Simon Gschaider

Simon Gschaider is a snowboarder’s snowboarder. Described as the glue that holds the scene together - aside from his talent on the hill - Simon’s easy‑going demeanour and penchant for Après and Wienerschnitzel have earned him a special place in the European snowboarding scene. Hailing from Austria, Simon cut his teeth at the revered Absolut Park, made and then quit the national team, and is now to be found wandering the globe like a nomad every season. Equally versed in park, street, and now upping his backcountry game, it’s safe to say Simon’s palate is balanced - and his future is very bright indeed.

Freshly back from a séjour in France en route to Austria, we gave Simon a call to talk Après, Wienerschnitzel, the importance of the grandmother figure, and a little snowboarding…

So, for those of us that don’t know you, give us a little background on yourself.

My name is Simon Gschaider. I’m 28 years old and I’m from Pernitz - a small village next to Vienna. I’m a snowboarder!

Talk us through your journey in snowboarding.

I started when I was 10 or 11 years old, on a small hill near my house. I’d say I was pretty hooked instantly. I remember the first day: it was on a little hill by a soccer field. One day it snowed and I had my sister’s old snowboard and boots - it was so much fun. From there, we had a small mountain near where I grew up which had, like, four T-bars, and that’s where my friends and I would go after school and during the holidays - that’s where it really all began for me.

There’s a snowboard park called Absolut, which is where I started to ride park with Dominik Wagner and a few others. I was lucky enough to go to a sports high school where snowboarding was part of the curriculum. This really helped, as I’m kind of from the flatlands of Austria, so I was able to ride more often, and it taught me how to ride as a subject or a discipline; riding proper parks and jumps - it helped me to progress a lot.

From there, I got into the Austrian national team. I did all the contests for a couple of years, and when I was 18 or 19 or so, I got the chance to go on a street trip with Dominik Wagner, Alex Pffefer and Marc Swoboda to the Czech Republic, which was epic. After that trip I quit the national team. There was a World Cup that I could have attended, but I chose that trip instead. Now I’ve been on the road with Dominik and those guys for a couple of years, and it’s all kind of worked out - being able to have a contract and film a little. It’s been a fun ride. I’ve been getting stuff from Vans for years, but now I’m on contract for the past couple of years, I’m really hyped to be on the team!

Can you describe your local scene?

Since school I moved to Schladming and spent more time in Absolut Park and that area. My best friends all live there, and we make videos with our squad, which is named Tapehomie. We’ve been snowboarding and having fun there for the best part of 10 years. There’s a bunch of skiers we are good friends with as well.

Give us a little recap of your season so far.

I’ve been on the road a lot. I managed to start early with a trip to Poland with Sebi, then I went to Canada with Dominik Wagner and a friend who films. We kicked it in Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec - it was amazing. I flew home on Christmas Eve and then got the call to see if I wanted to go to Japan with the Salomon guys, which of course I did. We got to film some powder over 3 weeks with a good squad. From there it was back to Poland with the Vans Europe team - Dominik, Livia, Benny and a few others - it was super dope. Really cold, lots of ice-chopping. I went straight from there to France to try and film some more powder with a good crew, staying at Perly’s house (thanks Perly!). Now I’m back home, trying to work out next moves…

What do you like to do in the off-season?

Good question. I like to barbecue with my homies. I really like to skate, and there’s a good crew that I skate with. I also got into road biking, which is funny as I always liked to talk shit on it, but now I’m hooked. Classic. We have a lot of rivers and nice lakes at home; we built rope swings and jump off cliffs and stuff - it’s pretty classic. I ride my motorbike that I inherited from my father and my grandfather, an old BMW from 1955 that I love.

How does skateboarding influence how you approach snowboarding or choose spots?

I don’t know if I can really translate it, as I’m not that good at skating and I have been snowboarding a lot longer, but I like steep banks and wallies a lot - it really helps me looking at spots, trying to get away from the classic down rail. I think there’s a lot of influence there.

Where does your heart lie between backcountry and street?

Honestly, I love backcountry and street, but I’ve been doing street for a while now and haven’t done that much backcountry, so now I’m really hyped on that side of snowboarding right now. It’s a little more adventurous and it’s pretty new for me, and my friends are pretty good at it, so it helps me to progress. I’m enjoying the challenge of it, and beginning to feel more confident in it, as well as trying to read the mountain better - that’s definitely the aspect of snowboarding that I want to progress in and is inspiring me at the moment.

Where are some of your favourite places to ride?

Absolut Park is dope as I grew up riding there and all my friends are there, so that has to rank highly. Japan is of course amazing - so different in so many ways - great snow, food and people. France is great; Chamonix is really special to me. Canada last year was amazing. Eastern Europe for street is really impressive. And of course, at home in Austria. I would also like to head to Georgia at some point…

What and who inspires you in snowboarding?

My teammates at Vans and Salomon really inspire me, as well as my friends I ride with - fun to be around and they snowboard well. Anyone that takes a different eye on things really helps my vision as well - it’s nice to have variety.

Who do you look up to outside of snowboarding?

I’d say my grandmother - she’s an amazing inspiration. Very cool, very humble, with a good sense of humour. She’s a great person. As well as my mum and my sister.

Talk us through your love of Après.

At Absolut Park we would snowboard all day and then at the bottom station they have Umbrella Bar. They have this wooden bar with a hammer and nails, and you have to hit the nail with the small end of the hammer. The person that doesn’t get it has to pay a round of beers - and no one really gets it - so there’s a few beers going down.

What’s the secret to a good Wienerschnitzel?

Flour, bread, egg or breadcrumbs. Either grab veal or a chicken breast and throw salt and pepper on there whilst it’s raw, after hammering it to make it really tender. Then put the flour on both sides, lightly scramble eggs with a little bit of milk - I personally like to salt the eggs a little, but you do you. Then throw it in the eggs. If possible, add breadcrumbs from the bakery - they are the best ones. Then you need pork fat – it’s the original way - or you can use butterfat, and you want to fry it in that. Fry it golden brown on one side, and then the other. Get it off the heat and put it on some kitchen paper to soak up the grease a little. Serve with a side of lemon, lingonberry, potato salad and a beer or white wine and you are away!

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

There’s a really mellow, good vibe between us. We’ve all known each other for what feels like a while, so it feels really solid and organic. A good family unit!

Favourite Vans boot to ride in?

The Infuse and also the Verse - I really like them both.

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

Enjoy life, don’t take it too seriously.