Dom Wagner

Dom Wagner is aging like a fine red wine, the older he gets, the better he gets. Having been in the game for 15 years now, he’s left his stamp on the European and global snowboard scene through his work ethic, innovative approach to street riding and style.

A true street snowboarder in every sense of the word with immense dedication and commitment towards the hard working job of filming street parts. The amount of effort and physical exhaustion and stress he's willing to go through to get his unique outstanding clips is unparalleled, it’s little wonder the respect he’s earned naturally amongst the snowboard community. On the road, he’s been described as a great lad, a great team player and a great chef, usually cooking for the ensemble of cast and crew of filmers, photographers and riders on trips. Now gracing the cover of the latest Pleasure Magazine, and having biked from Austria to Croatia, there was never a better moment to pick up the phone and discuss hybrid veganism, beginnings, the joy of DIY skate spots and the importance of keeping it fun with the man himself, Herr Dom Wagner…

Give us a little background on yourself?

My name is Dominik Wagner, I am a snowboarder from Austria. I’ve been filming video parts and snowboarding for 15 plus years… I guess that’s it!

Talk us through your journey in snowboarding?

I started snowboarding when I was 12, I was also into skateboarding but skating in the winter in Austria sucks, it’s cold, wet and snowy for the most part. When I found snowboarding I was stoked, you could do it in the winter, it’s out in nature, you’re not stuck inside and it’s really fun! Basically, I took my energy in skateboarding to snowboarding and that’s where it all started. I went to school with a bunch of friends that also snowboarded, I met up with those guys and started filming from the age of 15 or so. One guy would have the camera and we would just film. That’s where I made a lot of connections that took me under their wings and that’s where my journey began as a sponsored snowboarder.

And where has the journey taken you since then?

It might sound stupid but I still do what I was doing when I was 15, I feel I never lost the essence of that. The bonus is now I get to travel a lot, I basically can go wherever I want within reason to find snow and do what I love which is such a blessing. Have ridden for different brands and met so many cool people along the way.

Where do you get your motivation from?

I’m in my thirties now, so it’s coming from a place of when I was younger growing up in lower Austria, close to Vienna, there wasn’t really a scene of people snowboarding so that really pushed me – we’ve always been the underdogs. For me and my friends being sponsored was so far away, we didn’t even think of that being an option. Seeing that was possible after putting in the work in, was really rewarding. We never got anything for free growing up, it took a long time, a lot of hard work and effort to get to where I am today. There are always new ways of doing it as well, new locations, new filming approaches, new tricks – you just need to get creative with and find a way to keep it fun. Above all, I enjoy doing it.

What are the other options, find a job?

In terms of keeping it creative and fun, what have you been working on recently?

We’ve been working on a Nitro video, I guess people know the Nitro videos from being a bit more mainstream but this time we tried to mix it up and we got together to make a core video, to show the soul DNA of the brand – they really care about snowboarding and we wanted that to come through, that passion to show through in this video project.

What are your plans coming into this season?

I’ve been filming parts back-to-back for the past 4 years, so this year Benny, our Team Manager at Vans and one of my best friends, hit me up and said “Would you be down to do a project for Vans?” and of course I was super hyped. It’s pretty much a project filmed over two years, this year we have a more mellow start and do one big trip somewhere and then keep filming next year. I’m really excited about working on something over two years instead of cramming it into one.

Where are your favourite places to ride?

It really depends. Obviously the most important thing is good snow. And then spots. Any city with good snow is the ideal scenario. Staying cold, with no time pressure. My favourite recently has been Oslo. It can be tough with rain, but a few years ago I spent a month there for Transparent, a Vans video and we had the best time there. Minimum -10 for a month straight, sugar snow and the best conditions I ever had filming snowboarding with a ton of good spots. Helsinki is also a classic.

How would you describe the vibe within the Vans snow team?

It’s amazing. Kas (Lemmens) and I got on at a similar time. I feel we forced our way in there! We kept showing up and eventually got on… Most of the team were good friends already so it felt super organic, it felt like I had been there a while already!

Any trips that have stood out over the years?

Honestly the first project, Oasen. It was my first year and Kas and I were the new guys and Benny and Sebe had been there for a minute. We went on some amazing trips, to Sweden with Nils and a bunch of others. Taking photos with Matt Georges, I really, really enjoyed he’s such an amazing, star photographer in the snowboard world, he’s still so motivated despite spending so much time in the game. Also having Alex Pfeffer film it, he’s a great friend – it was such a nice first integration into the brand.

And outside of snowboarding? What gets you fired up?

For a long time it was skating, then you start to get older and more prone to injuries you find new things to do. Recently I’ve got into biking a lot, doing trips and stuff. I just biked from Austria to Croatia over five days which was amazing. The older you get the more responsibilities you have that can take away your free time, so bikepacking is great, you wake up in the morning, you get on the bike and that’s all you think about. You see so much - you soak everything in. It’s overwhelming for the senses; you see the landscape shifting around you every day - it’s beautiful. I like to fish a bunch as well in Croatia, which is funny as my girlfriend and I are pretty much vegan… I needed something to do aside from sitting on the beach! I decided just to eat the fish that I catch and I guess now I am a bit of a hybrid…

I’m also involved in a DIY skateboard near Vienna called the Bowlriders Club, it’s getting bigger and bigger and we try and spend as much time building as much as we can and then throw a little festival. It’s good fun and so rewarding to skate what you build.

It’s nice to be at home, I’m somewhat introverted so it’s nice to spend time at home and not be a ‘snowboarder’ and hang with the skaters, in the summer I spend time at my parents farm, I work a little with wood, work a little on the farm. Spend some time here in Croatia. It’s a nice way to spend the off season.

Who has inspired you in and out of snowboarding?

100% family and friends. My brother, my sister, my parents – they made me the person I am today. My brother is really into music and is a DJ, he’s really inspired me and showed me so much music, he’s so well read. From a young age he really exposed me to so much, it’s thanks to him I started snowboarding.

Favourite Vans boot to ride in.

At the moment it’s The Infuse, it’s the best all round boot. It’s stiff but not too stiff. I like to ride boots for a long time and wear them in and out.

Any last words? A message for the internet? A message to your former self?

Enjoy life. Everything can change in a split second so enjoy where you are right now, appreciate what you have. Live in the moment.