Around the World
20 years of snowboarding – Claudia Riegler has seen it all
Claudia Riegler is the only active athlete on the World Cup circuit who has competed in the first ever World Cup event in Zell am See/Kaprun back in November 1994.
And although the 41-year-old from Flachau is sometimes double as old as her competitors on the parallel courses around the world, the outgoing three-time Olympian proves year after year that she still has it in her.
The reigning Austrian PSL and PGS champion has made it to the knock out rounds in almost every competition she has competed in and is also familiar with top-3 results.
So far, the Vienna-born racer has 22 World Cup podium finishes under her belt of which four were victories. Those wins might date back more than ten years but Riegler has the ability to deliver when she has to.
At the 2011 FIS Snowboard World Championships, at the age of 37, she earned Silver (PGS) and Bronze (PSL), her sole medals at major events.
But coming a long way and being part of the show for 20 years now, Riegler's road has not ended yet.
Having competed in 291 World Cup events so far, she might join the club of the mighty 300 next winter – a feat only one person has been able to pull off so far: her younger sister Manuela (306).
Reason enough for FISSnowboard.com to sit down and talk to this living female alpine snowboarding legend about the past and what she drives to keep on racing.
FISSnowboard.com: Claudia, let's start at the beginning. How did you start competing at the FIS Snowboard World Cup?
Claudia Riegler: When I was a kid I was attending ski races already, and when FIS kicked off their World Cup tour I was at Team Hooger and they suggested that I should start at the FIS events.
How was it like to be part of the first ever Snowboard World Cup?
It was a weird mix of feelings. Back then there was this conflict between ISF and FIS and when we came to the finish, there were some ISF racers standing there with 'Anti FIS' posters.
How was the race anyway?
Puh, that's a long time. I just remember that the weather was bad but we didn't have any delays or any kind of organisational problems.
How has the World Cup developed over the past 20 years?
In the beginning we had more races, and Eurosport was broadcasting all of the events live. So, I wasn't really happy about the last two years when we had only six races in the Olympic season and that a few races had to be canceled because some Local Organisers didn't do a good job.
But looking on the preliminary schedule for next season, it seems we are back on track. It's nice to see that we will have ten parallel events again with two of them being staged in Asahikawa, Japan.
In addition, I heard that ORF bought the rights for the races outside of Austria, too, which would mean a better coverage for us and more attention at home. This is good progression.
What's the feeling like to be the only one from the first ever World Cup season – well besides maybe Ross Powers?
A very good one! It's a privilege to be able to still compete on such a high level. I was always lucky enough to avoid major injuries and I'm still pretty fit.
So, what drives you to keep on going with competitive snowboarding?
The pure joy and fun I have! In addition, my age has become a motivational factor when I turned 40. I still want to improve my skills and try to push my limits. It's exciting!
You never thought of retiring?
No, not really. Ten years ago, there were people who said that I already had reached the top of my game. If I would have believed in them, I wouldn't be here anymore and wouldn't have won my two World Championships medals and would have missed two Olympics!
That said I just want to emphasise that riders should decide by themselves when it's time to retire and should not be influenced by others. It'a all about your own experiences.
And guess what: if the up-coming season unfolds like the last ones did for me I might compete in my 300th World Cup race in Japan!
Source: the official FIS site
And although the 41-year-old from Flachau is sometimes double as old as her competitors on the parallel courses around the world, the outgoing three-time Olympian proves year after year that she still has it in her.
The reigning Austrian PSL and PGS champion has made it to the knock out rounds in almost every competition she has competed in and is also familiar with top-3 results.
So far, the Vienna-born racer has 22 World Cup podium finishes under her belt of which four were victories. Those wins might date back more than ten years but Riegler has the ability to deliver when she has to.
At the 2011 FIS Snowboard World Championships, at the age of 37, she earned Silver (PGS) and Bronze (PSL), her sole medals at major events.
But coming a long way and being part of the show for 20 years now, Riegler's road has not ended yet.
Having competed in 291 World Cup events so far, she might join the club of the mighty 300 next winter – a feat only one person has been able to pull off so far: her younger sister Manuela (306).
Reason enough for FISSnowboard.com to sit down and talk to this living female alpine snowboarding legend about the past and what she drives to keep on racing.
FISSnowboard.com: Claudia, let's start at the beginning. How did you start competing at the FIS Snowboard World Cup?
Claudia Riegler: When I was a kid I was attending ski races already, and when FIS kicked off their World Cup tour I was at Team Hooger and they suggested that I should start at the FIS events.
How was it like to be part of the first ever Snowboard World Cup?
It was a weird mix of feelings. Back then there was this conflict between ISF and FIS and when we came to the finish, there were some ISF racers standing there with 'Anti FIS' posters.
How was the race anyway?
Puh, that's a long time. I just remember that the weather was bad but we didn't have any delays or any kind of organisational problems.
How has the World Cup developed over the past 20 years?
In the beginning we had more races, and Eurosport was broadcasting all of the events live. So, I wasn't really happy about the last two years when we had only six races in the Olympic season and that a few races had to be canceled because some Local Organisers didn't do a good job.
But looking on the preliminary schedule for next season, it seems we are back on track. It's nice to see that we will have ten parallel events again with two of them being staged in Asahikawa, Japan.
In addition, I heard that ORF bought the rights for the races outside of Austria, too, which would mean a better coverage for us and more attention at home. This is good progression.
What's the feeling like to be the only one from the first ever World Cup season – well besides maybe Ross Powers?
A very good one! It's a privilege to be able to still compete on such a high level. I was always lucky enough to avoid major injuries and I'm still pretty fit.
So, what drives you to keep on going with competitive snowboarding?
The pure joy and fun I have! In addition, my age has become a motivational factor when I turned 40. I still want to improve my skills and try to push my limits. It's exciting!
You never thought of retiring?
No, not really. Ten years ago, there were people who said that I already had reached the top of my game. If I would have believed in them, I wouldn't be here anymore and wouldn't have won my two World Championships medals and would have missed two Olympics!
That said I just want to emphasise that riders should decide by themselves when it's time to retire and should not be influenced by others. It'a all about your own experiences.
And guess what: if the up-coming season unfolds like the last ones did for me I might compete in my 300th World Cup race in Japan!
Source: the official FIS site
