride with Harstad its always comedy if you are on the mountain with him. Eirik, Andre and alle the other dudes are fun to ride with as well."

- If you could ride anywhere for 2 weeks straight, where would you go and why?
"I think I would go to Alaska for Heling and ride powder for two weeks straight. At the beginning I would have to take it pretty easy and then maybe at the end I would be able to ride a bit more difficult lines. But the main reason I would like to go there is because I think it is a big playground for snowboarding."
 
- What do you get up to when you're not busy traveling and riding?
"I am organizing my office, my life, my next season, go skate, go bbq, hang with my wife, hang with my family, hang with my buddies, dj, ride my bike, go to the gym, go jogging, go swimming, basicly charge my batteries."
 
- Who have you been filming with recently (production company name and film name)?
"I have been filming with MMP. The movie will be called Snowbored and will be distributed with severall Magazines. Also I have been filming for the upcoming Oneill movie."
 
- Which riders did you look up to before you turned pro?
"I lookd up to Terje Haakonsen, Peter Line, Jeff Brushie, Craig Kelly. Besides of Kelly I meat all the other dudes and even was snowboarding with them. Still to this day they are kind of my idols. Take Terje how has still one of the smoothest styles out there, and then Peter who built up a couple brands and invented some tricks."
 
- Which rider is going to be the next big thing?
"This is hard to tell but I think Nicolas Müller, Travis Rice they are all pretty established right now with the joung kids you never know they are good for one season and then they are gone." 
 
- Where do you see yourself five years from now?
"Having a nice house a family and still tones of fun snowboarding!!!"
 
- Where do you see yourself five minutes from now?
"Getting dressed to go snowboarding as soon as I am done answering this questions below."
 
- Does snowboarding sometimes feel like a proper job for you – why/why not?
"Yes it does feel like a proper job. A lot of people think that we are just riding a snowboard but it is more to it. You have to plan your trips, your contests, you have to train, you have to write test reports, you have to work on clothing, you go out and test things, you have to keep in contact with the filmers, fotgraphers, your sponsors and at the end of the seasaon you have to do office work that has been laying around all winter like paying bills, do your taxes etc. I mean its one of the best jobs you can have but its not as easy as it seems to be. Because you are your own chief in your own company you have to stay on top of things otherwise you are going down!"

- Any advice for riders who want to turn pro?
"Just don't forget the fun about snowboarding if it happens you turn pro enjoy it. If it does not happen don't be sad keep riding with a big smile on your face and go riding as much as you can just for the fun of it!"
 
- Which O'Neill product are you most stoked on right now?
"Hard to tell its pretty cold right now so I am super happy that I have an Oneill Beanie keeping my ears warm. Beside of that I am really stoked on my jacket. It has a I pod pocket that I can flip open and choose a play list with out taking my I Pod out , a built in storm mask, its warm and its really comfortable to wear."
 
- What's in your O'Neill locker? (CHECK STYLE NUMBERS IN NECK LABEL)
• Pants: Explore Series Sample
• Jacket: Explore Series Sample with I Pod Pocket
• Goggle: Smith Regulator
• Boots:  Northwave Decade
• Backpack: Oneill
• Gloves: Level

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